Frances Hyde, Countess Of Clarendon

Frances Hyde, Countess of Clarendon (née Aylesbury), was born on 25 August 1617, with her baptism recorded on that date. She was the daughter and eventual sole heiress of Sir Thomas Aylesbury, 1st Baronet, and his wife, Anne Denman. Her brother was William Aylesbury, a translator.

On 10 July 1634, Frances Aylesbury married Edward Hyde, who was later elevated to the peerage as Baron Hyde in 1660 and Earl of Clarendon in 1661. Edward Hyde served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1658 to 1667. The marriage produced six children, among which are notable figures:

- Lady Anne Hyde (1637–1671), who married King James II/VII in 1659 and had children.

- Mary II of England (born 30 April 1662, died 28 December 1694).

- Anne, Queen of Great Britain (born 6 February 1664/65, died 1 August 1714).

- Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (born 22 October 1660, died 5 May 1661), and other children who died in infancy or at young ages.

Additional children included Charles Stuart, Duke of Kendal (1666–1667), Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1667–1671), Henrietta Stuart (1668/69–1669), Catherine Stuart (1670/71–1671), Hon. Henry (later 2nd Earl of Clarendon, 1638–1709), Hon. Laurence (later 1st Earl of Rochester, 1641–1711), Hon. Edward (died 1665), Hon. James (died young), and Lady Frances (who married Thomas Keightley and had issue).

Character references, including her husband's memoirs, describe their marriage as close and affectionate. Despite his guarded written account, surviving correspondence indicates a strong and supportive relationship. Their marriage endured a four-year separation during the English Civil War, and her death following a brief illness was a significant personal loss for her husband. Edward Hyde, in his 1666 will, described her as “my dearly beloved wife who hath accompanied and assisted me in all my distress with greater resignation and courage,” acknowledging her contributions during difficult times.

Henry Coventry, a diplomat involved in Breda’s peace negotiations, noted that news of her serious illness deeply affected him, reflecting her esteem among contemporaries. Upon her death at age 49, she was buried in the Hyde Vault at Westminster Abbey. The burial register of 1661 records her full name and titles as the daughter of Sir Thomas Aylesbury, wife of Sir Edward Hyde, first Earl of Clarendon. Her husband survived her by thirteen years before being laid to rest beside her. Her mother, Anne Denman, also interred in the same vault.

Frances Hyde’s legacy includes her role as mother to Anne Hyde, and maternal grandmother to Mary II and Queen Anne of Great Britain. She appears as a character in the novel "The Piccadilly Plot" by Susanna Gregory and is mentioned in "The King’s Evil" by Andrew Taylor.