Susan Feilding, Countess Of Denbigh
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Susan Feilding, Countess of Denbigh (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Villiers; 1583–1652), was an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...
. She was First Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen
Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was ...
in 1626–1652.


Life

Born Susan Villiers, she was the youngest daughter of Sir George Villiers and his wife, Mary Beaumont. About 1607, she married Sir William Feilding, who was later created
Earl of Denbigh Earl of Denbigh (pronounced 'Denby') is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1622 for William Feilding, 1st Viscount Feilding, a courtier, admiral, adventurer, and brother-in-law of the powerful Duke of Buckingham. The title is ...
. The Countess of Denbigh was often at court, and rode to hunting on horseback with King James and her mother, the Countess of Buckingham, on 19 June 1624 (the King's birthday) from
Wanstead House Wanstead House was a mansion built to replace the earlier Wanstead Hall. It was commissioned in 1715, completed in 1722 and demolished in 1825. Its gardens now form the municipal Wanstead Park in the London Borough of Redbridge. History Construct ...
. She was appointed First Lady of the Bedchamber to the queen,
Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was ...
, in 1626, and kept this office for the rest of her life. She was appointed in the midst of the king's purge of the queen's French household. Initially, the queen refused her because she was Protestant. When the king dismissed her French retinue, however, she asked Denbigh to assist her in acquiring the king's consent to let her French nurse Madame de Vantelet stay. Denbigh succeeded in this task by asking her brother to appeal to the king on the queen's behalf, after which the queen voluntarily agreed for her to become her principal lady-in-waiting. As principal lady-in-waiting, she has been referred to as both
Mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. Formerly responsible for the queen consort's/regnant's clothes and jewellery (as the name implies), the post had the responsibility for arranging the rota ...
as well as First Lady of the Bedchamber. During the
English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, her husband, the Earl of Denbigh, supported and fought for King
Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of ...
, while her son, Basil, joined the Parliamentarian forces. The Earl was wounded during an attack on Birmingham and died of his injuries in 1643. The next year Susan fled to France with Queen Henrietta Marie. It was in France that Susan converted to Roman
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, and in 1651, the
council of state A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
ordered the sequestration of all her property in England on the grounds that she had become
Papist The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodo ...
and was active in designs against the state. She was the patron of
Richard Crashaw Richard Crashaw (c. 1613 – 21 August 1649) was an English poet, teacher, High Church Anglican cleric and Roman Catholic convert, who was one of the major metaphysical poets in 17th-century English literature. Crashaw was the son of a famous ...
, who dedicated his sacred poems to her, in hearty acknowledgment of his immortal obligation to her goodness and charity, and addressed to her a poem persuading her — to render herself without further delay into the communion of the Catholic Church. The Countess died while in France, in 1652, and was buried in
Église Saint-Eustache, Paris The Church of St. Eustache, Paris (french: église Saint-Eustache) is a church in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. The present building was built between 1532 and 1632. Situated near the site of Paris' medieval marketplace (Les Halles) and rue ...
.


Issue

She had five children: *
Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh (c. 160828 November 1675) was a diplomat, politician and parliamentarian army officer during the English Civil War. He was the eldest son of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh and Susan Feilding, Countess o ...
(ca. 1608–1675) *
George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond (c. 1614 – 31 January 1665) was an English aristocrat, awarded the title of Earl of Desmond in the Peerage of Ireland by Charles I of England under the terms of a letter patent issued by James I of Englan ...
(ca. 1614–1665) * Lady Margaret (1613–1638), married
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, KG, PC (19 June 1606 – 9 March 1649), known as The 3rd Marquess of Hamilton from March 1625 until April 1643, was a Scottish nobleman and influential political and military leader during the Thirty Year ...
. * Lady Anne (died 1636), married
Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden (1611 – 29 October 1682) was an English politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Custos Rotulorum of Rutland and the Member of Parliament for Rutland. Early life Baptist Noel was born at Exton Hall ...
* Lady Elizabeth, Countess of Guildford (died 1667), married Lewis Boyle, 1st
Viscount Boyle A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
.Cokayne, and others, ''The Complete Peerage'', volume II, page 265.


See also

*
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 ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denbigh, Susan Feilding, Countess of 1583 births 1652 deaths English countesses Wives of knights First Ladies of the Bedchamber
Susan Feilding, Countess of Denbigh Susan Feilding, Countess of Denbigh (née Villiers; 1583–1652), was an English courtier. She was First Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Henrietta Maria in 1626–1652. Life Born Susan Villiers, she was the youngest daughter of Sir Georg ...
Susan Mistresses of the Robes Court of Charles I of England Household of Henrietta Maria Daughters of British earls