She was born in
Wiltshire, England, to Sir
Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Cork, and Elizabeth Boyle, Countess of Cork. In 1665, she married
Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, son of
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and
Frances Aylesbury. Henrietta had four children. In November 1677, she was appointed to succeed
Frances Villiers as the governess of the children of the Duke of York. Like most of the Boyle dynasty, who in the space of two generations had become almost all-powerful in the south of
Ireland, Henrietta was strong-minded and acquisitive, and could be ruthless in asserting her rights. During the last two years of her life, when her husband was Chief Minister to his brother-in-law King
James II, Henrietta took full advantage of his power to claim every possible privilege. She clashed bitterly with her husband's niece, the future
Queen Anne, over who should have the best apartments in
Whitehall Palace. Anne, who could herself be a formidable opponent, complained bitterly of her aunt's "peevishness" to her. == Children ==