Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford

Lucy Harington, Countess of Bedford

Performer in masques

1581-1627

Marries the Earl of Bedford

Lucy Harington (1581-1627) was the daughter of Sir John, later Lord Harington. In 1594, at the age of 13 she was married to Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford then aged 22. He was an invalid and she largely led her own life.

Buys Twickenham Park estate

A wealthy woman in her own right, in 1608 she bought the Twickenham Park estate from Francis Bacon and made it her principal residence.

A woman of influence

She was a close friend of Queen Anne who made her a Lady of the Bedchamber. From 1603 to 1620 she was one of the most influential women in England: talented, charming, vivacious, and a performer in masques designed by Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones.

Her houses were a meeting place for poets, writers and wits whom she patronised. One of these John Donne wrote, among other things, a poem titled Twicknam Garden.

In 1617 her husband purchased Moor Park in Hertfordshire and she moved there, passing the lease of Twickenham Park to her cousin Sir William Harington. An extravagant woman, she had spent her fortune and, in 1627, she died a few days after her husband, "having no belongings."

http://www.twickenham-museum.org.uk/print_detail.asp?ContentID=67

Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford