Dorothy Ashley-Cooper, Countess of Shaftesbury (c. 1656 – June 1698), formerly Lady Dorothy Manners, was the wife of

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 2nd Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 2nd Earl of Shaftesbury Bt (16 January 1652 – 2 November 1699), known as Lord Ashley from 1672 to 1683, was an English peer and Member of Parliament. Shaftesbury was the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftes ...

, and the mother of the 3rd Earl. She was the daughter of

John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland (10 June 160429 September 1679), was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited the title Earl of Rutland on the death of his second cousin George Manners, 7t ...

, and his wife, the former Frances Montagu, herself a daughter of Sir

Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton Order of the Bath, KB (AKA Sir Edward Montague of Boughton Castle) (c. 1562 – 15 June 1644) was an English politician. Life Montagu was the son of Edward Montagu of Boughton, Sir Edward Mont ...

. Her brother John Manners, was created Duke of Rutland, and all five of her sisters married into the aristocracy: Lady Grace Manners married first

Patrick Chaworth, 3rd Viscount Chaworth Patrick Chaworth (20 June 1635 – June 1693) was 3rd Viscount Chaworth of Armagh.The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant. G.E. Cokayne, volume III, page 155. He is also ...

, and afterwards

Sir William Langhorne, 1st Baronet Sir William Langhorne, 1st Baronet ( – 26 February 1715) was the Agent of Madras from January 1670 to 27 January 1678.Thomas Seccombe'Langhorne, Sir William, baronet (c.1634–1715)' rev. Andrew Grout, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biog ...

;Thomas Seccombe
‘Langhorne, Sir William, baronet (c.1634–1715)’
rev. Andrew Grout, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2004, . Retrieved 14 March 2008. Lady Margaret Manners became Countess of Salisbury; Lady Frances Manners became Countess of Exeter; and Lady Elizabeth Manners became Countess of Anglesey. Lady Grace became Viscountess Chaworth, and Lady Anne became Viscountess Howe. Lady Dorothy's marriage to the future earl, which took place on 22 September 1669, was supposedly negotiated by

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...

, a friend of the 1st earl, who had been tutor to his son. This arrangement does not seem to have lasted very long, and it has been suggested that the 2nd Earl was not a promising pupil. In 1672, when his father became an earl, Dorothy's husband (by now an MP) became known as Lord Ashley and she as Lady Ashley. They had three children: *Lady Elizabeth Ashley-Cooper (died 1744), who married James Harris and had children *

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury (26 February 1671 – 16 February 1713) was an English politician, philosopher, and writer. Early life He was born at Exeter House in London, the son of the future Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd E ...

(1671-1713), who married Jane Ewer and had one son *Hon. Maurice Ashley-Cooper (1675-1726), who married Catharine Popple and had no children Locke was the family's physician and assisted at the birth of the couple's eldest son and also attended Dorothy when she suffered a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...

. The 1st Earl, apparently dissatisfied with his son, arranged for his grandson, the future 3rd Earl, to be removed from his parents' care and taken to Locke for tutoring. After the 1st Earl's death, however, the boy was returned to his mother and father, now the 2nd Earl and Countess, and they sent him to

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

for his education.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaftesbury, Dorothy Ashley-Cooper, Countess of 1650s births 1698 deaths English countesses Daughters of British earls 17th-century English women 17th-century English people

Dorothy Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Characters *Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum * Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...