Louisa Finch, Countess of Aylesford (née Thynne; 25 March 1760 – 28 December 1832) was an English naturalist and botanical illustrator who made studies and paintings of the plants, algae, and fungi from the Warwickshire area.
Louisa Finch | |
|---|---|
| Countess of Aylesford | |
 Louisa, Countess of Aylesford (1783) by Valentine Green after Sir Joshua Reynolds | |
| Born | Hon. Louisa Thynne 25 March 1760 |
| Died | 28 December 1832 (aged 72) Packington Hall, Great Packington, Warwickshire, England |
| Noble family | Thynne |
| Spouse(s) | Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford |
| Issue | 13, including Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford |
| Father | Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath |
| Mother | Lady Elizabeth Bentinck |
| Occupation | Naturalist, botanical illustrator |
Life
editShe was born the eldest daughter of the politician Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath, and his wife, the former Lady Elizabeth Bentinck.[1] In 1781 she married Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford. She had thirteen children, including Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford. She was widowed in 1812. In 1816, she leased Stanmore Park House, Stanmore, Middlesex: the site is now a housing estate, Lady Aylesford Avenue. She died at the age of 72 at the family home of Packington Hall.
Botany
editUpon settling in Warwickshire, the Countess of Aylesford took to studying the region's flora.[2] She produced over 2,800 botanical watercolour drawings and was a correspondent of botanists such as William Withering, William Thomas Bree, and George Don.[3][4] Additionally, she documented about 30 first records of plants from Warwickshire.[5]
She amassed an extensive collection of minerals, which was acquired by Henry Heuland after her death.[6] Her plants are collected in Oxford University, and her minerals and manuscripts in the Natural History Museum.[7]
Marriage and issue
editLady Louisa married Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford, on 18 November 1781.[1] They lived at Packington Hall near Meriden, Warwickshire and had thirteen children:
- Charles Finch, Lord Guernsey (b. 1784 - d. 18 July 1794)
- Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford (1786–1859)
- Hon. Daniel Finch (25 February 1789 – 17 January 1868), artist.
- Lady Frances Finch (c. 1791 – 12 July 1886), unmarried.
- Hon. Edward Finch (1792 – 9 April 1830)
- Lieutenant-General the Hon. John Finch (1793 – 25 November 1861), married in 1835 Katherine Ellice (d. 1872)
- Hon. Henry Finch (1795–1829)
- Lady Charlotte Finch (d. 17 January 1869), married Charles Palmer on 22 January 1823.
- Hon. Charles Finch (b. 1799)
- Lady Mary Finch (d. 24 July 1823)
- Lady Elizabeth Finch (d. 1 June 1879)
- Lady Henrietta Finch (d. 1828)
- Lady Caroline Finch (d. 1821)[citation needed]
Arms
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References
edit- ^ a b Cokayne George Edward. et al., eds. (2000) The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14. 1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes. Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing. Vol. I, p. 366.
- ^ Burek, C. V.; Higgs, B. M. (18 March 2021). Celebrating 100 Years of Female Fellowship of the Geological Society: Discovering Forgotten Histories. Geological Society of London. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-1-78620-496-7.
- ^ Ogilvie, Marilyn; Harvey, Joy, eds. (2000). The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: Pioneering Lives from Ancient Times to the Mid-20th Century. Vol. I. Routledge. p. 446. ISBN 0415920388.
- ^ Bagnall, James E. (1891). The Flora of Warwickshire. London: Gurney & Jackson. pp. 493-494.
- ^ Cadbury, D.A.; Hawkes, J. G.; Readett, R. C. (1971). A Computer-Mapped Flora: A Study of The County of Warwickshire. Academic Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-323-14258-8.
- ^ The History of the Collections Contained in the Natural History Departments of the British Museum. Vol. I. London: Trustees of the British Museum. 1904. p. 364.
- ^ Desmond, Ray (1994). Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturists. Taylor & Francis. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-85066-843-8.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 1809.