Elizabeth O'Brien, Countess of Inchiquin (25 March 1651 (date baptised) – 3 February 1718) was an English noblewoman who made three notable marriages.

Early life

She was the youngest daughter and co-heir of George Brydges, 6th Baron Chandos, and his first wife, the former Lady Susan Montagu (a daughter of the

Earl of Manchester Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Manchester Parish in Jamaica was named aft ...

). She was described by a contemporary as "a great beauty of £10,000". Elizabeth's elder sister, Margaret, married William Brownlow of Hunby. Her father died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

, aged 35, in February 1654.

Personal life

Her first husband, whom she married on 20 August 1673, was

Edward Herbert, 3rd Baron Herbert of Chirbury Edward Herbert, 3rd Baron Herbert of Chirbury (1633-1678) was an English aristocrat and soldier. Life He was the elder son of Richard Herbert, 2nd Baron Herbert of Chirbury. He joined the royalist uprising under Sir George Booth, when he declare ...

; she was his second wife and around 18 years his junior. Herbert had been involved in Booth's Rebellion of 1659, and earned favour with the new king,

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

, following the

Restoration of the Monarchy Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

, holding the position of

Custos Rotulorum of Denbighshire This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Denbighshire. * Sir John Salusbury — before 1544 – * Sir John Salusbury — before 1558 – after 1564 * Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester — before 1573 – 1588 * Sir Th ...

until his death in 1678. In the course of their marriage, Herbert built a new home at Lymore Park, which no longer stands. The couple had no children and the baron was succeeded by his brother.

Second marriage

Her second husband was

William O'Brien, 2nd Earl of Inchiquin Colonel William O'Brien, 2nd Earl of Inchiquin, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire) ( – 16 January 1692), was an Irish army officer and colonial administrator who served as the List of governors of Tangier, governor of Tangier from 1675 to 168 ...

. Like her first husband, the earl was a widower and some years her senior; however, he had children from his first marriage. They were married some time after 1684, but the earl, having been appointed

Governor of Jamaica This is a list of viceroys in Jamaica from its initial occupation by Spain in 1509, to its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. For a list of viceroys after independence, see Governor-General of Jamaica. For context, see History of Jama ...

, died there in 1692. There were no children from their marriage.

Third marriage

Finally, in about 1694, Elizabeth married

Charles Howard, 4th Baron Howard of Escrick Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

. About three years later, she brought divorce proceedings against him on the grounds of

bigamy In a culture where only monogamous relationships are legally recognized, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their mar ...

. It was reported to the House of Lords in 1698 that Lord Howard had been "ordered by the peers to waive his privilege" and had offered his wife terms of divorce through an intermediary, his relative

Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, PC (c. 1669 – 1 May 1738) was a British nobleman, peer, and statesman. Charles Howard was the eldest son of Edward Howard, 2nd Earl of Carlisle, and inherited his title on the death of his father in 169 ...

. This third marriage also produced no children. Lord Howard died in 1715 and his barony became extinct. The former countess died in 1718, aged 67.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Brien, Elizabeth, Countess of Inchiquin 1651 births 1718 deaths

Inchiquin Inchiquin () is a Barony (Ireland), barony in County Clare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 11 baronies in the county. Its chief town is Corofin, County Clare, Corofin. It is administered by Clare County C ...

Howard of Escrick Daughters of barons