Louisa Berkeley, Countess of Berkeley

Louisa Berkeley, Countess of Berkeley (24 December 1694 – 15 January 1716), formerly Lady Louisa Lennox, was the first wife of James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley. Her father Charles was an illegitimate child of King Charles II, thus making her the king's granddaughter.^[1]

Louisa Berkeley, Countess of Berkeley, after Kneller

She was the older daughter of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, and his wife, the former Anne Brudenell.

Louisa married the Earl of Berkeley on 13 February 1711. At the time of her wedding, Jonathan Swift said of her: "the chit is but 17 and is ill-natured, covetous, vicious and proud in extremes."^[2]

They had two children:

• Lt. Col. Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley (18 February 1715 – 9 January 1755)
• Lady Elizabeth Berkeley (15 January 1716 - died 1745), who married Anthony Henley

The countess died of smallpox, aged 21, and was buried at St Mary's Church, Berkeley.^[3]

From 1714 until her death, she was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Caroline of Ansbach, Princess of Wales.^[4]

References

1. G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume II, page 142.
2. John Stubbs (3 November 2016). Jonathan Swift: The Reluctant Rebel. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 226–. ISBN 978-0-241-96290-9.
3. Arthur Collins (1779). The Peerage of England: Containing a Genealogical and Historical Account of All the Peers of that Kingdom, Now Existing, Either by Tenure, Summons, Or Creation, Their Descents and Collateral Lines, Their Births, Marriages and Issues ... W. Strahan, J. F and C. Rivington. pp. 30–.
4. "Household of Princess Caroline 1714-27". Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2017.