Elizabeth Richardson, 1st Lady Cramond
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Richardson, 1st Lady Cramond (1576/77 – 1651) was an English writer
and peeress
.
Born Elizabeth Beaumont, she was the eldest child of Sir Thomas Beaumont (the brother of Huntingdon Beaumont
) and his wife, Catherine. On 27 November 1594, she married John Ashburnham (knighted in 1604) at Stoughton, Leicestershire
, and they had ten children including the next John Ashburnham (MP). Sir John's death in 1620 left the family in financial difficulty, but Lady Ashburnham was considerably influential at court
due to Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham
(mother of King James's
favourite, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
) being her cousin. She procured a baronet
cy for her son-in-law, Edward Dering, in 1627 and a letter to Buckingham, that year, indicates she enjoyed the company of his wife, Katherine
, of Lady Carlisle
and of The Queen
.
On 14 December 1626, Lady Ashburnham married, as his second wife, Sir Thomas Richardson
(later Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
) at St Giles in the Fields
. Through his influence, she was created Lady Cramond
in the Peerage of Scotland
, on 29 February 1628 (with a special remainder to her stepson, Thomas and the issue of his body), an event which elicited 'many gibes and pasquinades...for the amusement of Westminster Hall'. On 9 September 1629, she was granted an annual pension
of £300 for the duration of her life.
In 1645, Lady Cramond's collection of prayers, A Ladies Legacie to her Daughters, was printed, the first and second of three parts having been written in 1625 and 1635 respectively. She had given a copy of the manuscript to her eldest daughter, Lady Cornwallis, in 1635, yet a manuscript headed Instructions for my children or any other Christian is dated 1606, indicating she had begun writing motherly advice many years previous. Lady Cramond died in 1651 and was buried next to her first husband on 3 April that year, at St Andrew, Holborn
. Her stepson having died in her lifetime, her title passed to his son, Thomas
.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and peeress
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
Born Elizabeth Beaumont, she was the eldest child of Sir Thomas Beaumont (the brother of Huntingdon Beaumont
Huntingdon Beaumont
Huntingdon Beaumont was an innovative entrepreneur in coal mining, who built what is currently credited as the world's first wagonway. Regrettably he was less successful as a businessman and died having been imprisoned for debt....
) and his wife, Catherine. On 27 November 1594, she married John Ashburnham (knighted in 1604) at Stoughton, Leicestershire
Stoughton, Leicestershire
Stoughton is a small village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire.It is just east of Leicester, and sits in countryside between two protusions of the Leicester urban area . The closest part of the city of Leicester is Evington...
, and they had ten children including the next John Ashburnham (MP). Sir John's death in 1620 left the family in financial difficulty, but Lady Ashburnham was considerably influential at court
Noble court
The court of a monarch, or at some periods an important nobleman, is a term for the extended household and all those who regularly attended on the ruler or central figure...
due to Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham
Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham
Mary Villers, Countess of Buckingham is perhaps best known as the mother of the royal favourite Sir George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. She was the daughter of Anthony Beaumont of Glenfield, Leicestershire, a direct descendant of Henry de Beaumont.She became the second wife of Sir George...
(mother of King James's
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
favourite, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG was the favourite, claimed by some to be the lover, of King James I of England. Despite a very patchy political and military record, he remained at the height of royal favour for the first two years of the reign of Charles I, until he was assassinated...
) being her cousin. She procured a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cy for her son-in-law, Edward Dering, in 1627 and a letter to Buckingham, that year, indicates she enjoyed the company of his wife, Katherine
Katherine Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham
Katherine Manners, Duchess of Buckingham, 19th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley , also known as Catherine, was the daughter and heir of the 18th Baron de Ros. She was known as the richest woman in Britain, apart from royalty...
, of Lady Carlisle
Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle
Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle was an English courtier known for her beauty and wit. She was involved in many political intrigues during the English Civil War.-Life:...
and of The Queen
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
.
On 14 December 1626, Lady Ashburnham married, as his second wife, Sir Thomas Richardson
Thomas Richardson (judge)
Sir Thomas Richardson was successively Speaker of the House of Commons, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and Chief Justice of the King’s Bench.-Origins and early career:...
(later Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary and President of the Courts of England and Wales. Historically, he was the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor, but that changed as a result of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005,...
) at St Giles in the Fields
St Giles in the Fields
St Giles in the Fields, Holborn, is a church in the London Borough of Camden, in the West End. It is close to the Centre Point office tower and the Tottenham Court Road tube station. The church is part of the Diocese of London within the Church of England...
. Through his influence, she was created Lady Cramond
Lord Cramond
The title of Lord Cramond was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created on 23 February 1628 for Dame Elizabeth Richardson. On the death of the fifth lord in 1735, it became extinct.-Lords Cramond :...
in the Peerage of Scotland
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
, on 29 February 1628 (with a special remainder to her stepson, Thomas and the issue of his body), an event which elicited 'many gibes and pasquinades...for the amusement of Westminster Hall'. On 9 September 1629, she was granted an annual pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
of £300 for the duration of her life.
In 1645, Lady Cramond's collection of prayers, A Ladies Legacie to her Daughters, was printed, the first and second of three parts having been written in 1625 and 1635 respectively. She had given a copy of the manuscript to her eldest daughter, Lady Cornwallis, in 1635, yet a manuscript headed Instructions for my children or any other Christian is dated 1606, indicating she had begun writing motherly advice many years previous. Lady Cramond died in 1651 and was buried next to her first husband on 3 April that year, at St Andrew, Holborn
St Andrew, Holborn
St Andrew, Holborn is a Church of England church on the northwestern edge of the City of London, on Holborn within the Ward of Farringdon Without.-Roman and medieval:Roman pottery was found on the site during 2001/02 excavations in the crypt...
. Her stepson having died in her lifetime, her title passed to his son, Thomas
Thomas Richardson, 2nd Lord Cramond
Thomas Richardson, 2nd Lord Cramond was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1674....
.