Contents:

1. Personal and family information
   1. Personal information
   2. Family
2. Domicile region and Migration
   1. Place of Birth (Town)
   2. Domicile Region
   3. Migration
3. Social Information
   1. Social Class
   2. Social Mobility
   3. Occupation
4. Education
   1. Formal
   2. Private
   3. Languages known
5. Sources
6. Notes
7. Sent letters
8. Received letters

Personal and family information

Personal information

Family

Domicile region and Migration

Place of Birth (Town)

Domicile Region

¹ In her girlhood, Elizabeth spent a lot of time with her grandmother at Cambridge, but also in London and Bath. It was in Cambridge where Elizabeth met and befriended Margaret Cavendish Harley, later Duchess of Portland.

Migration

¹ Elizabeth hosted the Bluestocking gatherings at Hill Street.

² Elizabeth also spent long periods of time at Bulstrode with her childhood friend, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland.

³ The Montagu House at 22 Portman Square was built for Elizabeth Montagu. The construction began in 1777 but the house was not completed until 1782. This was Elizabeth's last residence. The house was destroyed by a bomb in the Blitz of London, in 1940-1941. After Elizabeth's death, both Montagu Place and Montagu Square were named after her in 1811.

Social Information

Social Class

Social Mobility

Elizabeth married Edward Montagu, who was a wealthy MP and owner of several estates and coal mines. Elizabeth's role as a Bluestocking hostess also affected her status in society and she was well respected at the time.

Occupation

Author and literary hostess

Education

Formal

Private

Elizabeth was well educated to classical and English literature and history, she also had a governess and was taught by her step-grandfather, Dr Conyers Middleton, with whom she remained an intellectual relationship through her childhood.

Languages known

French, Italian, Latin

Sources

Bibliography IDs

Sairio, 2009; Eger [2015]; Brandon Schorrenberg, 2004a; Climenson, 1906a; Hibbert et al., 2008; Pohl and Schellenberg, 2003; Child, 2003; History of Parliament Online

Notes

Elizabeth Montagu was not only a hostess, but also a businesswoman and an author. Perhaps her most known work was "An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear", which was published in 1769. Benjamin Stillingfleet assisted Elizabeth with this work. She also contributed to George Lyttelton's Dialogues of the Dead, with three anonymous dialogues. After her marriage in 1742, she was in charge of two large properties, namely their house in London and the Sandleford estate. Moreover, after Edward Montagu's death in 1775, Elizabeth inherited all the estates and was solely in control for the vast estates, including the coal mines. She was also left with a £7000 per annum, which allowed her to grant annuities to Elizabeth Carter and Sarah Scott.

Sent letters

Received letters

No letters