Portrait of Countess Charlotte de la Tremouille
Date made: 17th century
Artist: van Dyck, Anthony
Description: Countess Charlotte de la Trémouille was the wife of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby and Lord of Mann.
Born in France around 1600 to noble parents, Charlotte (25) and James (20) married in 1626. Residing in Lancashire and the Isle of Man, they had six children, sadly, not all of whom made it to adulthood.
Charlotte is famous for her defence of the family home, Lathom House, during the English Civil War. The family found themselves under siege whilst James was on the Isle of Man in 1644, ensuring that it wasn’t invaded by Scotland.
Despite having only 300 troops to call on as opposed to the 2000 troops of the Parliamentarians, Charlotte led a successful campaign against the three month long siege, and it was eventually called off.
After the siege, for safety, James and Charlotte moved their family permanently to the Isle of Man where they lived at Castle Rushen. The castle became one of the last strongholds of the Royalist cause.
James left for England in August 1651. In October, he was captured in Worcester, tried by the Parliamentarians in Chester, and found guilty of treason. He was taken to Bolton, the scene of the earlier “massacre” and was beheaded on October 15th, 1651.
News of James’ death didn't reach the Countess immediately. She was busy preparing for a possible siege at Castle Rushen. Although sources aren’t consistent, it seems that she was informed of her husband’s execution by a Parliamentarian seeking her surrender.
Castle Rushen came under siege by Parliamentarians, led by Illiam Dhone, a Manxman. The soldiers garrisoned inside the castle were disheartened, and on 30th October 1651, they opened the sally port to let the opposition in and the siege was over.
The day after, Countess Charlotte surrendered to the Parliamentarian forces. She was kept prisoner for two months at the Castle. On being set free, she returned to England, eventually returning to Knowsley, Lancashire. Countess Charlotte lived the rest of her days there.
Although the exact date of her death is unknown, Countess Charlotte is suspected to have died peacefully in March 1663.
The artist Sir Anthony Van Dyck first came to Britain in 1620. In 1632 he was appointed Court painter to Charles I and later knighted. He became one of the most popular portrait painters of the period, producing portraits of most of the English aristocracy prior to the English Civil War.
Measurements: overall: 26 cm x 23 cm
Materials: paper : pastel
Object name: drawing
Collection: Art Collection
ID number: 1954-7822
Subject tags : #artgallerypeople