Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby

Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby (1599–1664), born Charlotte de La Trémoille, is famous for her robust defence of Lathom House during the English Civil War.

Charlotte, born at the chateau of Thouars, Poitou, in France, was the daughter of the French nobleman Claude de La Trémoille, 2nd Duke of Thouars, and his wife Countess Charlotte Brabantina of Nassau. Her maternal grandparents were William I, Prince of Orange and Charlotte de Bourbon.

On 26 June 1626, Charlotte married the English nobleman James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, who was taken prisoner at Nantwich in 1651, and was beheaded at Bolton.

Lady Derby was famous for her defence of Lathom House in the Siege of Lathom House by Parliamentary forces during the First English Civil War in 1644. During the absence of her spouse, she was left in charge of what turned out to be the last remaining Royalist stronghold in Lancashire. Immediately after the fall of Warrington, she was requested to acknowledge Parliament's authority and surrender her house, but she refused on the grounds that doing so would dishonour her husband. She offered to limit herself to defending her home, and this postponed further attacks on her position. In February 1644, Latham House was besieged by the forces of Sir Thomas Fairfax. Lady Derby had fortified the castle to resist bombardment and assembled a militia of seasoned marksmen who were able to inflict significant losses by sniping, and she expressly refused repeated offers of surrender. On 27 May 1644, Prince Rupert arrived with royalist forces and the siege was broken. Lady Derby and her staff were evacuated to the Isle of Man.

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