Elizabeth Germain
Encyclopedia
Lady Elizabeth "Betty" Germain (1680-1769) was a wealthy English aristocrat and courtier, a philanthropist and collector of antiquities, who corresponded with literary and political figures.
and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden
. In 1738, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
wrote of her that "notwithstanding the great pride of the Berkeley family she married an innkeeper's son," and maliciously adds in explanation that "she was very ugly, without a portion, and in her youth had an unlucky accident with one of her father's servants." The so-called innkeeper's son was Sir John Germain, 1st Baronet
(1650-1718), who was rumored to be the illegitimate son of William II, Prince of Orange
and accordingly half-brother of King William III
. Lady Betty met Germain at the Hot Wells, Bristol
, and they were shortly thereafter married in October 1706. He was a recent widower, having first married Mary Mordaunt, Baroness Mordaunt, only child and heiress of the 2nd Earl of Peterborough
, after her first husband, Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk
had divorced her in 1700 over her love affair with Germain. Betty was thirty years younger than her husband, but her good sense made their union happy.
They had three children, two boys and a girl, who all died young, and in acknowledgment of her devotion in nursing them Germain left her the estate of Drayton in Northamptonshire, and the vast property which he had inherited from his first wife, who had died childless. On his deathbed, he expressed the wish that she would marry a young man and have children to succeed to her wealth, but hoped that otherwise her fortune might pass to a younger son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
, who had married Elizabeth, daughter of Lieutenant-general Walter Philip Colyear, Germain's friend and colleague in the Dutch service. Though almost persuaded in later years to marry Lord Sidney Beauclerk
, a handsome and worthless fortune-hunter, she remained a widow for more than fifty years, and fulfilled her husband's wishes by leaving the estate of Drayton, with £20,000 in money and half the residue of her wealth, to the politician Lord George Sackville, the Duke's second son, who in turn assumed the name of Germain (see George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville).
Lady Betty passed most of her widowhood in her own apartments at Knole House
, near Sevenoaks
in west Kent
, the seat of her friends the Duke and Duchess of Dorset, or at her London town house in St James Square where she entertained politicians regardless of party or faction. She only occasionally visited Drayton House
, which she retained in much the condition her husband left it. Originally built in the 14th century and expanded over the centuries, Drayton had been lavishly remodelled in the early 18th century following Baroness Mordaunt's marriage to Germain. After her death, he continued to devote considerable attention to the estate, including his formal Dutch gardens, which Lady Betty maintained as they had been in his lifetime.
She died at her town house on 16 Dec. 1769. Her elder sister married Thomas Chamber of Ilanworth, Middlesex, and had two daughters, who, as their parents died young, were brought up entirely under Lady Betty's guardianship. The elder niece, Mary, married Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere. The younger, Anne, became the wife of Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple
, a close political associate of his brother-in-law, William Pitt (the Elder), 1st Earl of Chatham. Most of the balance of Lady Betty's estate was left to Lady Vere, and the disposition of her money is set out in a letter from Vere to Temple (Grenville Papers, iv. 490-3). She left £120,000 in the funds.
, were bequeathed to Germain by his first wife. Lady Betty offered the collection to the British Museum
for £10,000, and, as the offer was declined, gave them in 1762 to her great-niece, Lady Mary Beauclerk, who married Lord Charles Spencer
, son of the 3rd Duke of Marlborough. These gems were described in two folio volumes entitled Gemmarum antiquarum delectus quse in dactyliothecis Ducis Marlburiensis conservantur, 1781-90; the engravings were chiefly by Bartolozzi, and the Latin text by Jacob Bryant
and William Cole (1753-1806). The gems were part of the Marlborough collection sold in 1875 for £36,750.
She is acknowledged to have "outlived the irregularities of her youth, and she was esteemed for her kindness and liberality." She gave £500 to the Foundling Hospital
in 1746. Her politics were indicated by a present of £100 to John Wilkes
during his imprisonment.
Jonathan Swift
was chaplain to her father from 1699 to 1701, while the Earl of Berkeley was lord justice in Ireland, and Lady Betty and Swift continued their friendship during the various times he spent in England. She added a stanza to the dean's ballad on the game of traffic, written at Dublin Castle
in 1699, which produced from him in August 1702 a second ballad "to the tune of the Cutpurse." Her name is often mentioned in the Journal to Stella, and as a vocal Whig, she often disputed with the dean on political topics. Many letters to and from her are included in Swift's Works and in the Suffolk Correspondence. Her spirited letter to Swift defending her friend Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk
(George II's
mistress and Betty's future sister-in-law) against Swift's harsh censure is especially singled out as doing her "great honour". Though their correspondence appears to have ceased in 1737, she retained him in her affections, and a portrait of Swift still hangs in her rooms at Knole. Edward Young
dedicated to Lady Betty his sixth satire on women, and according to a correspondent in Nichols's
Literary Anecdotes, (Vol ii. 11), she was credited with having written a satire on Alexander Pope
. The manuscripts at Drayton, which include communications to and from Lady Betty, are described in the Historical Manuscripts Commission's report on the MSS of Mrs Stopford Sackville of Drayton House.
A brass plaque commemorating her is found at St Peter's Church, Lowick
, near to Sir John Germain's tomb.
Life
Lady Elizabeth "Betty" Germain, née Berkeley, was second daughter of Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of BerkeleyCharles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley
Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley PC KB FRS , was a British nobleman and diplomat, known as Sir Charles Berkeley from 1661 to 1679 and styled Viscount Dursley from 1679 to 1698....
and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden
Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden
Sir Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden was an English politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Custos Rotulorum of Rutland and the Member of Parliament for Rutland....
. In 1738, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill , Duchess of Marlborough rose to be one of the most influential women in British history as a result of her close friendship with Queen Anne of Great Britain.Sarah's friendship and influence with Princess Anne was widely known, and leading public figures...
wrote of her that "notwithstanding the great pride of the Berkeley family she married an innkeeper's son," and maliciously adds in explanation that "she was very ugly, without a portion, and in her youth had an unlucky accident with one of her father's servants." The so-called innkeeper's son was Sir John Germain, 1st Baronet
Sir John Germain, 1st Baronet
Sir John Germain, 1st Baronet was a British soldier and politician.Of Dutch descent, Germain was thought to be an illegitimate half-brother of William III of England. He was created a Baronet, of Westminster, in the Baronetage of England on 25 March 1698...
(1650-1718), who was rumored to be the illegitimate son of William II, Prince of Orange
William II, Prince of Orange
William II, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 14 March 1647 until his death three years later.-Biography:...
and accordingly half-brother of King William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
. Lady Betty met Germain at the Hot Wells, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, and they were shortly thereafter married in October 1706. He was a recent widower, having first married Mary Mordaunt, Baroness Mordaunt, only child and heiress of the 2nd Earl of Peterborough
Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough
Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough, KG, PC, FRS was an English soldier, peer and courtier.-Early life:Styled Lord Mordaunt from 1628, he was the eldest son of John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough...
, after her first husband, Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk
Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk
Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk, KG, PC, Earl Marshal was a politician and soldier. He was the son of Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk and Lady Anne Somerset, daughter of Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester and Elizabeth Dormer.He married Mary Mordaunt, the only daughter and heiress of...
had divorced her in 1700 over her love affair with Germain. Betty was thirty years younger than her husband, but her good sense made their union happy.
They had three children, two boys and a girl, who all died young, and in acknowledgment of her devotion in nursing them Germain left her the estate of Drayton in Northamptonshire, and the vast property which he had inherited from his first wife, who had died childless. On his deathbed, he expressed the wish that she would marry a young man and have children to succeed to her wealth, but hoped that otherwise her fortune might pass to a younger son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, PC was an English political leader and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was the son of the 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex and the former Lady Mary Compton, younger daughter of the 3rd Earl of Northampton...
, who had married Elizabeth, daughter of Lieutenant-general Walter Philip Colyear, Germain's friend and colleague in the Dutch service. Though almost persuaded in later years to marry Lord Sidney Beauclerk
Lord Sidney Beauclerk
Lord Sidney Beauclerk PC was a British politician and infamous fortune-hunter, and was the grandson of King Charles II....
, a handsome and worthless fortune-hunter, she remained a widow for more than fifty years, and fulfilled her husband's wishes by leaving the estate of Drayton, with £20,000 in money and half the residue of her wealth, to the politician Lord George Sackville, the Duke's second son, who in turn assumed the name of Germain (see George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville).
Lady Betty passed most of her widowhood in her own apartments at Knole House
Knole House
Knole is an English country house in the town of Sevenoaks in west Kent, surrounded by a deer park. One of England's largest houses, it is reputed to be a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards...
, near Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
in west Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, the seat of her friends the Duke and Duchess of Dorset, or at her London town house in St James Square where she entertained politicians regardless of party or faction. She only occasionally visited Drayton House
Drayton House
-History: Aubrey de Vere I give distinguished service at the Battle of Hastings, and was awarded land near Northampton to build a manor house. In the early thirteenth century, Sir Walter de Vere dropped the “de Vere” family name, and assume the surname “Drayton”....
, which she retained in much the condition her husband left it. Originally built in the 14th century and expanded over the centuries, Drayton had been lavishly remodelled in the early 18th century following Baroness Mordaunt's marriage to Germain. After her death, he continued to devote considerable attention to the estate, including his formal Dutch gardens, which Lady Betty maintained as they had been in his lifetime.
She died at her town house on 16 Dec. 1769. Her elder sister married Thomas Chamber of Ilanworth, Middlesex, and had two daughters, who, as their parents died young, were brought up entirely under Lady Betty's guardianship. The elder niece, Mary, married Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere. The younger, Anne, became the wife of Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple
Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple
Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple KG, PC was a British politician. He is best known for his association with his brother-in-law William Pitt who he served with in government during Britain's participation in the Seven Years War between 1756 and 1761...
, a close political associate of his brother-in-law, William Pitt (the Elder), 1st Earl of Chatham. Most of the balance of Lady Betty's estate was left to Lady Vere, and the disposition of her money is set out in a letter from Vere to Temple (Grenville Papers, iv. 490-3). She left £120,000 in the funds.
Influence
Horace Walpole paid a visit to Drayton in 1763, and found the house "covered with portraits, crammed with old china". Many of her curiosities were sold after her death, by auction. The cameos and intaglios collected by Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of ArundelThomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel
Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel KG, was a prominent English courtier during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I, but he made his name as a Grand Tourist and art collector rather than as a politician. When he died he possessed 700 paintings, along with large collections of sculpture,...
, were bequeathed to Germain by his first wife. Lady Betty offered the collection to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
for £10,000, and, as the offer was declined, gave them in 1762 to her great-niece, Lady Mary Beauclerk, who married Lord Charles Spencer
Lord Charles Spencer
Lord Charles Spencer PC was a British politician and courtier.-Background:Spencer was the second son of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, and the Hon. Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Trevor, 2nd Baron Trevor...
, son of the 3rd Duke of Marlborough. These gems were described in two folio volumes entitled Gemmarum antiquarum delectus quse in dactyliothecis Ducis Marlburiensis conservantur, 1781-90; the engravings were chiefly by Bartolozzi, and the Latin text by Jacob Bryant
Jacob Bryant
Jacob Bryant was a British scholar and mythographer, who has been described as "the outstanding figure among the mythagogues who flourished in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries".-Life:...
and William Cole (1753-1806). The gems were part of the Marlborough collection sold in 1875 for £36,750.
She is acknowledged to have "outlived the irregularities of her youth, and she was esteemed for her kindness and liberality." She gave £500 to the Foundling Hospital
Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...
in 1746. Her politics were indicated by a present of £100 to John Wilkes
John Wilkes
John Wilkes was an English radical, journalist and politician.He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives...
during his imprisonment.
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
was chaplain to her father from 1699 to 1701, while the Earl of Berkeley was lord justice in Ireland, and Lady Betty and Swift continued their friendship during the various times he spent in England. She added a stanza to the dean's ballad on the game of traffic, written at Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
in 1699, which produced from him in August 1702 a second ballad "to the tune of the Cutpurse." Her name is often mentioned in the Journal to Stella, and as a vocal Whig, she often disputed with the dean on political topics. Many letters to and from her are included in Swift's Works and in the Suffolk Correspondence. Her spirited letter to Swift defending her friend Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk
Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk
Henrietta Howard was a mistress of King George II of Great Britain.She was the daughter of Sir Henry Hobart, 4th Baronet, a Norfolk landowner who was killed in a duel when Henrietta was aged eight...
(George II's
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
mistress and Betty's future sister-in-law) against Swift's harsh censure is especially singled out as doing her "great honour". Though their correspondence appears to have ceased in 1737, she retained him in her affections, and a portrait of Swift still hangs in her rooms at Knole. Edward Young
Edward Young
Edward Young was an English poet, best remembered for Night Thoughts.-Early life:He was the son of Edward Young, later Dean of Salisbury, and was born at his father's rectory at Upham, near Winchester, where he was baptized on 3 July 1683. He was educated at Winchester College, and matriculated...
dedicated to Lady Betty his sixth satire on women, and according to a correspondent in Nichols's
John Nichols (printer)
John Nichols was an English printer, author and antiquary.-Early life and apprenticeship:He was born in Islington, London to Edward Nichols and Anne Wilmot. On 22 June 1766 he married Anne Cradock daughter of William Cradock...
Literary Anecdotes, (Vol ii. 11), she was credited with having written a satire on Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
. The manuscripts at Drayton, which include communications to and from Lady Betty, are described in the Historical Manuscripts Commission's report on the MSS of Mrs Stopford Sackville of Drayton House.
A brass plaque commemorating her is found at St Peter's Church, Lowick
St Peter's Church, Lowick
St. Peter's Church, Lowick, is a parish church in the Church of England in Lowick, Northamptonshire, England.-Description and history:Although the church has early fourteenth century origins, it is mainly late fourteenth and early fifteenth century, being built for the Greene family of Drayton House...
, near to Sir John Germain's tomb.