Letters from Lady Isabella Finch to Dorothy Boyle (née Savile) Countess of Burlington

This material is held atThe Devonshire Collection Archives, Chatsworth

  • Reference
    • GB 2495 CS1/219
  • Dates of Creation
    • 10 June 1734- 18 April 1751
  • Physical Description
    • 21 items

Scope and Content

Lady Isabella Finch writes to Lady Burlington, who was her her niece despite being the same age. Her half-sister, Mary, was Lady Burlington's mother.

She writes concerning: her court life; their mutual acquaitances; news she has heard; Lady Burlington's family; political affairs and her travel plans.

Administrative / Biographical History

Finch, Lady (Cecilia) Isabella [Bell] (1700–1771), courtier, was born in May 1700, the fourth daughter of Daniel Finch, second earl of Nottingham and, after 1729, seventh earl of Winchilsea (1647– 1730), and his second wife, Anne Hatton (1668–1743), daughter of Christopher Hatton, first Viscount Hatton, and his wife, Cecilie Tufton. Given that she was born into an eminent legal family noted for its integrity and moderation, with close connections to the court, it is tempting to say that she inherited the eye for detail and business, as well as the light touch, that she would use to good advantage with royals and politicians alike. The women in the Finch family tended to be strong-minded and highly educated. The writer Anne Conway (née Finch), Viscountess Conway and Kilultagh, was a great-aunt; the poet Anne Finch (née Kingsmill), countess of Winchilsea, the wife of a cousin.
To what extent Lady Bell Finch (as she was known) was specifically groomed for a position at court is difficult to determine, but her family background, connections, education, intelligence, and social skills certainly made her an excellent candidate. She was appointed lady of the bedchamber to Princess Amelia about 1738. Lady Bell's own wit and conversation, as well as her liking for cards, soon made her a member of the princess's inner circle. Moreover she took her duties seriously and was both old and assertive enough to be able to manage the sometimes haughty and frequently tactless princess. Where the princess ruffled feathers, she smoothed them. It is not surprising that she quickly earned the princess's trust, managing her business affairs and accounts, and serving skilfully as her personal and social secretary.
A pension of £400 p.a. on the Irish establishment in 1742 gave Lady Bell what many other unmarried Georgian women longed for—financial independence. She ensured that she maintained her independence by setting up her own household in London. Social by nature, she frequently entertained at her beautiful Georgian townhouse, 44 Berkeley Square (later Clermont House), built for her in 1742–4 by William Kent. Her guests tended to be intelligent, witty, and prominent men and women; Horace Walpole, the duke and duchess of Newcastle, and the princess herself numbered among them.
Lady Bell Finch's correspondence with Newcastle, who was a friend and contemporary, is illustrative of the kinds of social and political activities in which an élite woman could be involved. Her letters ranged from invitations to dinner (including asking him to send strawberries from Claremont House for dessert) to matters of patronage, parliamentary politics, and business, especially the princess's finances. When she agreed to take up a cause, she did her best to see it through. Between 1756 and 1760, for instance, she conducted an ultimately successful campaign to secure the living of Fobbings in Essex for a Mr John Ryley. Similarly, when Newcastle approached her in 1764 to ask her to use her personal influence to get Sir Brook Bridges to attend parliament for the debate on general warrants, she did. She was just as efficient when she was conducting the princess's business, be it negotiations over the rangership of New Park in Richmond or securing the arrears on the princess's pension. When she discovered in 1761 that the arrears of William, duke of Cumberland, had been paid, whereas Princess Amelia's had not, she brought the matter to Newcastle's attention promptly, reminding him that it was her job to do so—'[H]er RHss. places an intire confidence in me as to what relates to her Finances'. Nor was she above using his own words against him to get what she wanted: had he not professed after George II's death 'that you would put yr. Self upon shewing her more respect Now than ever were her Father alive?' (Lady Isabella Finch to Newcastle, 19 Feb 1761, BL, Add. MS 32919, fol. 122). Another letter in May yielded results and by the beginning of June the money had been paid.
Lady Bell never married, but she was anything but a timid, dependent spinster. Her court appointment provided her with the equivalent of a career. As one of 'ye Court Ladies en haut' (Lady Isabella Finch to Newcastle, 14 February 1756, BL, Add. MS 32862, fol. 494v), it also brought her status in her own right and, most importantly, an independent income which allowed her to have her own household and be in control of her own life. She died, probably at 44 Berkeley Square, on 1 March 1771.

[Source: E. H. Chalus, 'Finch, Lady (Cecilia) Isabella [Bell] (1700–1771)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008). By permission of Oxford University Press.]