Charlotte de la Trémoïlle (1599–1664), Lady Strange, Later Countess of Derby

Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby (December 1599 – 31 March 1664), born Charlotte de La Trémoille, is famous for her robust defence of Lathom House during the English Civil War.

Early life

Charlotte, born at the chateau of Thouars, Poitou, in France, was the daughter of the French nobleman Claude de La Trémoille, 2nd Duke of Thouars, and his wife, Countess Charlotte Brabantina of Nassau. Her maternal grandparents were

William I, Prince of Orange William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Rev ...

, and Charlotte de Bourbon. On 26 June 1626, Charlotte married the English nobleman James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, and was naturalised as an English citizen by Act of Parliament in February 1629. Her husband was a Royalist commander in the English Civil War, later taken prisoner at Nantwich in 1651 and beheaded at Bolton.

English Civil War

Lady Derby was famous for her defence of

Lathom House Lathom House was a large country house in the parish of Lathom in Lancashire, England. Built between 1725 and 1740, the main block was demolished in 1925. Early history A wooden castle is believed to have stood on the site in mediaeval times. ...

in the

Siege of Lathom House The siege of Lathom House was a military confrontation between a Parliamentarian army and a Royalist stronghold in Lathom near Ormskirk in Lancashire, during the First English Civil War. The first siege lasted from late February to late May ...

by Parliamentary forces during the

First English Civil War The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Ang ...

in 1644. During the absence of her spouse, she was left in charge of what turned out to be the last remaining Royalist stronghold in Lancashire. Immediately after the fall of Warrington, she was requested to acknowledge Parliament's authority and surrender her house, but she refused on the grounds that doing so would dishonour her husband. She offered to limit herself to defending her home and this postponed further attacks on her position. In February 1644, Latham House was besieged by the forces of Sir Thomas Fairfax. Lady Derby had fortified the castle to resist bombardment and assembled a militia of seasoned marksmen who were able to inflict significant losses by sniping. She expressly refused repeated offers of surrender. On 27 May 1644,

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...

arrived with Royalist forces and the siege was broken. Lady Derby and her staff were evacuated to the Isle of Man. Lady Derby's heroic defence of

is commemorated in Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poetical illustration in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1833 to a portrait of Lord and Lady Derby (by

William Derby William Derby (1786–1847) was an English portraitist, miniature painter and copyist. Life Derby was born in Birmingham on 10 January 1786, where he was taught drawing by Joseph Barber. In 1808 he moved to London, where he began his career by ...

after van Dyck).

Isle of Man

Her husband was also Lord of Mann. Lady Derby's attempt to barter the Island for her husband's freedom provoked an anti-English revolt led by

Illiam Dhone or (literally meaning 'Brown William' in English) (14 April 16082 January 1663), also known as William Christian, was a Manx politician and depending on viewpoint, patriot, rebel or traitor. He was a son of Ewan Christian, a deemster. In M ...

. Lady Derby was holding Man, but the total destruction of the Royal army at the Battle of Worcester, the flight of

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

to an exile in France and the execution of her husband left her without hope of assistance. The last Royalist stronghold to surrender to parliamentairan forces at the conclusion of civil war hostilites was Castle Rushden at Castletown on the Isle of Man, defended under the leadership of the redoubtable Charlotte, widow of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby. It yielded to Colonel Duckenfield in October 1651 ** She eventually yielded with reluctance to the necessity of a surrender and retained, says David Hume incorrectly, "the glory of being the last person in the three kingdoms, and in all their dependent dominions, who submitted to the victorious rebels". The last holdout against Cromwellian forces occurred on the island of Inishbofin, County Galway, Ireland in 1653.

Family

Charlotte and Derby were parents of four daughters and six sons. Only five of their children appear to have survived to a marriageable age: *

Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby (19 January 1628 – 21 December 1672) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte de La Trémouille. Life As Lord Strange, he took little p ...

(19 January 1628 – 21 December 1672). *Lady Henriette Mary Stanley (17 November 1630 – 27 December 1685) married William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford. *Lady Amelia Ann Sophia Stanley (1633 – 22 February 1702/3) married

John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl, KT (2 May 16316 May 1703) was a leading Scottish royalist and defender of the Stuarts during the English Civil War of the 1640s, until after the rise to power of William and Mary in 1689. He succeeded as 2nd ...

. *Lady Catherine Stanley married

Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, PC, FRSFRCP(March 16068 December 1680) was an English peer. He was the son of Robert Pierrepont, 1st Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull, and his wife, the former Gertrude Talbot, daughter of George Talb ...

. *John Stanley (4 November 1641 – 10 September 1719) married a commoner, Alice Biddle. Charles's two sons, William, the 9th Earl (c. 1655–1702), and James, the 10th (1664–1736), both died without sons, and consequently, when James died in February 1736, his titles and estates passed to

Sir Edward Stanley Edward Stanley, 1st Baron Monteagle KG (1460?–1523) was an English soldier who became a peer and Knight of the Garter. He is known for his deeds at the Battle of Flodden. Life Born about 1460, he was fifth son of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of D ...

(1689–1776), a descendant of the 1st Earl. From him the later Earls of Derby are descended.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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