Lady Elizabeth Herbert of Lea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lady Elizabeth Herbert of Lea (nee Elizabeth A'Court) (b. in 1822; d. in London 30 October 1911) was an English writer and philanthropist.
Contents |
[edit] Life
At the age of 24 she married a promising young politician, Sidney Herbert, the second son of the Earl of Pembroke. She became a Peelite; and, when young Herbert was later made Secretary of War during the Crimean War, she became an ally of Florence Nightingale.
In 1861 Sidney Herbert, shortly after being created Baron Herbert of Lea, died, leaving her a widow with four sons and three daughters. She became a Catholic convert at Palermo in 1866, influenced by Cardinal Manning, a friend. She subsequently worked for Catholic charities and interests.
[edit] Works
These included:
- "Impressions of Spain" (1866);
- "Cradle Lands", i.e. Egypt and Palestine (1867);
- "Wives and Mothers of the Olden Time" (1871);
- "Wayside Tales" (1880).
Besides these were several stories, some of them autobiographical and a number of Lives, mostly translated or abbreviated from French originals, e.g. those of St. Monica, St. John Baptist de Rossi, Mgr. Dupanloup, Garcia Moreno, Mgr. de Merode, etc.
[edit] Family
Lady Herbert was the daughter of General Charles A'Court, who was a member of Parliament as well as a soldier, while her uncle, later William à Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury, was British Ambassador at St. Petersburg.
Here children included:
- George Robert Charles Herbert, 13th Earl of Pembroke
- Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke[1]
- Constance Gwladwys, married St. George Henry Lowther, 4th Earl of Lonsdale, then Sir Frederick Oliver Robinson, 2nd Marquess of Ripon[2]
- Mary, married Friedrich von Hügel.
- Elizabeth Maude, married Hubert Parry.
[edit] References
- Autobiographical details incidentally included in her writings
- The Tablet (4 and 11 November, 1911)
This article incorporates text from the entry Lady Elizabeth Herbert of Lea in the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
