Anne Brett (also Anna; ; 1667/68 – 11 October 1753), was Countess of Macclesfield before her divorce in 1698 and a courtier of the

Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain, also known as the Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, which united the Kingd ...

Biography

Brett was born in

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

in 1667 or 1668. Her parents were Anna Margaretta Long and Sir Richard Mason and she was the granddaughter of

Sir James Long, 2nd Baronet Sir James Long, 2nd Baronet (c. 1617 – 22 January 1692) was an English politician and Royalist soldier. Born at South Wraxall, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, the son of Sir Walter Long and Anne Ley (daughter of James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlbor ...

. Her sister Dorothy married

Sir William Brownlow, 4th Baronet Sir William Brownlow, 4th Baronet (5 November 1665 – 6 March 1701) was an English politician. Origins He was the younger son of Sir Richard Brownlow, 2nd Baronet (died 1668) of Great Humby, Humby in Lincolnshire, by his wife Elizabeth Freke ...

. She first married Charles Gerard, Viscount Brandon when she was fifteen. The marriage was not a success but divorce was difficult. She had two children with

Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers General Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers PC (ca. 1654 – 18 August 1712) was an English nobleman and soldier who was a senior Army officer in the English and then British Army. The second son of Thomas Savage, 3rd Earl Rivers and his first ...

before her marriage was ended in 1698. Whilst she waited for their divorce her husband became the Earl of Macclesfield so she was a countess when they parted. She was a rich countess as over £12,000 was returned to her from before her marriage. Her children, Anne and Richard Savage had been kept a secret. She said that they died young, but years later the poet Richard Savage claimed to be her son. Countess Macclesfield was appointed as a

Lady in Waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...

to Princess Anne. Her second husband was Henry Brett. They had a daughter, Anna Margharetta, who was said to be a mistress of

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. ...

. However there is poor evidence for this.

Colley Cibber Colley Cibber (6 November 1671 – 11 December 1757) was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir ''An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber'' (1740) describes his life in ...

is said to have submitted for her approval the text of his play, ''

The Careless Husband ''The Carless Husband'' is a comedy play by the English writer Colley Cibber. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 7 December 1704. The original cast featured Cibber as Lord Foppington, George Powell as Lord Morelove, Robert Wilks as ...

'', which was first put on the boards in 1704 because he valued her opinion. Brett died at her home in

Old Bond Street Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

in London, on 11 October 1753.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Anne 1660s births 1753 deaths People from Shropshire British ladies-in-waiting

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

Court of Anne, Queen of Great Britain