Elizabeth Lyon, Countess of Strathmore

Elizabeth Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (née Stanhope, May 1663 – 24 April 1723), was an English noblewoman and the wife of Scottish peer John Lyon, 4th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. Born to Lady Elizabeth Butler and Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield, her paternity was in doubt. It is possible that her actual father was James, Duke of York, who would in 1685 ascend the throne as King James II of England.

Lady Elizabeth Stanhope
Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Stanhope in mezzotint c.1680-84, published by Alexander Browne after Sir Peter Lely
BornMay 1663
Died24 April 1723(1723-04-24) (aged 59)
Spouse(s)John Lyon, 4th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
IssueJohn Lyon, 5th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Charles Lyon, 6th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
James Lyon, 7th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Thomas Lyon, 8th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
3 additional sons, 3 daughters
FatherPhilip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield (paternity is disputed)
MotherLady Elizabeth Butler

She was the subject of three portraits in mezzotint published by Alexander Browne after Sir Peter Lely. These are displayed at the National Portrait Gallery, in London.

Family

Lady Elizabeth was born in May 1663 at Bretby, Derbyshire, the daughter of Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield, and Lady Elizabeth Butler, eldest daughter of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde. Her father had been the lover of the notorious Barbara Villiers, mistress of King Charles II of England.[1] Historian Antonia Fraser describes Elizabeth's mother as having been one of the mistresses of the Duke of York.[2]

Marriage and issue

John Lyon, 5th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Lady Elizabeth's eldest surviving son and a Jacobite, was killed at the Battle of Sheriffmuir

On 21 September 1691, Elizabeth married Scottish nobleman John Lyon, son of Patrick Lyon, 3rd Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. In May 1695, almost four years after their marriage, he succeeded his father as the 4th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne; and from that time onwards, she was styled Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

Together they had 10 children:[3]

Death

Elizabeth died on 24 April 1723 at Castle Lyon in Scotland. She was not quite 60 years old.

References

  1. Antonia Fraser, King Charles II, p. 209
  2. Fraser, p. 320
  3. "Main Page".
  • www.thePeerage.com
  • Antonia Fraser, King Charles II, Weidenfeld and Nicolson Ltd., London, 1979
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