Lady Elizabeth Finch-Hatton

Lady Elizabeth Mary Finch-Hatton (née Lady Elizabeth Murray; 18 May 1760 – 1 June 1825) was a British aristocrat and the subject of a notable painting, once thought to be by Johann Zoffany,[1] now attributed to David Martin.[2][3]

For other people called Elizabeth Murray, see Elizabeth Murray.

Lady Elizabeth Murray
Murray (right) and her cousin Dido Elizabeth Belle
Born
Elizabeth Mary Murray

(1760-05-18)18 May 1760
Warsaw, Poland-Lithuania
Died1 June 1825(1825-06-01) (aged 65)
NationalityBritish
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1785; died 1823)​
Children
Parent(s)
Relatives

Biography

Early life

Murray was born on 18 May 1760 in Warsaw, Poland-Lithuania.[4] She was the daughter of David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield (1727–1796), by his first marriage to Henrietta Frederica von Bünau.[4] Her maternal grandfather was Count Heinrich von Bünau (1697–1762).[4]

Following her mother's death in 1766, she was brought up at Kenwood House by her father's uncle William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, and his wife, Elizabeth. They soon also took in their great-niece Dido Elizabeth Belle (1761-1804), the mixed-race natural daughter of Murray's nephew, Sir John Lindsay; he sent the young Dido to his uncle from the West Indies.[5]

Marriage

She married George Finch-Hatton (1747–1823) on 10 December 1785.[4] They had three children:

Coincidentally, George Finch-Hatton's father, Edward, and the 1st Earl of Mansfield's wife, Elizabeth, were both children of Daniel Finch, 7th Earl of Winchilsea, and Anne Hatton.

Elizabeth Murray was the great-grandmother of Denys Finch Hatton, known as close friend of Danish author Karen Blixen.

Death

She died on 1 June 1825, aged 65.

  • Let Justice Be Done Mixed Blessings Theatre Group. 2008 play featuring the possible influence that Elizabeth Lindsay's cousin Dido Elizabeth Belle might have had on the Somerset v Stewart ruling of 1772.
  • Sarah Gadon portrayed Lady Elizabeth in the film Belle (2013).

References
  1. "Dido and Elizabeth Portrait". English Heritage. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  2. Fake or Fortune?, Season 7, Episode 4
  3. "Taking a few liberties with the real story of 'Belle'". Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  4. The Peerage: Lady Elizabeth Mary Murray
  5. "Slavery and Justice at Kenwood House Part 1" (PDF). English Heritage. Retrieved 16 June 2014.


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