Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Countess of Sutherland
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'Elizabeth, Duchess-Countess of Sutherland' by George Romney
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| Born | Elizabeth Sutherland 24 May 1765 near Edinburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland |
| Died | 29 January 1839 (aged 73) Hamilton Place, Hyde Park, London, England |
| Resting place | Dornoch Cathedral |
| Title | Duchess of Sutherland, Countess of Sutherland |
| Known for | Her part in the Highland Clearances |
| Spouse(s) | George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland (1785–1833) |
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Elizabeth Sutherland Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland (born Sutherland; 24 May 1765 – 29 January 1839) was a powerful Scottish noblewoman. She was also known as the 19th Countess of Sutherland in her own right. She is mostly remembered for her important role in the Highland Clearances.
In 1803, her husband became very rich. He inherited money from the successful Bridgewater Canal. People called him "the leviathan of wealth," meaning he was incredibly wealthy. This huge fortune allowed Lady Sutherland to make big changes to her family's land in Sutherland. These changes were a major part of the Highland Clearances.
Early Life and Marriage
Elizabeth was born near Edinburgh, Scotland, on May 24, 1765. Her parents were William Sutherland, the 18th Earl of Sutherland, and Mary Maxwell. Sadly, both her parents died from a serious illness in 1766, when Elizabeth was just one year old.
As the only child left, she inherited her father's lands and titles. Her title, Countess of Sutherland, was challenged by a distant relative. However, the House of Lords (a part of the British Parliament) confirmed her right to the title in 1771.
Childhood and Education
Lady Elizabeth Sutherland spent most of her childhood in Edinburgh and London. She received her education between 1779 and 1782.
On September 4, 1785, when she was 20, she married George Granville Leveson-Gower. He was known as Earl Gower from 1786. In 1803, he inherited his father's title, becoming the Marquess of Stafford. Later, in 1832, he was made the Duke of Sutherland. This meant Elizabeth became known as the Duchess-Countess of Sutherland.
The Sutherland Estate
When Elizabeth married, control of the Sutherland estate passed to her husband. However, she still owned the land. Between 1812 and 1816, the couple bought more land in Sutherland. This meant they owned about 63% of the county.
At first, much of the land had many mortgages (called "wadsets"). More mortgages were taken out to pay for their time in France. Her husband was an ambassador there.
The Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were a big change in Scottish farming. Old farming methods were replaced with new ones. New crops and drainage systems were introduced. But the biggest change was that many families living in the inland valleys were moved. Their old homes were then used for large sheep farms.
These families were often moved to new small farms (called "crofts") along the coast. These changes happened across most of the Scottish Highlands from about 1790 to 1855. Landowners hoped these changes would bring in more money and lower costs.
Starting the Clearances
The Sutherland estate started the Clearances slowly. Some people were moved in 1772, when Lady Sutherland was still a child. At that time, her tutors managed the estate. There were plans for new fishing villages to give jobs to people moved from inland. But the estate didn't have enough money to do this on a large scale.
When George Leveson-Gower inherited a huge fortune in 1803, the Sutherland estate finally had the money it needed. Lady Sutherland took a very active interest in managing the estate. She was in charge of the big changes.
Why the Clearances Happened
Lady Sutherland and her advisors thought about several things when planning the Clearances:
- Population Growth: The number of people living on the land was increasing.
- Famine: The area often suffered from food shortages. Landlords had to buy food and bring it in.
- New Farming Ideas: People believed that sheep farming would bring much more money. Wool prices had gone up a lot since the 1780s. Sheep farmers could pay much higher rents than the current tenants.
Key Figures and Early Removals
The first large sheep farm was set up in Lairg in 1807. This meant about 300 people had to move. Many of them did not like their new homes and moved away, which upset the estate managers.
In 1809, William Young and Patrick Sellar became important advisors to the Sutherland family. They had big plans for the estate. Lady Sutherland had already fired the previous manager for not making enough progress. Young and Sellar took over in 1811.
Young and Sellar were experts in modern farming ideas. They also planned new industries to employ the people who were moved. They started a coal mine and built fishing villages to catch herring. Other ideas included tanning, flax, salt, and brick making.
Challenges and Protests
The first clearances under Young and Sellar happened in Assynt in 1812. People were moved to the coast to make way for sheep farms. This process went smoothly.
However, in 1813, planned clearances in Kildonan led to riots. An angry crowd chased away sheep farmers who came to look at the land. This situation lasted for over six weeks. The army had to be called in. The estate made some concessions, like paying good prices for the cattle of those being moved. Some people moved to other areas, and some even went to Canada. Lady Sutherland and her advisors were surprised by this resistance. They thought their plans were good and helpful.
More clearances were planned in Strathnaver starting in 1814. This became complicated because Sellar himself leased one of the new sheep farms. This meant he was responsible for moving people from land he would then use. About 2,000 people were moved from Strathnaver and Brora in 1814.
There was some confusion among the tenants. Some moved early, while others stayed until the eviction teams arrived. It was common practice to destroy the roofs of cleared houses to stop people from moving back in. On June 13, 1814, a house was burned. An elderly, sick woman might have been inside. Accounts differ, but it seems she was carried out just as the fire started. She died six days later.
Sellar was accused of serious crimes related to this and other incidents. The charges were brought by a local law officer who disliked Sellar. The Sutherland estate did not help Sellar much with his defense. However, he was found not guilty at his trial in 1816. The estate managers were very relieved.
Despite the acquittal, this event and Sellar's role in it became a lasting part of the story of the Sutherland Clearances. Sellar and Young soon left their management roles with the estate.
Public Outcry and Continued Clearances
Newspapers in London began to report critically on the Clearances in 1815. These reports came from Alexander Sutherland, who was against the Clearances. He was a journalist and knew how to cause trouble for the estate.
Clearances continued under new managers. In 1816 and 1817, famine hit the inland areas. The estate had to provide food for those who had nothing. This changed their policy on people moving away. If tenants wanted to emigrate, the estate would not stop them.
In 1818, the biggest part of the clearance program began, lasting until 1820. The estate managers tried to avoid more public problems. They offered to forgive rent debts for those who cooperated. They also tried to set low rents for the new coastal farms.
However, a local minister wrote to the estate, saying that people from inland could not make a living on the coast. The estate insisted the removals would go ahead. Some of the new farms were not very good. Many tenants considered moving off the estate entirely, even emigrating to America or South Africa.
Over the next two years, the number of families moved increased greatly. In 1819, 425 families (about 2,000 people) were moved. In 1820, 522 families were moved. There was no violent resistance in 1819. But houses were destroyed by fire, sometimes burning the turf walls as well. This created a terrible scene.
Newspapers like The Observer ran headlines like "the Devastation of Sutherland." The year 1819 became known as "the year of the burnings." The estate manager was strongly scolded for using fire.
In late 1819, the Sutherland family received threatening letters. A group called the Transatlantic Emigration Society held large meetings. They wrote to newspapers about the situation of the Sutherland tenants. This caused great worry for the estate managers.
Lady Sutherland felt her family was being unfairly targeted. She asked what other estates were doing. She found that other landlords often just evicted tenants with no help or new homes. In contrast, the Sutherland estate did try to resettle people. This is why there was less violence on their land.
The main clearance activity on the Sutherland Estate ended in 1821. Some smaller clearances continued for about 20 more years. But these were not part of the big plan to move everyone to the coast.
Where People Went
After the evictions in 1819, the estate collected some information on where people went.
- For tenants, 68% moved to other parts of the Sutherland estate.
- 7% went to neighboring estates.
- 21% moved to nearby counties.
- 2% emigrated to other countries.
- The remaining 2% were not accounted for.
For sub-tenants and squatters:
- 73% were resettled on the coast.
- 7% went to neighboring estates.
- 13% moved to nearby counties.
- 5% emigrated.
- 2% were not accounted for.
This survey does not show where people went after these initial moves.
Other Interests
Lady Sutherland was involved in other things too. She twice helped create a volunteer army regiment called the "Sutherlandshire Fencibles." These soldiers later helped put down a rebellion in Ireland in 1798.
In 1790, her husband became the Ambassador to France. She went with him to Paris. She saw the French Revolution happening firsthand and wrote about the political chaos. They had trouble getting permission to leave Paris and finally returned to London in 1792.
In the 1790s, Lady Sutherland became a very important person in London society. Her dinner parties and balls were attended by royalty, nobles, and leading politicians. She and her husband became close friends with George Canning, a famous politician. He thought she was beautiful, smart, and charming.
When she wasn't at public events, Lady Sutherland enjoyed writing letters to famous author Sir Walter Scott. She was also a talented artist. She painted beautiful watercolor landscapes of the Sutherland coast and Dunrobin Castle. She also made drawings and etchings of places in Orkney and northeast Scotland, which were published between 1805 and 1807.
Lady Sutherland spent a lot of time raising her four children. She focused on making sure her sons would be wealthy. She also worked to arrange the best possible marriages for her daughters, which was common at the time.
Just before her husband died in July 1833, he was made the Duke of Sutherland. This made Lady Sutherland the Duchess of Sutherland. After his death, her Scottish lands were managed for her. She died on January 29, 1839, at the age of 73, in London. She was buried with a grand ceremony at Dornoch Cathedral in Sutherland on February 20, 1839. Her title, Countess of Sutherland, went to her oldest son, George.
Family
On September 4, 1785, Lady Sutherland married Lord George Leveson-Gower. They had four children who lived to be adults:
- George Granville Leveson-Gower, who became the 2nd Duke of Sutherland (1786–1861).
- Lady Charlotte Sophia Leveson-Gower (around 1788–1870). She married the 13th Duke of Norfolk.
- Lady Elizabeth Mary Leveson-Gower (1797–1891). She married the 2nd Marquess of Westminster.
- Lord Francis Leveson-Gower, who became the 1st Earl of Ellesmere (1800–1857).
They also had three other children who died very young:
- Amy Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1805-1810)
- Georgiana Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1808-1808)
- A stillborn son (1810-1810)
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