Anne Stanley, Countess of Ancram

Anne Stanley, Countess of Ancram (died 1657) was an English aristocrat.

Anne Stanley was a daughter of William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, and Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Derby.

Anne married Sir Henry Portman (1596–1621) of Orchard Portman, Somerset, Member of Parliament and Keeper of Roche Forest, on 20 July 1615.[1]

Anne's second husband was Sir Robert Kerr of Ancram who became Earl of Ancram in 1633. In November 1621 Prince Charles had written to Anne's mother, Elizabeth Countess of Derby, in favour of Sir Robert Kerr, who had leave from his court duties to visit her. Charles indicated that Sir Robert's court position close to his person made up for his lack of wealth.[2]

The Earl obtained a royal pension but this was stopped by the Commonwealth. Lady Ancram had to petition Parliament in September 1653 for money and she was allowed £5 weekly for her six surviving children. Anne had to petition Cromwell again for this money in 1654. Her husband, who was in exile in Amsterdam, died in 1654.[3]

Anne died in February 1657 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Her daughter Henrietta Maria Kerr (d. 1647) was also buried in the Abbey. There is no monument.[4]

The Folger Shakespeare Library has a manuscript recipe book (V.a.612) connected with the family and according to the title, compiled in part by Anne's eldest daughter Vere Kerr (c. 1622-1708) who married Henry Wilkinson.[5]

Another daughter, Elizabeth Kerr married Colonel Nathaniel Rich. Her fourth daughter's name seems to be unrecorded.

Her eldest surviving son, Charles Kerr, became the 2nd Earl of Ancram. His younger brother was Stanley Kerr.

Anne Stanley or Kerr, Countess of Ancram can easily be confused with her contemporary, Anne Kerr, Countess of Lothian.

The Earl of Derby at Knowsley Hall had a version of her portrait wearing a black dress with red sleeves, ornamented with silver sprigs, dated 1638 and attributed (in the nineteenth century) to Gerrit van Honthorst.[6]