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Anne van Keppel, Countess of Albemarle

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The Countess of Albemarle
Portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds
Born
Lady Anne Lennox

(1703-06-24)24 June 1703
Died20 October 1789(1789-10-20) (aged 86)
Spouse
(m. 1722; died 1754)
ChildrenGeorge Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel
Hon. William Keppel
Hon. Frederick Keppel
Lady Caroline Adair
Elizabeth Russell, Marchioness of Tavistock
Parent(s)Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond
Anne Brudenell
RelativesCharles II of England (paternal grandfather)

Anne van Keppel (24 June 1703 – 20 October 1789) born Lady Anne Lennox, was a British court official and noble, the daughter of the 1st Duke of Richmond and Anne Brudenell. Her father Charles was an illegitimate child of King Charles II, thus making her the king's granddaughter.[1]

Marriage and children

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On 21 February 1722, she married the 2nd Earl of Albemarle at Caversham, Oxfordshire (now Berkshire), whereupon she became Countess of Albemarle. She was mother to six children:[1]

From 1725 to 1737, she was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Caroline. Anne died in 1789 at Admiralty House aged 86.[1]

Philanthropy

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The Countess was 'one of 21 ladies of quality and distinction' who signed a petition in 1735 calling for the establishment of the Foundling Hospital in London, UK.[2] The petition was presented to King George II by philanthropist Thomas Coram and although it was initially rejected, it was instrumental in gaining further support for the children's home which was granted a royal charter in 1739.[3]

Oil painting on black background of a white woman in a white silk dress, a painting from the 18th century.
This portrait of Anne by Thomas Hudson is a pendant to that of her husband, William Anne Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle.

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ a b c G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume I, page 94.
  2. ^ Fund, Art. "The Foundling Museum: Putting women back in the picture". Art Fund. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Campaigning for children | Coram". www.coram.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2018.