Elizabeth Villiers (c. 1657- April 19, 1733), was the daughter of Colonel Sir Edward Villiers of Richmond and his wife, Frances Howard. Her maternal grandfather was Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk. Her mother was governess to the princesses Mary and Anne, and secured place and influence for her children in Mary's household. Events January 8 - Miles Sindercombe, would-be-assassin of Oliver Cromwell, and his group are captured in London February - Admiral Robert Blake defeats the Spanish West Indian Fleet in a battle over the seizure of Jamaica. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... Events February 12 - British colonist James Oglethorpe founds Savannah, Georgia. ... Theophilus Howard, KG (August 13, 1584, Walden, Essex - June 3, 1640) was an English nobleman and politician. ... Mary II (30 April 1662–28 December 1694) reigned as Queen of England and Ireland from 13 February 1689 until her death, and as Queen of Scotland (technically as Mary II of Scotland) from 11 April 1689 until her death. ... Anne ( 6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714 ) became Queen of England, Queen of Scotland and Queen of Ireland on 8 March 1702. ...

Elizabeth was the mistress of the King William III. Her brother Edward, afterwards created 1st Earl of Jersey, became master of the horse, while her sisters Anne and Katherine were among the maids of honor who accompanied Mary to the Hague on her marriage. Elizabeth Villiers became William's acknowledged mistress in 1680; in 1685 rumours of William's infidelity were exploited by James II in an attempt to cause a split between the prince and his wife Mary. After his accession to the English crown he settled on her a large share of the confiscated Irish estates of James II. This grant was revoked by parliament in 1699. Mistress is the feminine form of the word master. ... William III of England (14 November 1650–8 March 1702; also known as William II of Scotland and William of Orange) was a Dutch aristocrat and the Holy Roman Empires Prince of Orange from his birth, King of England and Ireland from 13 February 1689, and King of Scotland... Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey (c. ... The title Earl of Jersey was created in 1697 for Edward Villiers. ... Arms of The Hague The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: Den Haag, or officially s-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. ... Events First Portuguese governor was appointed to Macau The Swedish city Karlskrona was founded as the Royal Swedish Navy relocated there. ... Events February 6 - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland. ... James II of England and VII of Scotland ( 14 October 1633–16 September 1701 ) became King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 6 February 1685. ... Events January 26 - Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 - the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. ...

Shortly after Mary's death, William, motivated, it is said, by his wife's expressed wishes, broke with Elizabeth Villiers. On 25 November 1695 Villiers was married to her cousin, Lord George Hamilton, fifth son of the 3rd Duke of Hamilton. The husband was gratified early in the next year with the titles of Earl of Orkney, viscount of Kirkwall and Baron Dechmont. Elizabeth, now countess of Orkney, served her husband's interests with great skill, and the marriage proved a happy one. She died in London on April 19, 1733. November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 27 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed II to Mustafa II (1695-1703) July 17 - The Bank of Scotland is founded by an Act of Parliament of the old Scottish Parliament. ... George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney (February 9, 1666 - January 29, 1737) was a British soldier. ... William Douglas, 1st Earl of Selkirk (December 24, 1634 - April 18, 1694), was the son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and his second wife Lady Mary Gordon of Huntly. ... Earl of Orkney - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London and the Regions of England London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,421,328 and a metropolitan population of between 12 and 14 million. ...

Lady Orkney retained a degree of social importance in the Hanoverian era, and was hostess to both George I and George II at her estate at Cliefden, Buckinghamshire. The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe British monarchs of the House of Hanover things relating to the Duchy of Hanover things relating to Hanover, Germany and it is a horse breed, see Hanoverian (horse) ... George I (Georg Ludwig) (28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) from 23 January 1698, and King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 1 August 1714, until his death. ... George II (George Augustus) (10 November 1683–25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Archtreasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death. ... Map of Bucks (1904) Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is a county in South East England. ...

Further Reading

• Rachel Weil, ‘Villiers [Hamilton], Elizabeth, countess of Orkney (c.1657-1733)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004) - available online to those with a subscription.

References

• This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain.