 The Hardwicks were members of the minor gentry of Scarsdale; no male member of the Hardwick family rose above the status of esquire or held any important local or county offices.Bess was born into this relatively minor gentry family.Her fourth marriage to the earl of Shrewsbury in 1567 elevated her to the rank of 'countess', and following the earl's death in November 1590, Bess became one of the richest women in the kingdom.