Ashley Cooper Earl of Shaftesbury (1621-1683) after an anonymous miniature after that gemalde of J. M. Wrights around 1661/65. Born at Wimborne St Giles in Dorset in July 1621, Anthony Ashley Cooper was the eldest son of Sir John Cooper (d.1631) and his wife Anne Ashley (d.1628). His parents' marriage in 1616 brought together two wealthy gentry families with extensive estates A substantial part of his inheritance was lost through the machinations of the Court and the sale of lands to meet his father's debts. He attended Exeter College, Oxford, and Lincoln's Inn. In February 1639, he married Margaret Coventry, daughter of Lord Coventry and lived with his wife's family in London. 固opFoto