Elizabeth Gordon, 19th Countess of Sutherland
| The Countess of Sutherland | |
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'Elizabeth, Duchess-Countess of Sutherland' by George Romney
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| Born | Elizabeth Gordon 24 May 1765 |
| Died | 29 January 1839 (aged 73) |
| Resting place | Dornoch Cathedral |
| Title | Duchess of Sutherland, Countess of Sutherland |
| Known for | Her part in the Highland Clearances |
| Predecessor | William Gordon, 18th Earl of Sutherland |
| Successor | George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower |
| Spouse(s) | George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland (1785–1833) |
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Elizabeth Sutherland Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland (née Gordon, 24 May 1765 – 29 January 1839), also suo jure 19th Countess of Sutherland, was a Scottish peer from the Leveson-Gower family, best remembered for her involvement in the Highland Clearances.
Elizabeth was born at Leven Lodge near Edinburgh, to William Gordon, 18th Earl of Sutherland and his wife Mary (c. 1740–1766), daughter and coheir of William Maxwell. Her parents died of "putrid fever" in Bath in 1766, a few weeks after her first birthday. As the younger and only surviving child, she succeeded to her father's estates and titles. Her title of Countess of Sutherland was contested by Sir Robert Gordon, Bart., a descendant of the 1st Earl of Sutherland, but was confirmed by the House of Lords in 1771.
Lady Elizabeth Sutherland spent most of her childhood living in Edinburgh and London, where she was educated between 1779 and 1782. On 4 September 1785, at the age 20, she married George Granville Leveson-Gower, Viscount Trentham, who was known as Earl Gower from 1786 until in 1803 he succeeded to his father's title of Marquess of Stafford. In 1832, just six months before he died, he was created Duke of Sutherland and she became known as Duchess-Countess of Sutherland.
Under the terms of the marriage contract, control, but not ownership, of the Sutherland estate passed from Elizabeth to her husband for life. The couple also purchased additional land in Sutherland between 1812 and 1816, so bringing the proportion of the County of Sutherland owned by them to around 63% (as measured by rental value). At the time of Lady Sutherland's inheritance of the estate, there were a large number of wadsets (a type of mortgage) on much of the land - and further wadsets were taken out to finance, among other things, the time that Lady Sutherland and her husband spent in France when he was ambassador there.
The Highland Clearances were part of the Scottish Agricultural Revolution. The old run-rig arable areas were replaced with more modern farming methods, new crops and land drainage systems were introduced and, controversially, the mixed farming tenants in the inland straths and glens were evicted and their former tenancies were used for, most commonly, extensive sheep farms. Evicted tenants were often resettled in newly created crofting communities which, in many cases, were in coastal regions. These changes occurred over virtually all the Highlands and Islands region, mostly over the period 1790 to 1855. This provided higher rental income and lower running costs for the individual estates concerned.
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