Jane Elizabeth Scott
Encyclopedia
Jane Elizabeth Harley Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer (1774–1824) was a notable English noblewoman, known as a patron of the Reform movement and a lover of Lord Byron.
in Hampshire
and was brought up in favour of French Revolution
ary thought and Reform. In 1794 she married Edward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
(with her father taking the service), being styled Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer. She was a friend of the Princess of Wales
. She frequently took lovers from among the pro-Reform party during her marriage, firstly Francis Burdett and most notably Lord Byron (the affair lasting from 1812, in the aftermath of Byron's affair with Caroline Lamb, when he was fourteen years her junior, until 1813, when she and her husband went abroad but Byron did not follow as she had hoped). Her marriage was not a love match and her large number of children were known as the "Harleian Miscellany" due to uncertainties over whether her husband was their father, but the marriage did not break up.
Life
She was a daughter of the Reverend James Scott, M.A., Vicar of Itchen StokeItchen Stoke
Itchen Stoke is a village in Hampshire, England. The village lies in the valley of the River Itchen, north east of Winchester, and south east of Itchen Abbas....
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and was brought up in favour of French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
ary thought and Reform. In 1794 she married Edward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Edward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Edward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer was an English nobleman.Harley was the son of John Harley...
(with her father taking the service), being styled Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer. She was a friend of the Princess of Wales
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the Queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 until her death...
. She frequently took lovers from among the pro-Reform party during her marriage, firstly Francis Burdett and most notably Lord Byron (the affair lasting from 1812, in the aftermath of Byron's affair with Caroline Lamb, when he was fourteen years her junior, until 1813, when she and her husband went abroad but Byron did not follow as she had hoped). Her marriage was not a love match and her large number of children were known as the "Harleian Miscellany" due to uncertainties over whether her husband was their father, but the marriage did not break up.
Sources
- Byron's letters and journals, page 286
- http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Biographies/Literary/Byron.htm