Elizabeth Herbert, Marchioness of Powis facts for kids

Elizabeth Herbert, Marchioness of Powis (born around 1634 – died 16 March 1691) was an important English noblewoman. Before her marriage, she was known as Lady Elizabeth Somerset. She was the wife of William Herbert, 1st Marquess of Powis. Elizabeth was the daughter of Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester, and his wife, Elizabeth Dormer.

Her Family Life

Elizabeth Somerset married William Herbert on August 2, 1654. At that time, William was the person who would inherit the title from his father, Percy Herbert, 2nd Baron Powis. William became the new Baron Powis in 1666 after his father passed away.

Elizabeth and William had six children together:

• Lady Anne Herbert (died 1748), who married Francis Smith, 2nd Viscount Carrington.
• Lady Frances Herbert, who married Kenneth Mackenzie, 4th Earl of Seaforth. They had children.
• Lady Mary Herbert (died 1744), who married three times.
• William Herbert, 2nd Marquess of Powis (born around 1665 – died 1745).
• Lady Lucy Herbert (1669-1744), who chose to become a nun.
• Lady Winifred Herbert (born around 1679 – died 1749), who married William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale. They also had children.

In 1674, Elizabeth's husband, William, was given a new title: Earl of Powis. This meant that Elizabeth became a Countess. A painting of her from around 1674, made by John Michael Wright, is kept at Powis Castle.

The Popish Plot

Elizabeth Herbert served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Catherine of Braganza. Catherine was the queen of King Charles II of England. In 1678, a difficult time began for Elizabeth and her family. Her husband was one of five Catholic lords who were wrongly accused of treason. This happened during something called the Popish Plot. This plot was a false story made up by a man named Titus Oates.

Because of these false accusations, Elizabeth's husband was put in the Tower of London. He stayed there until 1684. Elizabeth worked very hard to try and get him released. She even dealt with some tricky people, like a known informer named Thomas Dangerfield. She hoped Dangerfield could prove that the people accusing her husband were lying.

However, Dangerfield was not trustworthy. He turned against Lady Powis and her friend, a Catholic midwife named Elizabeth Cellier . He then accused them of treason too. Luckily, by the time they went to trial in the summer of 1680, Dangerfield's reputation was so bad that Elizabeth and her friend were easily found innocent.

Later Life and Exile

On March 24, 1686, Elizabeth's husband received an even higher title: Marquess of Powis. This meant Elizabeth became a Marchioness. Her husband was Catholic and very loyal to King James II. When King James II had to leave England, Elizabeth's husband followed him into exile.

In exile, King James gave him new titles, like 1st Duke of Powis. But because he left England, he was declared an outlaw there.

Elizabeth followed her husband into exile as well. She continued to serve the royal family. She became the First Lady of the Bedchamber to King James's queen, Mary of Modena. She also worked as the Royal Governess for James, Prince of Wales, who was the king's son. Elizabeth served in these roles until she passed away in 1691.

Images for kids

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  A portrait of Elizabeth Herbert, Marchioness of Powis, painted around 1674.