Dorothy Ashley-Cooper, Countess of Shaftesbury (c. 1656 – June 1698),[1] formerly Lady Dorothy Manners, was the wife of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 2nd Earl of Shaftesbury, and the mother of the 3rd Earl.
Her brother John Manners, was created Duke of Rutland, and all five of her sisters married into the aristocracy: Lady Grace Manners married first Patrick Chaworth, 3rd Viscount Chaworth, and afterwards Sir William Langhorne, 1st Baronet;[2] Lady Margaret Manners became Countess of Salisbury; Lady Frances Manners became Countess of Exeter; and Lady Elizabeth Manners became Countess of Anglesey.
Lady Dorothy's marriage to the future earl, which took place on 22 September 1669,[3] was supposedly negotiated by John Locke, a friend of the 1st earl, who had been tutor to his son.
[4] This arrangement does not seem to have lasted very long, and it has been suggested that the 2nd Earl was not a promising pupil.
They had seven children:[6] Locke was the family's physician and assisted at the birth of the couple's eldest son and also attended Dorothy when she suffered a miscarriage.