Elizabeth Hervey, Countess of Bristol (18 December 1676 – 1 May 1741), was a British court official and noble, the second wife of

John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol (27 August 1665 – 20 January 1751) was an English politician. John Hervey was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the son of Sir Thomas Hervey. He was educated in Bury and at Clare College, Cambridge. He ...

. They had seventeen children. She was the daughter of

Sir Thomas Felton, 4th Baronet Sir Thomas Felton, 4th Baronet (12 October 1649 – 3 March 1709), of Whitehall, Westminster and Playford, Suffolk, was an English courtier and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1690 and 1709 . Felton was the son of Sir ...

, and his wife, the former Lady Elizabeth Howard. She married Hervey on 25 July 1695 at Boxted Hall in Suffolk, and became Countess of Bristol when her husband acquired the earldom in October 1714. The children of the marriage were: *

John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, (13 October 16965 August 1743) was an English courtier and political writer. Heir to the Earl of Bristol, he obtained the key patronage of Walpole, and was involved in many court intrigues and literary quarrel ...

(1696–1743), politician, court wit and pamphleteer * Lady Elizabeth Hervey (1698–1727), married Hon. Bussy Mansel, and had no children * Hon. Thomas Hervey (20 January 1699 – 16 January 1775), MP for

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

from 1733 to 1747; held various offices at court; he eloped with Elizabeth, wife of

Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th Baronet Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th Baronet (24 September 1677 – 7 May 1746) was Speaker of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1714 to 1715, discharging the duties of the office with conspicuous impartiality. His second marriage was the subject of ...

. * Capt. Hon. William Hervey, RN (25 December 1699 – January 1776), who married Elizabeth Ridge and had issue * Rev. Hon. Henry Hervey (5 January 1701 – 16 November 1748), who married Catherine Aston, assumed her surname, and had issue * A pair of twins: Rev. Hon. Charles Hervey (5 April 1703 – 21 March 1783), prebendary of Ely, and Hon. Henrietta Hervey (5 April 1703 – April 1712) * A stillborn son, 6 July 1704 * Hon. James Porter Hervey (24 June 1706 – August 1706) * Lady Anne Hervey (c. 1707 – 15 July 1771) * Lady Barbara Hervey (c. 1707 – 25 July 1727) * Hon. Humphrey Hervey (b. 3 June 1708), died young * Hon. Felton Hervey (3 July 1710 – 16 July 1710) * Hon.

Felton Hervey Felton Hervey (12 February 1712 – 16 August 1773) was an aristocratic English politician from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, and a member of the British royal household. He took his son and daughter on a grand tour of Italy where he met Johann ...

(1712–1773), MP for the family borough of

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...

* Hon. James Hervey (5 March 1713 – May 1714) * Lady Louisa Carolina Isabella Hervey (1715 – 11 May 1770), who married Sir Robert Smyth, 2nd Baronet, and had issue * Lady Henrietta Hervey (25 September 1716 – July 1732) The countess was described by her friend, Lady

Mary Wortley Montagu Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English aristocrat, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Mary married Edward Wortley Montagu, who later served a ...

, as "young, blooming, coquette and gallant", and said that "resolved to make up for time misspent, she has two lovers at a time". She became a Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales and future queen,

Caroline of Ansbach , father = John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach , mother = Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach , birth_date = , birth_place = Ansbach, Principality of Ansbach, Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , death_place = St James's Pala ...

, in 1714, retaining the position until Caroline's death in 1737. The countess died four years after the queen and was buried at

St Mary's Church, Ickworth Ickworth Church (more formally known as St Mary's Church, Ickworth) is a former parish church in Ickworth Park near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England. History The church is within view of Ickworth House, now owned by the National Trust. The ...

, a traditional resting place for the Hervey family. A portrait of the countess, by John Simon after

Michael Dahl Michael Dahl (1659–1743) was a Swedish portrait painter who lived and worked in England most of his career and died there. He was one of the most internationally known Swedish painters of his time. He painted portraits of many aristocrats and s ...

, is held by the National Portrait Gallery. She was also painted by Sir

Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723), was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to Kingdom of England, English and Br ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bristol, Elizabeth Hervey, Countess of 1676 births 1741 deaths English countesses Daughters of baronets Ladies of the Bedchamber Court of George II of Great Britain Household of Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach