Henrietta Louisa Fermor, Countess Of Pomfret

Henrietta Louisa Fermor, Countess of Pomfret (née Jeffreys), was born on 15 November 1698 in Leicester Square, London. She was the sole surviving child of John Jeffreys, 2nd Baron Jeffreys of Wem, Shropshire, and Lady Charlotte Herbert. Her maternal grandfather was Philip, Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, who was the son of Henriette de Kérouaille, sister of Louise, Duchess of Portsmouth, a mistress of King Charles II.

On 14 July 1720, she married Thomas Fermor, who was then the 2nd Baron Leominster and was elevated to the rank of Earl of Pomfret in 1721. Thomas Fermor was named a Knight of the Bath (K.B.) and served as master of the horse to Queen Caroline in September 1727. Lady Henrietta Louisa served as one of Queen Caroline's ladies of the bedchamber during her tenure at court.

In 1730, Lady Pomfret compiled a collection of prints into an album titled "Heads, English & foreign collected by Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys, countess of Pomfret." The album is now housed at Queen's University in Kingston. Following Queen Caroline's death in November 1737, Lady Pomfret and her friend Frances, Countess of Hertford, retired from court life.

In September 1738, Lady Pomfret and her husband embarked on a three-year journey through France and Italy. During their travels, they visited Florence, arriving on 20 December 1739, where they were received by Horace Walpole and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Their route included Bologna, Venice, Augsburg, Frankfurt, and Brussels, returning to England in October 1741. At the Duchess of Norfolk's masquerade in February 1742, they participated in the event dressed with staffs in a manner reminiscent of pilgrims.

Lord Pomfret died on 8 July 1753, and their eldest son, George Fermor, succeeded him as the 3rd Earl of Pomfret. Due to his extravagance, George was compelled to sell the furnishings of Easton Neston, the family estate in Northamptonshire. His statues, part of the Arundelian collection acquired by his grandfather, were purchased by Lady Pomfret and presented to the University of Oxford, which expressed its gratitude through a letter enclosed in a silver box on 25 February 1755, along with a poem in her honor published the following year.

Lady Pomfret died on 15 December 1761 while traveling to Bath. She was interred at Easton Neston, though a cenotaph was later erected in her memory at St. Mary's Church, Oxford. She left behind a family of four sons and six daughters.

Her correspondence has been the subject of literary commentary, with figures such as Horace Walpole and Lady M. W. Montagu noting her as an author of letters. Walpole mocked her, describing her as having a "paltry air of significant learning and absurdity" and claimed she lacked humor. In contrast, Montagu appreciated her letters for their enjoyable content. Three volumes of her correspondence with Frances, Countess of Hertford, covering the years 1738 to 1741, were published posthumously in 1805 and 1806 by William Bingley. A portrait of Lady Pomfret by Caroline Watson was included in the publication.