Elizabeth Wilmot, Countess of Rochester (née Malet; 1651 – 20 August 1681) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

heiress and the wife of

John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1 April 1647 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 26 July 1680 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English poet and courtier of King Charles II of England, Charles II's Restoration (England), ...

, the "

libertine A libertine is a person questioning and challenging most moral principles, such as responsibility or Human sexual activity, sexual restraints, and will often declare these traits as unnecessary, undesirable or evil. A libertine is especially som ...

". She was the daughter of John Malet, of Enmore Manor, and Unton Hawley, daughter of Francis Hawley, 1st Baron Hawley.

Rochester

became infatuated with Elizabeth Malet and asked for her hand in marriage. She refused to marry the earl, and on 26 May 1665 he attempted to abduct her. In his diaries,

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

describes Elizabeth Malet as the "great beauty and fortune of the North" and notes the scandal of her kidnapping by Rochester:

Thence to my Lady Sandwich’s, where, to my shame, I had not been a great while before. Here, upon my telling her a story of my Lord Rochester’s running away on Friday night last with Mrs. Mallett, the great beauty and fortune of the North, who had supped at White Hall with Mrs. Stewart, and was going home to her lodgings with her grandfather, my Lord Haly, by coach; and was at
Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...
seized on by both horse and foot men, and forcibly taken from him, and put into a coach with six horses, and two women provided to receive her, and carried away. Upon immediate pursuit, my Lord of Rochester (for whom the King had spoke to the lady often, but with no successe) was taken at
Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...
; but the lady is not yet heard of, and the King mighty angry, and the Lord sent to the Tower. Hereupon my Lady did confess to me, as a great secret, her being concerned in this story. For if this match breaks between my Lord Rochester and her, then, by the consent of all her friends, my Lord Hinchingbroke stands fair, and is invited for her. She is worth, and will be at her mother’s death (who keeps but a little from her), 2500l. per annum.

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

corrects Pepys. He writes about the Heiress of the West. Elizabeth Malet later forgave Rochester, and they were married on 29 January 1667. After the couple married, Rochester spent much of his time in London, where he engaged in public affairs, most famously with the actress

Elizabeth Barry Elizabeth Barry (1658 – 7 November 1713) was an English actress of the Restoration period. Elizabeth Barry's biggest influence on Restoration drama was her presentation of performing as the tragic actress. She worked in large, prestigious ...

. Elizabeth Wilmot stayed in his house,

Adderbury Adderbury is a winding linear village and rural Civil parishes in England, civil parish about south of Banbury in northern Oxfordshire, England. The settlement has five sections: the new Milton Road housing Development and West Adderbury, towar ...

House in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, along with Rochester's mother Anne Wilmot, Countess of Rochester, her mother Elizabeth Hawley, and Rochester's nieces Eleanor and Anne Lee (later the poet Anne Wharton).

Children

# Charles Wilmot, 3rd Earl of Rochester (christened 2 January 1670/71 – 12 November 1681) # Lady Anne Wilmot (christened 30 August 1669 – 8 August 1703) married firstly Henry Bayntun, Esq., a country gentleman, by whom she had issue one son and one daughter Anne Bayntun (mother of

Sir Edward Bayntun-Rolt, 1st Baronet Sir Edward Bayntun-Rolt, 1st Baronet (1710–1800) was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for 43 years from 1737 to 1780. His election in 1741 was instrumental in the downfall of Sir Robert Walpole's prem ...

). She married secondly the poet Hon. Francis Greville, MP (1 July 1667 – 11 October 1710), eldest son of

Fulke Greville Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke (; 3 October 1554 – 30 September 1628) was an Elizabethan poet, dramatist, and statesman who served in the House of Commons at various times between 1581 and 1621, when he was raised to the peerage. Greville ...

, 5th Baron Brooke of Beauchamps Court, and had two sons, the 6th and

7th Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season ep ...

Barons Brooke; the 7th Baron was father of

Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick, KT (10 October 1719 – 8 July 1773), styled as Lord Brooke from 1727 to 1746 and Earl Brooke from 1746, was a British peer and landowner. He inherited Warwick Castle and the title of Baron Brooke from hi ...

. # Lady Elizabeth Wilmot (christened 13 July 1674 – 1 July 1757); she married 8 July 1689

Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich (10 April 1670 – 20 October 1729) was born in Burlington House, London, England to Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Sandwich and Lady Ann Boyle. He was styled Viscount Hinchingbrooke from 1672 until his access ...

(10 April 1670 – 20 October 1729), and had issue, one daughter (who died young) and one son

Edward Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke Edward Richard Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke (7 July 1692 – 3 October 1722) was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1713 to 1722. Hinchingbrooke was the eldest son of Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sand ...

, father of

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, Privy Council of Great Britain, PC, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (13 November 1718 – 30 April 1792) was a British politician, statesman who succeeded his grandfather Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwic ...

(for whom the

sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

is named). She became renowned for her learning and wit. # Lady Malet Wilmot (christened 6 January 1676 – 13 January 1708/9)Johnson has Malet Wilmot's christening and death as 1676 and 1709. Johnson, James William. ''A Profane Wit: The Life of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester.'' Rochester, NY, U.S.: University of Rochester Press, 2004. married John Vaughan, 1st Viscount Lisburne on 18 August 1692; their son was Wilmot Vaughan, 3rd Viscount Lisburne, father of

Wilmot Vaughan, 1st Earl of Lisburne Wilmot Vaughan, 1st Earl of Lisburne (1728 – 6 January 1800), of Trawsgoed, Cardiganshire, known as Viscount Lisburne from 1766 to 1776, was a WelshThe Vaughans of Trawsgoed peer and politician. Lisburne was the son of Wilmot Vaughan, ...

, ancestor of the present Earl.

Death

Elizabeth Wilmot died in 1681, a little more than a year after her husband, aged 29 or 30. Her son Charles died soon thereafter.

Poetry

Elizabeth Wilmot's poetry survives in a manuscript that she and her husband produced together. The manuscript, now held by the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

, includes songs and a fragment of a

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

attributed to Elizabeth Wilmot, some of which has been anthologized in ''Kissing the Rod: An Anthology of Seventeenth-Century Women's Verse''.

In popular culture

In the 2004 movie '' The Libertine'', Elizabeth was portrayed by

Rosamund Pike Rosamund Mary Ellen Pike (born 1979) is an English actress and producer. Known for psychological thrillers and dramas, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Rosamund Pike, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Em ...

Notes

Footnotes Citations

References

* Johnson, James William. ''A Profane Wit: The Life of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester''. Rochester, NY, U.S.: University of Rochester Press, 2004. * ''Kissing the Rod: An Anthology of Seventeenth-Century Women's Verse''. Edited by

Germaine Greer Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and feminist, regarded as one of the major voices of the second-wave feminism movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Specializing in English and women's literature, she ...

, Susan Hastings, Jeslyn Medoff, and Melinda Sansone. New York: The Noonday Press, 1988.

External links

A description of letters from John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester's mother (some of which concern Eilzabeth Malet Wilmot)Samuel Pepys' description of Elizabeth Malet Wilmot's abduction
*The Perdita Project link to Elizabeth Malet Wilmot's manuscript poetry