{{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 ran ...

, issue =

Anne O'Brien, 2nd Countess of Orkney Anne Douglas-Hamilton, 2nd Countess of Orkney (1696 – 6 December 1756) was a Scottish noblewoman and the eldest daughter of Field Marshal George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, and his wife, the former Elizabeth Villiers. She was also known as ...

Frances Lumley-Saunderson, Countess of Scarbrough Frances Lumley-Saunderson, Countess of Scarbrough (c.1700 – 30 December 1772), formerly Frances Douglas-Hamilton, was a British courtier. She was a younger daughter of George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, and his wife, the former Elizabeth ...

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 Clevel ...

and the reputed

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

of William III & II,

King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, from 1680 until 1695. She was a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

to his wife and co-monarch,

Queen Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife A ...

Life

Elizabeth Villiers was born to Colonel Sir Edward Villiers of Richmond, Surrey, and Lady Frances Howard, herself the youngest daughter of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, and

Elizabeth Hume Elizabeth Valerie Hume (born 29 October 1956) is a Canadian phonologist, professor emerita at the Ohio State University. Education and career Hume received her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1992, under the supervision of G. N. Clements. Sh ...

. 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 A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

to James and Anne's children. Although Anne had four daughters and four sons, only Mary (the future Mary II) born in 1662 and Anne, 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 r ...

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 of ...

, to marry and serve as

Princess of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

; meanwhile, Elizabeth's brother

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

, later created 1st

Earl of Jersey Earl of the Island of Jersey, usually shortened to Earl of Jersey, is a title in the Peerage of England held by a branch of the Villiers family, which since 1819 has been the Child-Villiers family. History It was created in 1697 for the sta ...

, was Master of the Horse.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 Elizabeth is reputed to have become William's mistress in 1680. In 1685, Mary's father

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 ...

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 A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

, reputedly over the affections of Elizabeth Villiers.

John Law John Law may refer to: Arts and entertainment *John Law (artist) (born 1958), American artist *John Law (comics), comic-book character created by Will Eisner *John Law (film director), Hong Kong film director * John Law (musician) (born 1961), B ...

, 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 Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

. 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 of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. 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. Background ...

, 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, 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, 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 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,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

. She died in

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 19 April 1733.

Family

Elizabeth was a first cousin of

Barbara Villiers Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine (née Barbara Villiers, – 9 October 1709), was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of Eng ...

, 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. 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 politician ...

, whose great-grandson married Frances Twysden, 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 William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, 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'' 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 Thomas Lumley-Saunderson, 3rd Earl of Scarbrough, KB (c. 1691 – 15 March 1752) was a British peer, British Army officer and diplomat. Life Born the Hon. Thomas Lumley, he was the third son of Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough and his ...

* 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