Elizabeth Brudenell, Countess of Cardigan (née Lady Elizabeth Bruce; January 1689 – December 1745), formerly, was a Scottish noblewoman and a petitioner for the foundation of the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

in London. Her husband was

George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan (29 September 1685 – 5 July 1732), styled Lord Brudenell between 1698 and 1703, was a British peer. Origins He was the son of Francis Brudenell, Lord Brudenell, son and heir of Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl ...

, and she was the mother of the 4th Earl, who later became 1st Duke of Montagu.

Life

Brudenell was the daughter of Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury and 3rd Earl of Elgin, and his first wife, the former Lady Elizabeth Seymour. She married the earl on 15 May 1707 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Covent Garden. She had her portrait painted by Sir

Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723) was a German-born British painter. The leading Portrait painting, portraitist in England during the late Stuart period, Stuart and early Georgian eras ...

in the same year. There is also a painting of her by the Dutch artist Herman van der Mijn dating from 1729, in which she is pictured with two of her sons, James and Robert. Their children included: * George, 4th Earl of Cardigan (1712-1790), who married Lady Mary Montagu and had children. * James Brudenell, 5th Earl of Cardigan (1715-1811) *Hon.

Robert Brudenell Robert Brudenell (20 September 1726 – 20 October 1768) was a British army officer and Member of Parliament. Brudenell was the third son of the 3rd Earl of Cardigan and Elizabeth Bruce and a younger brother of the 1st Duke of Montagu ...

(1726-1768), who married Anne Bisshopp and had one son,

Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

* Thomas Brudenell-Bruce (1729-1815), who succeeded to the Bruce estates and was created Earl of Ailesbury in 1776. *Lady Mary Brudenell (died 1813), who married Richard Powys, MP, and had children *Lady Frances Brudenell, who married Oliver Tilson

Deene Park Deene Park, the seat of the Brudenell family since 1514, is a country manor located north-east of Corby in the county of Northamptonshire, England. The hall itself is a Grade I listed building dating back to the 14th century which has been m ...

, Northamptonshire, was the family seat of the Brudenells, where the Countess of Cardigan lived after her marriage. Her eldest son, George Brudenell, was born at Cardigan House,

Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is located in Holborn and is the List of city squares by size, largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a ...

, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

.G. E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors. The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume III, page 14. Deene Park Northamptonshie

Lord Cardigan died in July 1732 and was succeeded by his eldest son, George. Having inherited the estates of his father-in-law,

John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu Major-General John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu, (1690 – 5 July 1749), styled Viscount Monthermer until 1705 and Marquess of Monthermer between 1705 and 1709, was a British Army officer, courtier and the fifth Grand Master of the Premier Gr ...

, in 1749, George assumed the surname "Montagu", and was created Marquess of Monthermer and Duke of Montagu in 1766. The Countess of Cardigan died in December 1745, aged 56, and is buried at Deene Park.

Foundling Hospital

The Countess was one of twenty-one 'ladies of quality and distinction' who signed a petition in 1735 calling for the establishment of the

in London, UK. The petition was presented to King George II by philanthropist

Thomas Coram Sea captain, Captain Thomas Coram ( – 29 March 1751) was an English sea captain and philanthropist who created the London Foundling Hospital in Lamb's Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, to look after abandoned children on the streets of London. It is ...

and although it was initially rejected, it was instrumental in gaining further support for the children's home which was granted a Royal Charter in 1739.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brudenell, Elizabeth, Countess of Cardigan 1689 births 1745 deaths

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

Daughters of British earls Daughters of Scottish earls Cardigan Scottish noblewomen