Elizabeth Stanley | |
|---|---|
| Countess of Derby Lord of Mann | |
 The Countess of Derby, by an unknown artist | |
| Born | 2 July 1575 Theobalds House, Hertfordshire |
| Died | 10 March 1627 (aged 51) Richmond, Surrey |
| Buried | Westminster Abbey |
| Noble family | De Vere (by birth) Stanley (by marriage) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Issue | Lady Anne Stanley James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby Sir Robert Stanley two daughters who died young |
| Father | Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford |
| Mother | Anne Cecil |
| Occupation | Maid of Honour Head of state and government administrator of the Isle of Man |
Elizabeth Stanley (née de Vere), Countess of Derby, Lord of Mann (2 July 1575 – 10 March 1627), was an English noblewoman and courtier. She was the eldest daughter of the Elizabethan courtier and poet Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.
She was the Lord of Mann from 1612 to 1627, and prior to holding the title, she had taken over many administrative duties appertaining to the Isle of Man's affairs. Elizabeth was the first female to rule as the island's head of state.
She served as a Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth I of England before her marriage to William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby. Her wedding or (more likely) that of Elizabeth Carey to Thomas, son of Lord Berkeley, was the occasion for the first performance of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.[1]
- ^ "Shakespeare Quartos: A Midsummer Night's Dream". British Library.