Anne Villiers, Countess of Morton

Anne Douglas, Countess of Morton (c. 1610 – 15 December 1654), born Anne Villiers, was an English noblewoman, famed for her beauty, bravery and loyalty to the throne. The first half of the 17th-century closet drama Cicilia and Clorinda was dedicated to her.

Anne was the daughter of Sir Edward Villiers (c. 1574 – 7 September 1626) and his wife, Barbara St. John, a daughter of Sir John St. John. She was a half-niece of the Duke of Buckingham, who was one of her father's younger half-brothers. Anne Villiers's nieces included Elizabeth Villiers, mistress to William III, and Barbara Villiers, who was the mistress of Charles II and would be made Duchess of Cleveland in her own right.

In April 1627 she married Robert Douglas, Lord Dalkeith, later Earl of Morton. The Earl and Countess of Morton had at least three children who lived to adulthood:

Lady Dalkeith, as she was styled at the time, was a godmother of Princess Henrietta. During the Civil War, the infant princess, less than one month old, was left in Lady Dalkeith's care. After being besieged in Exeter by Parliamentary forces in April 1646, she was forced to expend her own funds to care for the princess. She refused to take the child to St. James Palace, endeavoring instead to convey her to France to be united with her mother, Queen Henrietta Maria. She disguised herself and the princess as peasants and fled to Dover and then France. Apparently, during the journey, the princess nearly revealed their identity by innocently informing the townspeople that she was not accustomed to dressing in such a shabby fashion. Nevertheless, they arrived safely. Lady Dalkeith's actions were well-received and highly praised upon her arrival. Shortly after, her father-in-law died, making her Countess of Morton.

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