Elizabeth Hastings

Lady Elizabeth Hastings (19 April 1682 – 21 December 1739), also known as Lady Betty, was an English philanthropist, religious devotee and supporter of women's education. She was an intelligent and energetic woman, with a wide circle of connections, including artists, writers and designers, an astute business investor and proponent of innovative farming techniques. She refused several marriage offers and on her death in 1739, her nephew Francis inherited her estate at Ledston. The rest of her property was used to endow various educational trusts, which still provide funds for scholarships at The Queen's College, Oxford, and the 'Lady Elizabeth Hastings Charities'. In addition, a number of primary schools in West Yorkshire bear her name. Biography Elizabeth was born in April 1682, to Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon (1650–1701) and his first wife Elizabeth Lewis, co-heiress of Sir John Lewis, a wealthy merchant who owned Ledston Hall, in West Yorkshire. Of nine children from this marriage, only Elizabeth and her brother George, later 8th Earl of Huntingdon (1677–1705) survived into adulthood.