Frances Jennings
Encyclopedia
Frances Talbot, Countess of Tyrconnel (née
Jenyns, spelled Jennings in most modern references; c.
1647 – 9 March 1730) was a noteworthy figure at the English
Restoration
-era court, along with her younger sister, Sarah Jennings
. Once a Maid of Honour to the Duchess of York, she was twice widowed and eventually died in poverty.
, Hertfordshire
, England
. Her beauty earned her the nickname
of "La Belle Jennings." Macaulay describes her as “beautiful Fanny Jennings, the loveliest coquette in the brilliant Whitehall of the Restoration". In 1664, Frances was appointed maid of honour
to the Duchess of York, Anne Hyde
. Pepys records an incident in which she disguised herself as an orange seller, but was eventually recognised because of her expensive shoes.
in 1681. Talbot was later created Earl of Tyrconnel
in the Irish peerage and subsequently Duke of Tyrconnel, although this last title was bestowed by James II
after the Glorious Revolution
and was not widely recognised. Nonetheless, Frances is frequently called Duchess of Tyrconnel. They had no children.
Her husband was appointed as Lord Deputy of Ireland
and the couple lived in Dublin. Following his defeat at the Battle of the Boyne
, the King fled to their home and was met by Frances. King James remarked, ‘Your countrymen, madam, can run well’. She replied ‘Not quite so well as your majesty, for I see that you have won the race’.
After her husband's death in 1691, Frances was reduced to poverty and for a while, she had a dressmaker’s stall near the Royal Exchange. She dressed in white with her face covered by a white mask and was described as "the white milliner". In the 1840s, this was dramatized and performed as a play at Covent Garden.
Following the accession of Queen Anne, Frances (and her stepdaughter, Charlotte Talbot) had some of her husband’s former property restored to them by act of parliament — presumably assisted by her sister’s influence with the queen. She eventually retired to and died in the Poor Clares nunnery in Dublin. She was buried in St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.
A biography of Frances and her second husband - Little Jennings and Fighting Dick Talbot: A Life of the Duke and Duchess of Tyrconnel - by Philip Sergeant was published in 1913.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Jenyns, spelled Jennings in most modern references; c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1647 – 9 March 1730) was a noteworthy figure at the English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
-era court, along with her younger sister, Sarah Jennings
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill , Duchess of Marlborough rose to be one of the most influential women in British history as a result of her close friendship with Queen Anne of Great Britain.Sarah's friendship and influence with Princess Anne was widely known, and leading public figures...
. Once a Maid of Honour to the Duchess of York, she was twice widowed and eventually died in poverty.
La Belle Jenyns
The daughter of Richard Jenyns and Frances Thornhurst, Frances was born at SandridgeSandridge
Sandridge is a small village and civil parish between St Albans and Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom.-Early history:...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Her beauty earned her the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
of "La Belle Jennings." Macaulay describes her as “beautiful Fanny Jennings, the loveliest coquette in the brilliant Whitehall of the Restoration". In 1664, Frances was appointed maid of honour
Maids of Honour
Maids of honour were the junior attendants of a queen in the royal households of England and later of the United Kingdom. Anne of Brittany is said to have instituted the queen's maids of honour at the court.-Role:...
to the Duchess of York, Anne Hyde
Anne Hyde
Anne Hyde was the first wife of James, Duke of York , and the mother of two monarchs, Mary II of England and Scotland and Anne of Great Britain....
. Pepys records an incident in which she disguised herself as an orange seller, but was eventually recognised because of her expensive shoes.
Comtesse de Hamilton
In 1665, Frances married Sir George Hamilton, Comte de Hamilton, Maréchal de Camp, son of Sir George Hamilton, 1st Baronet and Mary Butler. With him, she had three daughters:- Elizabeth (1667-1724), who married Richard Parsons, 1st Viscount Rosse in 1685 and was mother of Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of RosseRichard Parsons, 1st Earl of RosseRichard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse , Freemason and a founder-member of the Hell-Fire Club, 2nd Viscount Rosse of Bellamont co. Dublin, Baron Oxmantown, 3rd baronet....
- Frances, who married Henry Dillon, 8th Viscount DillonHenry Dillon, 8th Viscount DillonHenry Dillon, 8th Viscount Dillon was Lord Lieutenant of Roscommon.He managed to obtain a reversal of the outlawry against his deceased father, Theobald, the 7th Viscount in 1694, and later served as Lord Lieutenant of County Roscommon....
in 1687, and - Mary (1676–1736), who married Nicholas Barnewall, 3rd Viscount BarnewallNicholas Barnewall, 3rd Viscount BarnewallNicholas Barnewall, 3rd Viscount Barnewall , an Irish nobleman.Barnewall was born 15th April 1668. The family had been ennobled by King Charles I., 12th September 1645, for loyalty to his cause. Before Nicholas was of age he married a daughter of George, Count Hamilton, by his wife Frances...
in 1688.
Duchess of Tyrconnel
After Hamilton's death, Frances married an old suitor she had previously rejected, Richard TalbotRichard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnel
Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell PC was an Irish royalist and Jacobite soldier.-Life:The youngest of sixteen children of Sir William Talbot, 1st Baronet, of Carton, and his wife, Alison Netterville, he was descended from an old Norman family that had settled in Leinster in the twelfth century...
in 1681. Talbot was later created Earl of Tyrconnel
Earl of Tyrconnel
The title Earl of Tyrconnell has been created four times in the Peerage of Ireland.It was first created in 1603, for Rory O'Donnell, formerly King of Tír Chonaill , along with the subsidiary title Baron Donegal...
in the Irish peerage and subsequently Duke of Tyrconnel, although this last title was bestowed by James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
after the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
and was not widely recognised. Nonetheless, Frances is frequently called Duchess of Tyrconnel. They had no children.
Her husband was appointed as Lord Deputy of Ireland
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and later the Kingdom of Ireland...
and the couple lived in Dublin. Following his defeat at the Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
, the King fled to their home and was met by Frances. King James remarked, ‘Your countrymen, madam, can run well’. She replied ‘Not quite so well as your majesty, for I see that you have won the race’.
After her husband's death in 1691, Frances was reduced to poverty and for a while, she had a dressmaker’s stall near the Royal Exchange. She dressed in white with her face covered by a white mask and was described as "the white milliner". In the 1840s, this was dramatized and performed as a play at Covent Garden.
Following the accession of Queen Anne, Frances (and her stepdaughter, Charlotte Talbot) had some of her husband’s former property restored to them by act of parliament — presumably assisted by her sister’s influence with the queen. She eventually retired to and died in the Poor Clares nunnery in Dublin. She was buried in St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.
A biography of Frances and her second husband - Little Jennings and Fighting Dick Talbot: A Life of the Duke and Duchess of Tyrconnel - by Philip Sergeant was published in 1913.