Anne Fitzpatrick

Anne FitzPatrick, Countess of Upper Ossory, born Anne Liddell on August 11, 1736, in Derby, was an English noblewoman. She was the only child of Sir Henry Liddell, a coal industry magnate, and his wife Anne (née Delmé). Her grandfather, Sir Peter Delmé, served as Lord Mayor of London and was the son of French Huguenot exiles. Her father was elevated to the peerage as Baron Ravensworth in 1747.

On January 29, 1756, at her father's residence in St James's Square, London, she married Augustus Henry FitzRoy, then Earl of Euston, after obtaining a special license from the Archbishop of Canterbury. At the time, she was 18 years old and considered a minor. Her marriage was witnessed by Lord Ravensworth and Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford. In 1757, her husband succeeded as the 3rd Duke of Grafton. The couple had three children:

- Lady Georgiana FitzRoy (born May 8, 1757; died January 18, 1799), married John Smyth on June 4, 1778, with issue.

- George Henry FitzRoy (born January 14, 1760; died September 28, 1844), became the 4th Duke of Grafton, married Lady Charlotte Maria Waldegrave on November 16, 1784, with issue.

- General Lord Charles FitzRoy (born July 14, 1764; died December 20, 1829), married twice, first to Frances Mundy on June 20, 1795, and second to Lady Frances Stewart on March 10, 1799, with whom he had children. His sons included Sir Charles FitzRoy (1796–1858), Governor of New South Wales, and Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy, known for his work in hydrography.

The marriage between Anne and the Duke was marked by discord. Grafton fathered 16 illegitimate children during his lifetime and engaged in extramarital affairs, notably beginning a public affair with Anne Parsons in 1764, while Anne was pregnant with their second child. The couple separated in 1765.

In 1766, Anne was introduced by Horace Walpole to John FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory. She bore a daughter by Ossory in August 1768. During this period, Grafton was increasingly involved in government, becoming effective Prime Minister in October 1768 following Earl of Chatham’s illness and death. Grafton subsequently sued Anne for adultery, and their marriage was legally dissolved by an Act of Parliament on March 23, 1769. On June 24, 1769, Grafton married Elizabeth Wrottesley, who was the cousin of Earl of Upper Ossory.

Shortly after her divorce, Anne married John FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory, at a church in Surrey. This marriage legitimated her daughter. Due to the social restrictions for divorced women at the time, Anne and her new husband faced social exile from the royal court.

Following her second marriage, Anne withdrew to the Fitzpatrick estate at Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire, where she focused on raising her children and maintaining correspondence with notable figures such as Horace Walpole, Charles FitzRoy, and Mary Fox, Baroness Holland. Her letters often reflected her interests in natural phenomena and family matters. Her sister-in-law, Lady Holland, and her children from her late marriage were also raised under her guardianship.

Anne FitzPatrick died at her residence in Grosvenor Square, London, on February 23, 1804. Her husband, Earl of Upper Ossory, survived her until his death in 1818 and had additional children with a mistress named Elizabeth Wilson.