{{Infobox nobility , name = Elizabeth Savage , title = Countess Rivers , image = British (English) School - Lady Elizabeth Darcy (1584–1650), Countess Rivers and Viscountess Savage - 926814 - National Trust.jpg , caption = ''Lady Elizabeth Darcy, Countess Rivers and Viscountess Savage'' , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reign =

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, reign-type = , predecessor = , successor = , suc-type = , spouse =

Thomas Savage, 1st Viscount Savage Thomas Savage, 1st Viscount Savage, 2nd Baronet ( 1586 – 20 November 1635), was an English peer and courtier in the reign of Charles I of England, Charles I. Early life Savage was the eldest son of Sir John Savage (1554 – 1615), 1st Baronet, ...

, spouse-type = , issue =

John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers (25 February 1603 – 10 October 1654) was a wealthy English nobleman, politician and Royalist from Cheshire. Family A member of the Savage family, John was the first son of Thomas Savage, 1st Viscount Savage, and E ...

,
Jane Savage
and others ... , issue-link = , issue-pipe = , full name = , native_name = , styles = , titles = , other_titles = Viscountess Savage , noble family = , house-type = , father =

Thomas Darcy, 1st Earl Rivers Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, mother = Mary Kitson , birth_name = Elizabeth Darcy , birth_date = 1581 , birth_place = , christening_date = , christening_place = , death_date = 9 March {{Death date and age, 1651, 1581, df=y , death_place = , burial_date = , burial_place = St Osyth, St Peter and St Paul church,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord, 51.79863, 1.07724, type:landmark_region:GB-ESS , display=inline , religion = , occupation =

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official r ...

, memorials = , website = , module = Elizabeth Savage, Countess Rivers and Viscountess Savage (1581 – 9 March 1651) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

courtier and a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

victim of uprisings during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

.{{sfn, Walter, 2008

Early life

Born Hon. Elizabeth Darcy, she was the daughter of

and Mary Kitson (died 1644), a granddaughter of

Thomas Kitson Sir Thomas Kitson (1485 – 11 September 1540) was a wealthy English merchant, Sheriff of London, and builder of Hengrave Hall in Suffolk. Family Thomas Kitson was the son of Robert Kitson (or Kytson) of Warton, Lancashire. His mother's name ...

.{{sfn, Cokayne XI, 1949, p=26

Marriage

On 14 May 1602, Elizabeth married Thomas Savage and they had eleven sons and eight daughters.{{sfn, Walter, 2008 He was the eldest son of Sir John Savage, 1st Baronet and his wife Mary ''née'' Allington, from whom he inherited

Melford Hall Melford Hall is a stately home in the village of Long Melford, Suffolk, England. Since 1786 it has been the seat of the Parker Baronets and is still lived in by the Hyde Parker family. Since 1960 it has been owned by the National Trust. The ha ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

.{{sfn, Walter, 2008 In 1615, he inherited his father's baronetcy and was created

Viscount Savage Viscount Savage was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1626 for Sir Thomas Savage, 2nd Baronet, husband of Elizabeth Savage (whom he married in 1602) and heir-apparent by special remainder to his father-in-law's titles of Baro ...

in 1626. On his death in 1635, Elizabeth (by now Viscountess Savage) inherited Melford. This and

St Osyth Priory St Osyth's Abbey (originally and still commonly known as St Osyth's Priory) was a house of Augustinian canons in the parish of St Osyth (then named Chich) in Essex, England in use from the 12th to 16th centuries. Founded by Richard de Belme ...

formed her principal residences.{{sfn, Walter, 2008 On the death of Lady Savage's father in 1640, the earldom of Rivers passed to her eldest son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

.{{sfn, Cokayne XI, 1949, pp=26, 458–459{{sfn, Kyle, 2010 As compensation for not enjoying the rank of a countess, she was created Countess Rivers for life in 1641.{{sfn, Cokayne XI, 1949, pp=26, 458

Allegiances

As well as inheriting property and being raised in rank following the death of her father and husband, she also inherited their political and religious allegiances that would later lead to her downfall in the

. Both men were closely associated with

, had links with

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, 20th Baron de Ros, (30 January 1628 – 16 April 1687) was an English statesman and poet. Life Early life George was the son of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, favourite of James I ...

and both had enforced the king's policies for Essex in the case of Lord Rivers and

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

and

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

in the case of Lord Savage. Lady Rivers and her husband had both served in

Queen Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was ...

's court as a

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

and Chancellor respectively, due to the family's strong

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

links. Lady Rivers' father had been suspected of being a

Papist The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodox ...

, but was protected against

recusancy Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...

legislation, although he was excluded from the county

magistracy A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Cou ...

.{{sfn, Walter, 2008

Civil War

Following parliament's explanation of the ineffectual settlement with the king to have been caused by a Catholic conspiracy, local grievances heightened rumour and suspicion and Lady Rivers was presented to the Essex

justices of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

as a

recusant Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...

and her home at St Osyth was searched for

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

. Following the attack on Sir John Lucas at

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

during the Stour Valley riots, St Osyth was ransacked and plundered by the crowds. Forewarned, Lady Rivers had fled to

Long Melford Long Melford, colloquially and historically also referred to as Melford, is a large village and civil parish in the Babergh District, Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is on Suffolk's border with Essex, which is marked by ...

but the crowds followed her there, attempting to also destroy that residence. According to a local story, Lady Rivers, upon also escaping Melford, threw a box with a string of

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

s into a nearby pond before fleeing.

Later life

Although attacked by the public in opposition to her family's association with the king and their religious patronage, Lady Rivers secured support from those who did not share the same views. Parliament later ordered her estates to be restored to her, but her

tenants A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to hold land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord. Although a tenant does hold rights to real property, a l ...

subsequently refused to pay

rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

. After the second episode of invasion of her estates by Parliamentarian soldiers, she sought permission to go to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in May 1643. After her return, she successfully petitioned Parliament to have her estates restored again, but the attacks on them and the fines imposed upon her and her son left her penniless. On her death in 1651, she was said to have been bankrupt and was buried at St Osyth with her ancestors.{{sfn, Walter, 2008

Ancestry

{{ahnentafel , collapsed=yes , align=center , boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; , boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; , boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; , boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; , boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; , 1= 1. `Elizabeth Savage, Countess Rivers , 2= 2.

, 3= 3. Mary Kitson (-1644) , 4= 4. John, 2nd Lord Darcy of Chiche (-1580) , 5= 5. Frances Rich , 6= 6. Sir Thomas Kitson (1540-1604) , 7= 7. Elizabeth Cornwallis , 8= 8. Thomas, 1st Lord Darcy , 9= 9. Lady Elizabeth de Vere , 10= 10.

Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich (July 1496 – 12 June 1567), was Lord Chancellor during King Edward VI of England's reign, from 1547 until January 1552. He was the founder of Felsted School with its associated almshouses in Essex in 1564. He was ...

, 11= 11. Elizabeth Jenks (-1558) , 12= 12. Sir Thomas Kytson , 13= 13. Margaret Donnington (-1561) , 14= 14. Sir Thomas Cornwallis , 15= 15. Anne Jerningham (1523-81) , 16= 16. Roger Darcy (-1508) , 17= 17. Elizabeth Wentworth , 18= 18.

John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, Lord Great Chamberlain KG PC (c. 1482 – 21 March 1540). was an English peer and courtier. Career John de Vere, born about 1482, was the son of John de Vere and Alice Kilrington (alias Colbroke), and the g ...

, 19= 19. Elizabeth Trussell , 20= 20. John Rich , 21= , 22= 22. William Jenks , 23= 23. Elizabeth Adams , 24= 24. Robert Kitson , 25= 25. Margaret Smith (-1588) , 26= 26. John Donnington (-1544) , 27= 27. Elizabeth Pye , 28= 28. Sir John Cornwallis (1491-1544) , 29= 29. Mary Sulyard , 30= 30. Sir John Jerningham , 31= 31. Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert Drury

Notes

{{reflist

References

* {{cite book , last1=Burke , first1=John , author1-link=John Burke (genealogist) , last2=Burke , first2=Bernard , author2-link=Bernard Burke , title=A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland, and Scotland , edition=2nd , date=1844 , publisher=John Russell Smith , location=London , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j3Q-AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA470, ref={{sfnref, Burke, 1844 * {{cite book , last1=Cokayne , first1=G. E. , author-link=George Edward Cokayne , editor1-last=White , editor1-first=Geoffrey H. , title=The Complete Peerage; or, a History of the House of Lords and all its Members from the Earliest Times , volume=XI , date=1949 , publisher=St Catherine Press , location=London , ref={{sfnref, Cokayne XI, 1949 * {{cite book , last1=Kyle , first1=Chris , editor1-last=Thrush , editor1-first=Andrew , editor2-last=Ferris , editor2-first=John P. , chapter=Savage, John (1603-1654), of Rock Savage, Cheshire , title=The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604-1629, date=2010 , chapter-url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/savage-john-1603-1654 , publisher=historyofparliamentonline.org * {{cite ODNB , last1=Walter , first1=John , title=Savage 'née'' Darcy Elizabeth, ''suo jure'' Countess Rivers , date=3 January 2008 , doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/69349

External links

''St Osyth, St Peter and St Paul Church''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, Elizabeth Savage, Countess Daughters of British earls

Savage Savage may refer to: Places Antarctica * Savage Glacier, Ellsworth Land * Savage Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Savage Ridge, Victoria Land United States * Savage, Maryland, an unincorporated community * Savage, Minnesota, a city * Savage, Mi ...

Life peeresses created by Charles I 1581 births 1651 deaths Cavaliers English countesses 17th-century English women 17th-century English nobility People from Long Melford Women in the English Civil War Savage family