The Surname of the Lord and Lady Holland was FOX.

This is the last will and testament of me ELIZABETH VASSALL Lady Holland. I desire that I may be buried at Milbrook where are deposited those I loved my dear Lord John Allen the inestimable friend to us both and my child Georgiana. I offer to Her Majesty the Queen if she will condescend to accept it the picture of the Duke of York surrounded by the British Residents and several English gentlemen when His Royal Highness was in Florence. I gave all my property real and personal in the Island of Jamaica to my son HENRY EDWARD LORD HOLLAND  his heirs executors etc... I give all my household furniture at Holland House and all pictures busts printed books engravings and portfolios containing maps and prints or drawings at Holland House aforesaid with the exception of such of them as shall be by this my will or any codicil thereto otherwise disposed to my son HENRY EDWARD LORD HOLLAND if he shall choose to take them at the sum of £2,000 to be paid by him to my executors within six months after my decease which sum I direct to be applied to my executors for the purposes of this my said will ... but if my son declines... the executors are to sell them....

I bequeath my house and premises in South Street Grosvenor Square unto BENJAMIN CURREY of Old Palace Yard Westminster Esq and WILLIAM ADAM LOCK junior of Lincoln's Inn Esq ..... to sell and convert the same to money... and paid to my executors and be applied to the payment of my debts and legacies by the will of my husband ..... I give the leasehold estate at Kennington and all other property at Kennington in the parish of Lambeth County Surrey to the said BENJAMIN CURREY and WILLIAM ADAM LOCK upon trust subject to the payments of the rents reserved by the leases under which the said estate is held and subject to the mortgage for £5,000 thereof to my son HENRY EDWARD LORD HOLLAND and to the mortgage for £3,000 to Captain TROLLOPE and Mr SWEETING by sale or mortgage to raise such sum or sums as with the money to arise in from the sale of the furniture and effects at Holland House ... and my house in South Street and other personal estate not specifically bequeathed shall be sufficient to pay my debts legacies and annuities ... and subject to pay unto my son HENRY EDWARD LORD HOLLAND ...  and annuity of £500 clear of all deductions excepting income or property tax for as many years .... as the said Henry Edward Lord Holland shall live with a proportionate part of the annuity up to the day of the death of the said Henry Edward Lord Holland .... if  the said HENRY EDWARD LORD HOLLAND shall die in the lifetime of the Right Honourable LORD JOHN RUSSELL to pay to my daughter MARY ELIZABETH LADY LILFORD  an annuity of £500  .... and after the decease of the said LORD JOHN RUSSELL  my said trustees shall stand possessed of my said estate subject to the said anuity of £500 and to the trust for raising the sum of £7,000 hereinafter contained in trust to permit my daughter MARY ELIZABETH LADY LILFORD  to receive the rents and profits of the said estate ..... and after the decease of the said Lady Lilford ..... to permit the Right Honourable THOMAS ATHERTON LORD LILFORD ... to receive the rents and profits of the said estates ... and after the decease of the said Lord Lilford ... my said trustees shall stand possessed of  my said leasehold estate in trust for my godson the Honourable THOMAS ATHERTON POWYS if he shall attain the age of 21 years but if he shall die... in trust for the Honourable LEOPOLD POWYS second son of the said Lady Lilford if he shall attain the age of 21 years but if he shall die under that age then in trust for  the Honourable GEORGIANA POWYS  and the Honourable  MARY POWYS daughters of the said Lady Lilford if they shall live to attain the age of 21 years or marry equally to be divided between them share and share alike as tenants in common and if only one of them .... attain the age of 21 years or marry the whole to be in trust for that one  ... and in case of the decease of the said THOMAS ATHERTON POWYS, LEOPOLD POWYS, GEORGIANA POWYS and MARY POWYS ... my said trustees shall stand possessed  of the same in trust for the Honourable FREDERICK LEVESON GOWER second son of EARL GRANVILLE ..... but if the Honourable Frederick Leveson Gower be then dead the said estates shall then form part of my residuary personal estate and be applied accordingly provided ... that it shall be lawful for the said Lord JOHN RUSSELL at any time after my decease    by his last will and testament .. to charge all or any part of the said estate with the payment of any sum or sums not exceeding £7,000 for the benefit of himself .....I direct that my said trustees shall after the decease od the said LORD JOHN RUSSELL ... raise the sum of £7,000 ... and pay the same equally amongst all and every the  child and children of the said Lord John Russell ....

I give to my dear friend the EARL OF ATHERTON the head of a saint by ?Dandyfre ? it was a legacy to me from the  Countesse de ?Bourke?  it was one of the many fine pictures collected in Spain by her husband Counte Bourke and destined for my dear Lord I also give to the EARL of ATHERTON  the picture by Leslie of Dominic Sampson from a scene in  Walter Scott's novel of Guy Mann ....... ?  These are a feeble token of gratitude to Lord Atherton for his kind feelings towards me and the memory of my dear Lord. I give to SARAH  ?A........? widow of my late coachman a legacy of £20 I give to LORD ATHERTON a mourning ring for the memory of my dear Lord and myself I give to my servant PETER BAATARD £100 and an annuity of £20 I give to CORNELIUS  BABINGTON Esq a legacy of £500 I give to LADY CAROLINE BARRINGTON the widow of my cousin Captain BARRINGTON £200 and in the event of her death in my lifetime I give the said sum of £200 to such of children as shall be living ..... I do give the Dowager DUCHESS OF BEDFORD  the silver gilt vase which was bequeathed to me and Lord Holland by my old friend the Honourable Mrs TREVOR  I give to SIR BENJAMIN BRODIE the sum of £50 for a mourning ring and I direct that my household bed linen may be given to  Sir Benajmin Brodie for the use of  SAINT GEORGE'S HOSPITAL  I give to LADY AGNES BYNG  the portrait of her father the MARQUIS OF ANGLESEY I give to the EARL OF CARLISLE  my Stephen The..... ? in the  ancient binding in one large volume said to have belonged to M.... ? with the appendix belonging to it and also Hackluyts Voyages I hope he will value these books and in case of the death of the said Earl in my lifetime I give the same to VISCOUNT MORPETH I also give to the EARL OF CARLISLE the portrait of the Duke of Devonshire and my cameo by ? Picker ? of Monclans?  and also the picture of the ?......? of Bologna by Annibal Caravi ? and my ?......? by Goya a Spanish artist I give to the EARL OF ?HARAWDON? the picture by Goya of Count Florida Blanca I give to JAMES COLVILLE Esq a legacy of £100 and also ?Frankins works a gift from the sister to my dear Lord I give to the Honourable WILLIAM COWPER  my set of H.B.'s caricatures I give  the portrait of Viscount Melbourne by  Pickersgill to the Honourable SPENCER COWPER I also give to the said WILLIAM COWPER a legacy of £50 I give to BENJAMIN CURREY Esq the gold and enamel snuff box which belonged to my dear friend Lord Lauderdale  and I also give to the said Benjamin Currey a legacy of £200 as a feeble mark of my esteem and gratitude I give to the DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE a beautiful drawing by Leslie of the portrait of the Duchess of Queensbury for the sake of the likeness .... I give to THOMAS ?DAGGETT commonly called Harold the edition of Shakespeare at my residence in South Street the Pictorial History of England and the Atlas of ?.....? and I  request the said Lord John Russell to procure a situation for the said THOMAS DOGGETT [Or Daggett?]  if it is in his power to do so as I am much attached to him and he is very meritorious I also give to the said THOMAS DAGGETT a legacy of £550 and an annuity of £150 I give to WILLIAM DAGGETT called Edgar a legacy of £200 and an annuity of £40 I also give him the maps of useful knowledge and the last edition of Walter Scott's novels Anderson's poets and the copper plate and all the  engravings of the snuff box  left to me by Napoleon unless my son HENRY EDWARD LORD HOLLAND shall express a wish to have the said copper plate and in that case I  give the same to him I give to DAVID DUNDAS Esq a small picture of three boys by Anniball Caravi and also a picture by ?Hackar...?  the Court painter at Naples  of an Italian ?otso? fully decorated according to the fashion of the country and also a bronze bust of the Emperor Napoleon when first ?.....?  and also some specimens of Iron ore from Elba which Napoleon sent to me during his ?exile? in that Island I also give to the said DAVID DUNDAS a very fine Imperial Eagle in bronze and I request him to keep all these relics for my sake and value them on that account I give to LORD DUNFERMILINE  a picture of Voltaire admiring the happiness Peasants on the reverse of  a history of the picture written by Horace Walpole and my dear Lord I leave £300 to my executors hereinafter appointed to see that a suitable monument in Milbrook Church is raised to my memory to be placed beside that now preparing by Sir RICHARD WESTMACOTT to the memory of my dear Lord I give the portrait of the Duchess  of Leinster to her Grandson WILLIAM FITZGERALD I give to my late Maid ANN FLACK the sum of £20 I give to ALBANY FONBLANQUE  Esq £100 I give to my son CHARLES RICHARD FOX a legacy of £1,000 I give to HENRY STEPHEN FOX Esq £200 I give to LADY ELIZABETH LEVESON GOWER now Marchioness of Horn the Spanish drawings in the  port folio I give  the Honourable FRANCIS LEVESON GOWER a legacy of £500 I beg of EARL GREY to accept a book which shall be selected for him at the discretion of my executors I give to LADY ELIZABETH GREY daughter of the said Earl whom I fondly loved from her childhood Wilkes picture of Blessing the Meal and also my pearl necklace diamond chain and cross and all my table plate I give to Sir STEPHEN HAMICK £200 and in the event of his death in my lifetime I give the same ... to his son and daughter .... I also give to Sir Stephen Hamick my travelling glass which stands by my bedside and which belonged to the Duke of Kent I give to my son HENRY EDWARD LORD HOLLAND the picture of the two princes in the Tower by Leslie and the portrait of his father by Leslie I also give to him the portrait of Baretti by Sir John Reynolds and all the medals in my medal box I give to the Honourable CHARLES HENRY HOWARD all  my Dictionaries except those  at Holland House Library and except the copy of Bayles Dictionary hereinafter mentioned and I also give to the said CHARLES HENRY HOWARD a legacy of £200 I give to LORD EDWARD HOWARD the portrait of his  grandfather the Duke of Norfolk by Pickersgill I give to LADY MARY HOWARD daughter of Lord Carlisle all the drawings in South Street that are framed and hanging up I give to LADY KEITH and ?.......? my emerald ring set in diamonds and my hoop diamond rings and my emerald ring I give to JOHN ?......mble Esq for his regard for the memory of my dear Lord any  ?..? or set of books my executors may select for him and I also give him a legacy of £50 I give to the MARQUIS OF LANDSDOWNE the picture of Murillow at Holland House the portrait of The Reverend George Crabbe the poet and the picture of the sick Lady with the Physician by a Dutch painter which belonged to General Fitzpatrick and was  given to me by Miss Fox I also give to the MARQUIS OF LANSDOWNE the picture of the watchman by Teniers which belonged to Miss Fox and in case of his death in my lifetime I give the last named picture to his son LORD SHELBURNE I give to the Honourable WILLIAM LASCELLES £100 for a ring I give to MARY ANN LEIGH the sum of £30 and an annuity of £30 to RICHARD LESLIE Esq (Royal Academy) the picture of the Bourgois ?Gentilhomme and the picture by Patrick ?...? representing his own portrait the Duke of Roxburgh and Miss Mendez a Jewess  painted at Florence I give to my daughter LADY LILFORD my onyx? necklace and bracelet it was my dear Lord Holland the gift to me in Italy and I give to her all my plate which is marked with my grandfather Vassalls crest and also all my trinkets except such as are herein otherwise disposed of I also  give to LADY LILFORD the portrait of Mr Allen as I know she will  carefully prize the likeness of one we love so well I give to ?JAMES LOCH? Esq one of my gold snuff boxes I give to WILLIAM ?....? ?LOCH? Esq Junior a legacy of £100 and also a mourning ring I give to HENRY LUTTRELL  Esq a legacy of £100 I give to the Right Honourable THOMAS BABINGTON ?maranlay ? the small portrait a drawing of Prince Tallyrand and the two small bronze statues of Voltaire and Rousseau and also the copy of ?crests ?.....? which contains Manuscript notes by my dear Lord and the copy of Puchas's Pilgrimages I give to the ROYAL ACADEMY  of HISTORY at  Madrid the Macolt? .... of Don Caspar Machior de Dovellano by Monasterio unless I shall give the same to them in my lifetime I give to Mrs MARY MARSTON  a legacy of £100 and also an annuity of £25 I do give to the Poor of Milbrook Parish in Bedfordshire £200 and mourning clothing to the ten girls whom I clothe annually I give to the EARL OF MINTO the portrait of Count Pozzo de Borgo I give to VISCOUNT MORPETH the edition of Pope by Wharton which is valuable from manuscript notes in the handwriting of  my dear Lord and the copy of Boyles Dictionary which my dear Lord read through and to which he added notes I give to WILLIAM ORD Esq the picture of the Land Bank by Teniers I give to VISCOUNT PALMERSTON the slight sketch by Landseer of ?her? brother Viscount Melbourne and also my collection of fans and also a legacy if £300 I give to my Chamber maid MARY PARKER a legacy of £20 and also an annuity of £5 I give to my groom JOHN PERCY an annuity of £20 I give to my godson THOMAS POWYS the eldest son of my daughter LADY LILFORD all the stuffed birds and insects both at ?Churchill which I  rescued at the sale and Holland House and the collection of minerals and the complete set of of Johnsons poets I give to my late servant ALFRED RAINES  a legacy of £20 and to my goddaughter ELIZABETH RAINES the daughter of the said Alfred Raines a legacy of £50 I give to Mr BARON ROLFE a legacy of £100 and also a mourning ring and the reports in the Admiralty Court which are valuable from their having been given to me by the late Lord Howard I also give him my French Clock in the  drawing room in south Street and a drawing of the interior of the Library at Holland House as he will value it for old recollections I give my Maid MARGARET ROWE a legacy of £50 and also an annuity of £30 and I give my wardrobe to the said MARGARET ROWE and MARY ANN LEIGH  hereinbefore mentioned... equally between them ... I give LORD JOHN RUSSELL the portrait of his grandfather John Duke of Bedford copied by Sir Joshua Reynolds from a picture by Gainsborough in the dining room at Ampthill I also give to the said LORD JOHN RUSSELL a legacy of £1,000  and also the vase of French china in my room at South Street which was made by my order at Paris with the portrait of Francis Duke of Bedford upon it I desire that the memoirs of Mr Fox put together by Mr Allen from passages written and other dom...... ? furnished by my dear Lord may be delivered to Lord John Russell with any documents among my papers which may be useful for the continuance of that unfinished work and I ?urgently request publication as soon as Lord John Russell may think it advisable I give to Lord John Russell all private and other papers letters journals manuscripts and other historical collections and I request him to select such of the papers as regard the Fox family and  their connections and any others he may think fit and give them to my  son HENRY EDWARD LORD HOLLAND I give to Mrs SHIPROACH? a legacy of £50 and also an annuity of £30 for her life I give to the SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS to complete the set of  portraits of the Speakers the portrait of the Honourable James Abercromby now Lord Dunfermline but not if there should be a portrait there already at the time of my decease I give to the  DUKE OF SUTHERLAND the picture by ?Stothart taken from a story in the Spectator or Paper and the frame containing four ivory figures given me by Lord ?Alpanley? and also the two portraits in Miniature of the Countess d Albany and Antonio Alfiori? those miniatures made at Florence from a large oil pinting by Fabre the celebrated French painter on the reverse of the portrait of Alfiori art two ?....? written by Alfiori himself for me in his own handwriting I give  the DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND my china clock and  dresden Candlestick all the filagree ornaments in South Street and which were in the sitting room at Holland House and also a beautiful carved ?...? set in precious stones of great workmanship also a large green Chelsea china vase on a bracket in my sitting room at Holland House and in the event of her dying in my lifetime I give  the cross and vase and also the said filagree ornaments to LADY ELIZABETH LEVESON GOWER now LADY HORN I give to Mrs KATHERINE TURNBULL a legacy of £50 I give to the REVEREND JOHN VANE of Dulwich College a French Clock ornamented with stories from La Fountaines Fables as a small token of my regard for him I give to SIR SPENCER VASSALL a legacy of £100 I give to my servant SAMUEL WALKER a legacy of £50 and also an annuity of £20 I give to my goddaughter and granddaughter DOROTHY WALPOLE a legacy of £200 I give to ARTHUR WEBSTER a legacy of £100 I give to Sir HENRY WEBSTER a legacy of £100 and also my silver ?Epergue? for the centre of the table and also the full length portrait of myself by Rumney I give to my goddaughter ELIZABETH WERY the daughter of LOUIS WERY a legacy of £50 I give to RICAHRD WESTMACOTT the sum of £50 for a mourning ring and also two figures in bronze executed at Rome of St  Bruno and St Susannah I give to STEPHEN WOOLRUCHE ?  Esq the sum of £50 for a mourning ring and I give devise and bequeath all  the rest residue and remainder of my property estate and effects whatsoever and wheresoever ...... unto LORD JOHN RUSSELL his heirs and executors etc etc.... and if the Lord John Russell should die in my lifetime ... to CHARLES HENRY HOWARD......

31st May 1845

Codicil ... I hereby revoke the trusts of my leashold estate ..... from and after the decease of THOMAS ATHERTON LORD LILFORD ... my trustees shall stand possessed ... for ... the Honourable LEOPOLD POWYS , secondly the Honourable GEORGIANA POWYS and thirdly the Honourable MARY POWYS ... three of the children of my daughter LADY LILFORD ....and the Honourable EDWARD POWYS another son of the said Lady Lilford and GEORGIANA ADELAIDE RUSSELL the eldest daughter of Lord John Russell .....and VICTORIA RUSSELL and JOHN RUSSELL children of Lord John Russell..... 25th June 1845

Another codicil ....... the box bequeathed to me by the Emperor Napoleon and the piece of card originally enclosed in one side of that piece of card is a memorandum from which it appears that the cameo which forms the lid of the box was presented to Napoleon by Pope Pius the Vth at ?Tolentine? in 1797 and on the other side are the following words in the Emperor's   own handwriting "I Emperor Napoleon a Lady Holland ?.....? de satisfaction et d'estine" These curios I bequeath to the British Museum and I desire that both the box and the piece of card be enclosed in a glass case and kept under lock and key so that they may be seen by the public without being exposed to injury from being handled and that this case with its contents be placed in that room of the Library in which the autographs of distinguished persons and curiosities of the like nature are kept ....

26th June 1845 .....

and yet another codicil ..... I give to CORNELIUS BABINGTON Esq the sum of £1,000 and an annuity of £50 in addition to what I have given him  .... I hereby declare that if THOMAS DAGGETT commonly called HAROLD to whom I have by my said will given an annuity of £150 shall marry during my life time without my previous consent in writing he shall not benefit to the said annuity which shall be considered as revoked .. nevertheless still be entitled to the legacies which I have bequeathed to him..... 15th August 1845.... I give to my daughter LADY LILFORD all my black and white and all my furs and pieces of nore silk or satin and all my curtains new gowns whether made up or not and any new articles of  gross such as shoes stockings and gloves and all my eider down quilts and all quilts coverlets and I declare this to be a codicil to my will....

Proved at London 16 March 1846.

PROB 11/2032 

Elizabeth Vassall was an amazing woman.

At the age of 15 she was the heiress to vast fortunes from several estates in Jamaica and she was married off to a 38 year old man called Sir Godfrey Webster also an MP, she hated him, and this must have been absolute hell for her, by the time she was 19 she had had 3 or 4 pregnancies and was almost suicidial. However, she then persuaded him to take her on a Grand Tour on the Continent, this was her salvation. Here she blossomed, and had a wonderful time, then Sir Godfrey was recalled home to vote in a crucial piece of legislation in the House of Commons, leaving Elizabeth alone on the Continent. She had a ball, met up with the Devonshire set, and had a "fling" with a dashing young Lord Holland. Now the first pregnancy just could have been Sir Godfrey's child, but not the second ! so a scandalous divorce ensued, but Elizabeth and Lord Holland were blissfully happy. However, on returning to live in England in Holland House in London, divorcees were barred from Court circles , so Elizabeth set up her own social circle and the political soirees at Holland House became legendary, the politician Charles Fox was part of the family, Elizabeth then became quite a Blue Stocking and entertained all the most eminent poets, dramatists, painters, writers etc  at Holland House.