Countess of Derby: elegant and loyal
The Countess of Derby was Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Mary II. She had a life of both happiness and sorrow and founded a charity in her name
Lady Elizabeth ‘Eliza’ Stanley, Countess of Derby (1660–1717), was born Elizabeth Butler, the spirited daughter of Thomas Butler, Earl of Ossory, and the Dutch aristocrat Emilia van Nassau-Beverweerd. Her upbringing bridged two courts – Dublin and The Hague – and she grew up amid the elegance, politics and intrigue of Restoration Europe.
In 1673 she married William Richard George Stanley, the ninth Earl of Derby. The alliance was prestigious, but not especially happy. Elizabeth was clever, sociable, and admired in court circles; her husband, by contrast, was known more for debt and disarray than for charm. Contemporary letters hint that she often lived apart from him, finding greater fulfilment in royal service than in domestic life.
Her fortunes changed when Mary II came to the throne. Elizabeth’s grace and reliability secured her appointment as a Lady of the Bedchamber and later Mistress of the Robes –one of the most senior positions in the Queen’s household. At court she was regarded as elegant, loyal, and quietly influential. She was close to both Queen Mary and the future Queen Anne, navigating the shifting loyalties of the era with notable tact. There were stories of her organising lavish court entertainments, and she was celebrated for her taste in fashion – something Mary relied on heavily as she tried to cultivate a modern, more European courtly style. [Whilst there are many portraits of Queen Anne (pictured), there is only one of Elizabeth – and that is protected by copyright in the National Portrait gallery.]
But behind the glitter, Elizabeth’s own life was marked by sorrow. She had several children, though only three reached adulthood. Her only son died of smallpox in Venice in 1699 while on the Grand Tour, a devastating blow to the family line. Her husband died in 1702, and one of her daughters in 1714. These losses, combined with her own growing frailty, likely shaped the compassionate decisions she made in her will.
Her charity was established for the benefit of the poor of Kew and Brentford in equal measure. The funds came from the sale of her beloved summer retreat on Kew Green – a house surrounded by two acres of gardens. Although the exact location has been lost to time, it was believed to stand on the south-western side of the Green, once stretching far beyond today’s boundaries.
The sale raised around £1,700, divided into two separate trusts. Kew’s share was £780, invested in government stock until 1961, and for many years payments to beneficiaries were modest – just a few pounds each. Yet in recent decades the charity has been revitalised through new endowments, allowing grants of up to £300 today.
Now administered by trustees appointed by the London Borough of Richmond, the charity continues Eliza’s legacy: offering support to those in Kew facing hardship or distress – from the elderly living alone to families struggling with essential bills. Three centuries on, the Countess’s act of generosity still ripples quietly through the community she once knew.
(c) John Moses
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