Elizabeth Hervey, Countess of Bristol
Elizabeth Hervey, Countess of Bristol, was a British court official and noble, the second wife of John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol. They had seventeen children.
She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Felton, 4th Baronet, and his wife, the former Lady Elizabeth Howard. She married Hervey on 25 July 1695 at Boxted Hall in Suffolk, and became Countess of Bristol when her husband acquired the earldom in October 1714.
The children of the marriage were:
- John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, politician, court wit and pamphleteer
- Lady Elizabeth Hervey, married Hon. Bussy Mansel, and had no children
- Hon. Thomas Hervey, MP for Bury from 1733 to 1747; held various offices at court; he eloped with Elizabeth, wife of Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th Baronet.
- Capt. Hon. William Hervey, RN, who married Elizabeth Ridge and had issue
- Rev. Hon. Henry Hervey, who married Catherine Aston, assumed her surname, and had issue
- A pair of twins: Rev. Hon. Charles Hervey, prebendary of Ely, and Hon. Henrietta Hervey
- A stillborn son, 6 July 1704
- Hon. James Porter Hervey
- Lady Anne Hervey
- Lady Barbara Hervey
- Hon. Humphrey Hervey, died young
- Hon. Felton Hervey
- Hon. Felton Hervey, MP for the family borough of Bury St Edmunds
- Hon. James Hervey
- Lady Louisa Carolina Isabella Hervey, who married Sir Robert Smyth, 2nd Baronet, and had issue
- Lady Henrietta Hervey
The countess was described by her friend, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, as "young, blooming, coquette and gallant", and said that "resolved to make up for time misspent, she has two lovers at a time". She became a Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales and future queen, Caroline of Ansbach, in 1714, retaining the position until Caroline's death in 1737.
The countess died four years after the queen and was buried at St Mary's Church, Ickworth, a traditional resting place for the Hervey family.
A portrait of the countess, by John Simon after Michael Dahl, is held by the National Portrait Gallery. She was also painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller.
