Rachel Wriothesley, Lady Russell
Encyclopedia
Rachel Wriothesley, Lady Russell (c. 1636 – 29 September 1723) was an English noblewoman, heiress, and author. Her second husband was William Russell, Lord Russell
, who was implicated in the Rye House Plot
and later executed. A collection of the many letters she wrote to her husband and other distinguished men was published in 1773.
, Hampshire
, the second eldest daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton
, by his first wife, Rachel de Massue, daughter of Daniel de Massue, Seigneur de Ruvigny and Madeleine de Pinot des Fontaines.
She had an older sister, Elizabeth (c.1635–1679), who in 1661 would marry Edward Noel, 4th Viscount Campden, by whom she had issue. Elizabeth and Rachel's mother, a member of the noble French Huguenot
de Ruvigny family, died on 16 February 1640 when Rachel was about four years old.
Rachel's maternal cousin was Henri de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny, 1st Earl of Galway, who would later serve King William III
in Ireland.
In 1642, when Rachel was about six years of age, her father married Lady Elizabeth Leigh, by whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth. The latter would later marry the 11th Earl of Northumberland. Rachel's father would take a third wife, Frances Seymour in 1659, although that union did not produce any children.
Rachel received a religious upbringing, and remained throughout her life, a devout member of the Church of England
.
In her youth, she was described as having been remarkable for her elegance of form, personal beauty, and graceful manners.
. Upon their marriage, Rachel went to live with her father-in-law at Golden Grove in Carmarthen
, Wales. In 1655 she gave birth to a child, whose sex and name was not recorded as it died shortly after its birth. She became a widow in 1667, which was the same year her father died. He left his entire fortune to Rachel and her older sister, Elizabeth, Viscountess Campden. The latter received the family seat of Titchfield, while the share which Rachel inherited was the domain of Stratton, also in Hampshire. Rachel remained with the Viscountess Campden at Titchfield for some time after their father's death. In 1669, Rachel married her second husband, William Russell, MP
for Tavistock
, a son of William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford
and Lady Anne Carr, who was three years her junior. They obtained a marriage licence at Titchfield on 31 July 1669. The marriage was described as having been happy, and Lord Russell appreciated his wife's intelligence, virtue, affection and piety. In 1678, upon the death of his childless brother, Francis, William succeeded to the title of Lord Russell, and Rachel was thereafter styled as Lady Russell.
Together William and Rachel had three children:
and his brother, James, Duke of York
on their way back to London from the Newmarket races
. The plot was disclosed to the government. William, unlike his co-conspirators refused to escape to Holland. He was accused of promising his assistance in an insurrection and bringing about the death of the King and the Duke of York. On 26 June 1683, he was sent to the Tower of London
, and shortly afterwards, tried and convicted of treason. She had acted as his secretary during his trial where he was sentenced to death by beheading. Upon his condemnation, Rachel laboured diligently to save her husband's life; she was aided by her father-in-law, Lord Bedford, who offered a sum of between £50,000 to £100,000 for a pardon to his son. Rachel even threw herself at the King's feet, pleading for him to grant clemency to her husband; however, the King was unmoved by her tearful pleas, and refused to abrogate the death sentence.
On the day before her William's execution, Rachel visited him in the Tower and they embraced one last time. The following morning, on 21 July 1683, he was beheaded at Lincoln's Inn Fields
. Several days later, she wrote King Charles a letter.
The attainder
against her husband was reversed by a bill which was passed in Parliament
and received the royal signature in the reign of William and Mary
.
, Archbishop of Canterbury
. They were of good quality and exceptionally well-written, and her correspondence provides a personal insight into 17th-century English domestic life. In addition to her letters, Rachel also wrote diaries, essays, a catechism, and Instructions for Children.
Seven engraved portraits of Rachel Wriothesley are displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Rachel died at Southampton House, Bloomsbury
, London on 29 September 1723, the anniversary of her late husband's birth; she was about 87 years old. Rachel was buried beside her husband on 8 October 1723 in the Bedford Chapel at the Parish Church of Chenies
, Buckinghamshire
.
William Russell, Lord Russell
William Russell, Lord Russell was an English politician. He was a leading member of the Country Party, forerunners of the Whigs, who opposed the succession of James II during the reign of Charles II, ultimately resulting in his execution for treason.-Early life and marriage:Russell was the third...
, who was implicated in the Rye House Plot
Rye House Plot
The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother James, Duke of York. Historians vary in their assessment of the degree to which details of the conspiracy were finalized....
and later executed. A collection of the many letters she wrote to her husband and other distinguished men was published in 1773.
Family and early years
Lady Rachel was born in about 1636 at TitchfieldTitchfield
Titchfield is a village in southern Hampshire, by the River Meon. The village has a history stretching back to the 6th century. During the medieval period, the village operated a small port and market...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, the second eldest daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton
Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton
Sir Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, KG , styled Lord Wriothesley before 1624, was a 17th century English statesman, a staunch supporter of Charles II who would rise to the position of Lord High Treasurer after the English Restoration...
, by his first wife, Rachel de Massue, daughter of Daniel de Massue, Seigneur de Ruvigny and Madeleine de Pinot des Fontaines.
She had an older sister, Elizabeth (c.1635–1679), who in 1661 would marry Edward Noel, 4th Viscount Campden, by whom she had issue. Elizabeth and Rachel's mother, a member of the noble French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
de Ruvigny family, died on 16 February 1640 when Rachel was about four years old.
Rachel's maternal cousin was Henri de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny, 1st Earl of Galway, who would later serve King William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
in Ireland.
In 1642, when Rachel was about six years of age, her father married Lady Elizabeth Leigh, by whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth. The latter would later marry the 11th Earl of Northumberland. Rachel's father would take a third wife, Frances Seymour in 1659, although that union did not produce any children.
Rachel received a religious upbringing, and remained throughout her life, a devout member of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
.
In her youth, she was described as having been remarkable for her elegance of form, personal beauty, and graceful manners.
Marriages and issue
In 1653, Rachel married her first huband, Francis Vaughan, Lord Vaughan, the eldest son of Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of CarberyRichard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery
Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery KB, PC , styled The Honourable from 1621 until 1628 and then Lord Vaughan until 1634, was a Welsh soldier, peer and politician...
. Upon their marriage, Rachel went to live with her father-in-law at Golden Grove in Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, Wales. In 1655 she gave birth to a child, whose sex and name was not recorded as it died shortly after its birth. She became a widow in 1667, which was the same year her father died. He left his entire fortune to Rachel and her older sister, Elizabeth, Viscountess Campden. The latter received the family seat of Titchfield, while the share which Rachel inherited was the domain of Stratton, also in Hampshire. Rachel remained with the Viscountess Campden at Titchfield for some time after their father's death. In 1669, Rachel married her second husband, William Russell, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Tavistock
Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)
Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its...
, a son of William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford
William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford
William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford KG PC was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited his Peerage and sat in the House of Lords...
and Lady Anne Carr, who was three years her junior. They obtained a marriage licence at Titchfield on 31 July 1669. The marriage was described as having been happy, and Lord Russell appreciated his wife's intelligence, virtue, affection and piety. In 1678, upon the death of his childless brother, Francis, William succeeded to the title of Lord Russell, and Rachel was thereafter styled as Lady Russell.
Together William and Rachel had three children:
- Rachel Russell (January 1674 – 28 December 1725), married William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of DevonshireWilliam Cavendish, 2nd Duke of DevonshireWilliam Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire KG, PC was a British nobleman and politician, the eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire and Lady Mary Butler. A prominent Whig, he was sworn of the Privy Council in 1707, and served as Lord President of the Council from 1716 to 1717 and...
, by whom she had five children. - Catherine Russell (23 August 1676 – 30 October 1711), married John Manners, 2nd Duke of RutlandJohn Manners, 2nd Duke of RutlandJohn Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland KG was the son of John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland and his third wife Catherine Wriothesley Noel, daughter of Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden...
, by whom she had nine children. - Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of BedfordWriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of BedfordWriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford KG was the son of William Russell, Lord Russell and his wife Lady Rachel Wriothesley...
(1 November 1680 – 26 May 1711), married Elizabeth Howland, by whom he had six children.
Rye House Plot
In 1683, Rachel's husband was one of the conspirators in the Rye House Plot, which was a plan to ambush King Charles II of EnglandCharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and his brother, James, Duke of York
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...
on their way back to London from the Newmarket races
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
. The plot was disclosed to the government. William, unlike his co-conspirators refused to escape to Holland. He was accused of promising his assistance in an insurrection and bringing about the death of the King and the Duke of York. On 26 June 1683, he was sent to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, and shortly afterwards, tried and convicted of treason. She had acted as his secretary during his trial where he was sentenced to death by beheading. Upon his condemnation, Rachel laboured diligently to save her husband's life; she was aided by her father-in-law, Lord Bedford, who offered a sum of between £50,000 to £100,000 for a pardon to his son. Rachel even threw herself at the King's feet, pleading for him to grant clemency to her husband; however, the King was unmoved by her tearful pleas, and refused to abrogate the death sentence.
On the day before her William's execution, Rachel visited him in the Tower and they embraced one last time. The following morning, on 21 July 1683, he was beheaded at Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...
. Several days later, she wrote King Charles a letter.
The attainder
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
against her husband was reversed by a bill which was passed in Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
and received the royal signature in the reign of William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
.
Legacy
Throughout her long life, Rachel was an avid letter-writer as well as an author. Her numerous letters, which were later published in 1773, were written mainly to her husband but also to many distinguished men such as John TillotsonJohn Tillotson
John Tillotson was an Archbishop of Canterbury .-Curate and rector:Tillotson was the son of a Puritan clothier at Haughend, Sowerby, Yorkshire. He entered as a pensioner of Clare Hall, Cambridge, in 1647, graduated in 1650 and was made fellow of his college in 1651...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
. They were of good quality and exceptionally well-written, and her correspondence provides a personal insight into 17th-century English domestic life. In addition to her letters, Rachel also wrote diaries, essays, a catechism, and Instructions for Children.
Seven engraved portraits of Rachel Wriothesley are displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Rachel died at Southampton House, Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
, London on 29 September 1723, the anniversary of her late husband's birth; she was about 87 years old. Rachel was buried beside her husband on 8 October 1723 in the Bedford Chapel at the Parish Church of Chenies
Chenies
Chenies is a village in the very eastern part of south Buckinghamshire, England, near the border with Hertfordshire. It is situated to the east of Chesham and the Chalfonts. Chenies is also a civil parish within Chiltern district....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.