Frances Lumley-Saunderson, Countess of Scarbrough

Frances Lumley-Saunderson, Countess of Scarbrough (born Lady Frances Hamilton; c. 1700 – 30 December 1772) was a British courtier.

She was a younger daughter of George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, and his wife, the former Elizabeth Villiers. Her eldest sister, Anne, succeeded their father in the earldom.[1]

On 27 June 1724, Frances married Thomas Lumley-Saunderson, 3rd Earl of Scarbrough, the third son of Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough and Frances Jones of Aston. They had five children:

Following her marriage, she was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Caroline of Ansbach, then-Princess of Wales (later Queen of Great Britain and Ireland) and to Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (from 1745; also Princess of Wales at the time).[2][3]

As a Lady of the Bedchamber, the countess received a salary and was in a position of some influence. She remained friendly with Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, at times when the latter was out of favour at court.[4]

  1. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. Volume 2, page 2096.
  2. ^ Lady Frances Hamilton, The Peerage of England. Containing a Genealogical and Historical Account of All the Peers of that Kingdom. Volume 4
  3. ^ "Household of Princess Augusta 1736-72". Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  4. ^ Ingrid H. Tague (2002). Women of Quality: Accepting and Contesting Ideals of Femininity in England, 1690-1760. Boydell Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-85115-907-2.