{{Infobox noble , name = Elizabeth Hamilton , title = Countess of Orkney , image = Elizbeth Villiers.jpg , caption = Elizabeth Villiers , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reign = , reign-type = , predecessor = , successor = , suc-type = , spouse =

George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney Field Marshal George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, KT (9 February 1666 – 29 January 1737), styled Lord George Hamilton from 1666 to 1696, was a British soldier and Scottish nobleman and the first British Army officer to be promoted to the ra ...

, issue = Anne O'Brien, 2nd Countess of Orkney
Frances Lumley-Saunderson, Countess of Scarbrough
Henrietta Boyle, Countess of Cork , issue-link = , issue-pipe = , full name = , styles = , titles = , noble family = , house-type = , father = Colonel Sir Edward Villiers , mother = Frances Howard , birth_date = 1657 , birth_place =

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, christening_date = , christening_place = , death_date = 19 April {{death year and age, 1733, 1657 , death_place = England , burial_date = , burial_place = , religion = , occupation =

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

ess , memorials = , website = , module = Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney (1657{{snd19 April 1733) (born Elizabeth Villiers) was an English courtier from the

Villiers family Villiers ( ) is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. Over time, various members of the Villiers family were made knights, baronets, and peers. Peerages held by the Villiers family include the dukedoms of Buckingham (1623–1687) and Cleve ...

and the reputed mistress of William III & II, King of England and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, from 1680 until 1695. She was a lady-in-waiting to his wife and co-monarch, Queen Mary II.

Life

Elizabeth Villiers was born to Colonel Sir Edward Villiers of

Richmond, Surrey Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Comm ...

, and Lady Frances Howard, herself the youngest daughter of

Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, (13 August 15843 June 1640) was an English nobleman and politician. Born at the family estate of Saffron Walden, he was the son of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, by his second wife, Catherine Kny ...

, and Elizabeth Hume. In 1660, Charles II's brother James (the future James II) married the commoner

Anne Hyde Anne Hyde (12 March 163731 March 1671) was Duchess of York and Albany as the first wife of James, Duke of York, who later became King James II and VII. Anne was the daughter of a member of the English gentry – Edward Hyde (later created ...

, who was already pregnant at the time. Elizabeth's mother, Lady Villiers, was awarded the position of governess to James and Anne's children. Although Anne had four daughters and four sons, only

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

(the future Mary II) born in 1662 and

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

, born in 1665, survived to adulthood. Lady Villiers used her position to secure for her children both place and influence in the future Queen Mary II's household. Elizabeth's sisters Anne and Katherine were among the

maids of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...

who accompanied Lady Mary to

the Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

, to marry and serve as Princess of Orange; meanwhile, Elizabeth's brother Edward, later created 1st Earl of Jersey, was

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 Elizabeth is reputed to have become William's mistress in 1680. In 1685, Mary's father James II exploited rumours of William's infidelity in an attempt to cause a split between his daughter and the prince. Mary II died on 28 December 1694, and within a year or so, William ended his relationship with Elizabeth Villiers, motivated, it is said, by his wife's expressed wishes before her death.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 In 1694, two men fought a duel, reputedly over the affections of Elizabeth Villiers. John Law, then still a penniless young man, killed Edward "Beau" Wilson on 9 April 1694. Wilson had challenged Law, although Law may have provoked Wilson on the instigation of Villiers, due to a conflict she had with Wilson regarding money and attempted blackmail. Law was tried and initially found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to a fine, upon the ground that the offence only amounted to manslaughter. Wilson's brother appealed and had Law imprisoned, but he managed to escape to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. In 1695, William settled a large part of the confiscated Irish estates of James II, which had become the property of Mary II, his late wife, on Elizabeth. Parliament revoked this grant in 1700.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 On 25 November 1695, Elizabeth was married to her cousin,

Lord George Hamilton Lord George Francis Hamilton (17 December 1845 – 22 September 1927) was a British Conservative Party politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who served as First Lord of the Admiralty and Secretary of State for India. Backgroun ...

, the fifth son of the 3rd Duke of Hamilton. A few weeks later, on 3 January, he was honoured with the titles

Earl of Orkney Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the Nort ...

, Viscount of Kirkwall, and Baron Dechmont. Elizabeth, now the Countess of Orkney, served her husband's interests with great skill, and the marriage proved a happy one.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 Later in 1696 she founded

Midleton College Midleton College is an independent co-educational boarding and day school in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland. In past centuries it has also been called Midleton School. Although founded in 1696, the school did not open until 1717. It went thr ...

, a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

in County Cork, Ireland. Lady Orkney retained a degree of social importance in the Hanoverian era, and was hostess to

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgor ...

and

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...

at her estate at

Cliveden Cliveden (pronounced ) is an English country house and estate in the care of the National Trust in Buckinghamshire, on the border with Berkshire. The Italianate mansion, also known as Cliveden House, crowns an outlying ridge of the Chiltern ...

, Buckinghamshire. She died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 19 April 1733.

Family

Elizabeth was a

first cousin Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

of Barbara Villiers, a mistress of Charles II, as their fathers were brothers. Her paternal aunt was Elizabeth Villiers, Countess of Morton, the godmother and governess of Princess

Henrietta Henrietta may refer to: * Henrietta (given name), a feminine given name, derived from the male name Henry Places * Henrietta Island in the Arctic Ocean * Henrietta, Mauritius * Henrietta, Tasmania, a locality in Australia United States * Henrie ...

. Her brother was

Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey (c. 165625 August 1711) was an English peer, courtier, and statesman of the Villiers family. He was created Baron Villiers and Viscount Villiers in 1691 and Earl of Jersey in 1697. A leading Tory politicia ...

, whose great-grandson married

Frances Twysden Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey (''née'' Twysden; 25 February 1753 – 23 July 1821) was a British Lady of the Bedchamber, one of the more notorious of the many mistresses of King George IV when he was Prince of Wales, "a scintillating ...

, yet another royal mistress.

Issue

, son of

Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton (6 January 1632 – 17 October 1716) was a Scottish peeress. The daughter of Sir James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton and 3rd Marquess of Hamilton, Scottish General and premier peer of the realm, and La ...

, and William Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton, Elizabeth Villiers had three daughters, the eldest of whom inherited her husband's estate and title:Lady Henrietta Douglas
''thepeerage.com'' * Lady Anne, ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' Countess of Orkney, married her cousin

William O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin {{Infobox officeholder , honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable , name = The Earl of Inchiquin , honorific-suffix = KB PC(I) , image = William_O’Brien,_4th_Earl_of_Inchiquin.jpg , caption = , alt ...

(1700{{snd18 July 1777) on 29 March 1720 * Lady Frances, married Thomas Lumley-Saunderson, 3rd Earl of Scarbrough * Lady Henrietta, married

John Boyle, 5th Earl of Cork John Boyle, 5th Earl of Cork and 5th Earl of Orrery, FRS (13 January 1707 – 16 November 1762) was a writer and a friend of Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope and Samuel Johnson. The only son of Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery, and his wife Lady ...

Notes

{{more footnotes, date=January 2014 {{reflist

References

* {{EB1911, wstitle=Orkney, Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of, volume=20, page=279

Life

Family

Issue

Notes

References

Further reading