Jane Granville, Countess of Bath


Jane Granville, Countess of Bath, was the wife of John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath, and the mother of the 2nd Earl. She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Catherine of Braganza, the queen consort of King Charles II of England.

Early life

Jane was a daughter of Peter Wyche, English ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and his wife, the former Jane Meredith. Among her siblings were Peter Wyche, the English Ambassador to Russia and Poland, and Cyril Wyche, President of the Royal Society.
Her paternal grandparents were merchant Richard Wyche and Elizabeth Wyche. Her uncle, Nathaniel Wyche, was a merchant and president of the East India Company.

Marriage and issue

She married the future earl in October 1652 at Kilkhampton. He received his earldom at the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, making his wife a countess. The couple's children included:
The earl outlived his wife and died in 1701, but was followed within a fortnight by his son and heir, the 2nd Earl, who is thought to have committed suicide by shooting himself and was buried on the same day as his father. The title passed to Charles's only son, William, who died of smallpox, aged 19, in 1711.