Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (c. 1527 – 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick (née Elizabeth Hardwick), of Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series of well-made marriages, she rose to the highest levels of English nobility and became enormously wealthy. Bess was a shrewd business woman, increasing her assets with business interests including mines and glass-making workshops.