Elizabeth Herbert, Countess of Pembroke
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Elizabeth Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery (born Lady Elizabeth Spencer; January/March 1737 – 30 April 1831) was the second daughter of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough and Elizabeth Trevor.
The Countess of Pembroke | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of the Countess with her son, George, by Sir Joshua Reynolds (c. 1764–1767) | |
| Born | January/March 1737 |
| Died | 30 April 1831 (aged 94) |
| Spouse(s) | Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke |
| Issue | George Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke Charlotte Herbert |
| Parents | Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough Elizabeth Trevor |
Biography
edit
She was born Elizabeth Spencer to Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough and Elizabeth Trevor. Her siblings were George, Charles, and Diana.
In 1756, aged 19, she married Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke. In 1762, he left her to elope with another woman.
"Husbands are dreadfull and powerful animals," wrote the long-suffering Elizabeth after reconciling with her husband in 1762. She refused to allow his illegitimate son from that affair to keep the surname Herbert, and she and Henry ended up living in separate quarters at Wilton (he downstairs, she upstairs).
She was admired by George III in the early 1760s, becoming a Lady of the Bedchamber to his wife, Queen Charlotte. The King and Queen stayed for two nights with Henry and Elizabeth at Wilton House in 1778.
She would eventually move to Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park in 1788, which King George had put at her disposal. However, the King – who had been attracted to Elizabeth as long as he had known her – suffered his first bout of insanity that same year, and she had to endure the embarrassment of his sporadic and unwanted attentions until his recovery later that year.
Issue
edit| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Augustus Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke, 8th Earl of Montgomery | 10 September 1759 | 26 October 1827 | He married, firstly in 1787, Elizabeth Beauclerk and had issue; he married, secondly in 1808, Countess Catherine Vorontsova and had issue. |
| Charlotte Herbert | 14 July 1773 | 21 April 1784 | She died from tuberculosis, known then as consumption, aged 10. |
In fiction
edit- She features in the movie The Madness of King George (1994) played by Amanda Donohoe.
- It is set in 1788, and so she was actually much older than portrayed.
- Its mention of a mother-in-law who "lost her wits" is an invention, since her mother-in-law Mary Fitzwilliam died in 1769.
- The King introduces her: "Now, that's Lady Pembroke. Handsome woman, what? Daughter of the Duke of Marlborough. Stuff of generals. Blood of Blenheim. Husband an utter rascal. Eloped in a packet-boat."
- The movie shows the mad King harassing her, but she (and the Queen) remaining loyal to him.
Sources
edit- Humphrys family tree
- Henry, Elizabeth and George: Letters and Diaries of Henry, 10th Earl of Pembroke and his Circle (1734–80), 16th Earl, 1939, repub as: The Pembroke Papers vol. I (1734–80), 1942–50.
- The Pembroke Papers vol. II (1780–94), 16th Earl, 1950, [EUL] 9(42073) Pem.