Wilhelmina FitzClarence, Countess of Munster

Wilhelmina Kennedy-Erskine
Countess of Munster
The Countess of Munster as portrayed on the frontispiece of her autobiography (published 1904)
Spouse(s)	William FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster
Issue Edward, Viscount FitzClarence Hon. Lionel Frederick Archibald Geoffrey FitzClarence, 3rd Earl of Munster Hon. Arthur Falkland Manners Aubrey FitzClarence, 4th Earl of Munster Hon. William George Hon. Harold Edward Lady Lillian Boyd Lady Dorothea Lee-Warner
Noble family	FitzClarence
Father	Hon. John Kennedy-Erskine
Mother	Lady Augusta FitzClarence
Born	(1830-06-27)27 June 1830 Dun House, Montrose, Scotland
Died	9 October 1906(1906-10-09) (aged 76)
Occupation	Peeress, novelist
Signature

Wilhelmina FitzClarence, Countess of Munster (née Kennedy-Erskine; 27 June 1830 – 9 October 1906) was a British peeress and novelist. Her mother, Lady Augusta FitzClarence, was an illegitimate daughter of William IV of the United Kingdom; Wilhelmina, also known as Mina, was born the day after William's succession as monarch. She travelled as a young girl throughout Europe, visiting the courts of France and Hanover. In 1855, Mina married her first cousin William FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster; they would have nine children, including the 3rd and 4th Earls of Munster.

The Earl and Countess of Munster lived at Palmeira Square in Brighton. Later in life, Lady Munster became a novelist and short story writer. In 1889, she released her first novel, Dorinda; a second, A Scotch Earl, followed two years later. The year 1896 saw the publication of Ghostly Tales, a collection of tales on the supernatural which have largely been forgotten today. Lady Munster also produced an autobiography entitled My Memories and Miscellanies, which was released in 1904. She died two years later.

Wilhelmina "Mina" Kennedy-Erskine was born on 27 June 1830 in Dun House, Montrose, Scotland. She was the second child of the Hon. John Kennedy-Erskine and his wife Lady Augusta FitzClarence, an illegitimate daughter of William IV (who became monarch the day before Mina's birth). Her father, the second son of the 13th Earl of Cassilis, was a captain with the 16th Lancers and an equerry to King William before dying in 1831 at the age of 28. Her paternal grandmother, Anne Watts, was a descendant of the Schuyler family, the Van Cortlandt family (including Stephanus Van Cortlandt), and the Delancey family of British North America.