Henrietta Hyde, Countess of Rochester (''née'' Boyle; 1646 – 12 April 1687) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

noblewoman. She was one of the Windsor Beauties painted by Sir

Peter Lely Sir Peter Lely (14 September 1618 – 7 December 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court. Life Lely was born Pieter van der Faes to Dutch ...

. She was born in Wiltshire, England to Sir Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Cork and Elizabeth Boyle, Countess of Cork. In 1665, she married Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, son of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and Frances Aylesbury. Henrietta had four children. Like most of the Boyle dynasty, who in the space of two generations had become almost all-powerful in the south of Ireland, Henrietta was strong-minded and acquisitive, and could be ruthless in asserting her rights. During the last two years of her life, when her husband was Chief Minister to his brother-in-law King

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

, Henrietta took full advantage of his power to claim every possible privilege. She clashed bitterly with her husband's niece, the future Queen Anne, over who should have the best apartments in Whitehall Palace. Anne, who could herself be a formidable opponent, complained bitterly of her aunt's "peevishness" to her.

Children

* Lady Anne Hyde (died 25 January 1684/85), who married James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, * Lady Mary Hyde, (1669-1709) who married Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway, * Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon (ca. 1672 – 10 December 1753), * Lady Henrietta Hyde (ca. 1677 – 30 May 1730), who married

James Scott, Earl of Dalkeith Sir James Scott, Earl of Dalkeith Order of the Thistle, KT (23 May 1674 – 14 March 1705) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He was the son of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, and Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch. He was also the grand ...

."Lady Henrietta Boyle"
''thepeerage.com'' Accessed 6 June 2008 Anne and the younger Henrietta were both noted for their wit and charm. Anne's early death, following 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 ...

, was a great blow to her parents, her husband and all her friends. Her sister Lady Dalkeith, despite many personal tragedies, is said to have retained her good nature and charm into her fifties.

References

Sources

*Gregg, Edward ''Queen Anne'' Yale University Press 2001 * Chester, Joseph Lemuel. ''The Marriage, Baptismal, and Burial Registers of the Collegiate Church or Abbey of St. Peter, Westminster.'' (p. 329) 1876
googlebooks
Retrieved 6 June 2008
"Henrietta, Countess of Rochester. (1833)"
''NYPL'' 1646 births 1687 deaths English countesses Daughters of Irish earls Henrietta Henrietta 17th-century English women 17th-century English people Wives of knights {{England-earl-stub