Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Elizabeth Sutherland Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland (née Sutherland; 24 May 1765 – 29 January 1839), also suo jure 19th Countess of Sutherland, was a Scottish noblewoman who married into the Leveson-Gower family, best remembered for her involvement in the Highland Clearances.
The Countess of Sutherland | |
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| Duchess of Sutherland, Countess of Sutherland | |
'Elizabeth, Duchess-Countess of Sutherland' by George Romney | |
| Predecessor | William Sutherland, 18th Earl of Sutherland |
| Successor | George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower |
| Known for | Her part in the Highland Clearances |
| Born | Elizabeth Sutherland 24 May 1765 near Edinburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland |
| Died | 29 January 1839 (aged 73) Hamilton Place, Hyde Park, London, England |
| Buried | Dornoch Cathedral |
| Spouse(s) | George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland (1785–1833) |
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In 1803, her husband inherited the income from the highly profitable Bridgewater Canal. This greatly increased his wealth, being described by Charles Greville as "the leviathan of wealth", with the belief that he was "the richest man who ever died". (His exact wealth at the time of his death was unknown, though undeniably very large.) It is this wealth that allowed Lady Sutherland to embark on the substantial changes to the Sutherland Estate that were part of the Highland Clearances.