She was sister to Diana, the last De Vere, Earl of Oxford's, countess, a lady of as free a morality {462} as herself and as her mother, and second wife of Sir Thomas, whose first lady, Elizabeth Cholmondley, died in June, 1676. Sir Thomas died February 5, 1682-3, leaving by her three children, Sir Richard, the last baronet, Henrietta, and Diana, who all died unmarried. A portrait of Lady Vernon, by Sir Peter Lely, has been engraved in mezzotinto by Browne, and lettered "Mary Kirk, Lady Vernon, maid of honour to Queen Catherine." Another portrait (?) has been engraved by Scheneker for Harding's _Grammont_, 1793. A third portrait was purchased at the Strawberry Hill sale, by Mr. Rodd of Little Newport Street, for 1l. 5s. A portrait of the Countess of Oxford is or was at Mr. Drummond's of Great Stanmore. It was bequeathed to his family by Charles, first Duke of St. Alban's, who was her ladyship's son-in-law. Of Mrs. Anne Kirke, who was "woman to the queen" Henrietta Maria, there are several portraits. Granger records: "Madam Kirk. Vandyck p. Gaywood f. h. sh. "Madam Anne Kirk. Vandyck p. Browne, large h. sh. mezz." These engravings are most probably from the same painting--the fine whole-length exhibited last year among the collection of pictures by ancient masters in Pall Mall: "Madam Kirk, sitting in a chair, Hollar, f. h. sh." He also mentions her miniature at Burghley. There is at Wilton a splendid painting by Vandyck of Mrs. Kirk, seated with the Countess of Morton, Lady Anne Keith, eldest daughter of George, fifth Earl Mareschal, and wife of William Douglass, seventh Earl of Morton, K.G. She was governess to the Princess Henrietta. This painting has been engraved by Grousvelt. There is another engraving from the first-named Vandyck by Beckett. Of Lady Vernon and her mother there is to be found mention, in the secret service expenses of Charles II. and James II., lately printed. The elder lady on her husband's death (he was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey, April 5, 1679) seems to have had a pension of 250l. per annum. The younger was the recipient, on two occasions, of 100l. "bounty" only. Mrs. Kirke and her daughter Diana are unfavourably alluded to by Mrs. Grace Worthley, a lady of the same class, who will not "be any longer a laughing-stock for any of Mr. Kirk's bastards" (vide letter to her cousin Lord Brandon, September 7, 1682, _Diary of Henry Sidney, Earl of Romney_, i. pp. xxxiii. xxxiv.). And again, the same lady, in another letter, speaks of "the common Countess of Oxford and her adulterous bastards" (_Ibid._). Mr. Jesse's quotation from "Queries and Answers from Garraway's Coffee House" (vide _The Court of the Stewarts_, vol. ii. p. 366.) may be here reproduced in support of the epitaph which this angry lady has been pleased to assign the countess, who, it would seem, had robbed her, well born and well married, of her noble keeper "the handsome Sidney:"