Louisa Theodosia, Countess of Liverpool, a lifesize seated figure by Sir Francis Chantrey. 1825. Marble. All Saints, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. [Click on these images to enlarge them.]
To give her her full name, Lady Louisa Theodosia Hervey, Countess of Liverpool (1767-1821), was the daughter of 4th Earl of Bristol, and the first wife of the 2nd Earl of Liverpool, who served as Prime Minister from 1812-27. Their country retreat was Coombe House near Kingston, and she is credited with having been ideally loyal and supportive of her husband, who was grief-stricken at her death. His re-marriage to her close friend has been seen as proof of his need for a "peaceful domestic refuge" (Gash). Lady Louisa is depicted here in a graceful "attitude of meditation" (Biden 47). The inscription reads, "Louisa Theodosia, Countess of Liverpool, bom February, 1767, died June, 1821. She visited the fatherless and widows in their affliction and kept herself unspotted from the world."
Photographs and text by Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.
Bibliography
Biden, William Downing. The History and Antiquities of the Ancient and Royal Town of Kingston-upon-Thames. Kingston: William Lindsey, 1852. Internet Archive. Contributed” by Oxford University. Web. 9 May 2015.
Gash, Norman. "Jenkinson, Robert Banks, second earl of Liverpool (1770–1828), prime minister." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 9 May 2015.
Created 9 May 2015