Elizabeth Clinton, Countess of Lincoln explained

Elizabeth Clinton, Countess of Lincoln should not be confused with Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln.

Elizabeth Clinton, Countess of Lincoln (Knyvet;c. 1570 - 1638) was an English noblewoman and writer. She was Countess of Lincoln from 1616 until the death of her husband Thomas Clinton, 3rd Earl of Lincoln, in 1619, then Dowager Countess. Her pamphlet on child-raising, The Countess of Lincoln's Nursery, gained praise.

Family background

Elizabeth was the younger daughter and co-heiress of Sir Henry Knyvet MP of Charlton Park, Wiltshire, and his first wife, Elizabeth Stumpe. Her maternal grandfather was a merchant, Sir James Stumpe.^[1]

Children

Elizabeth married the future earl on 21 September 1584.^[2] They had 18 children,^[1] including:

• Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln, 12th Baron Clinton (1599–1667,^[3] married twice, but had children only by his first wife, the Hon. Bridget Fiennes.
• Henry Clinton (born 1595)
• Thomas Clinton (born 1596)
• Lady Arbella Clinton (1597–1630),^[4] who married Isaac Johnson
• Lady Susan Clinton, who married Sergeant-Major-General John Humphrey; they emigrated to America and returned to England in 1641.
• Edward Clinton (born 1600)^[5]
• Lady Frances Clinton, who married John Gorges, Lord Proprietor of the Province of Maine
• Ann Clinton – baptized 3 March 1602^[6]
• Charles Clinton (born 1604)^[7]
• Knyvett Clinton (born 1605)^[8]
• John Clinton^[2]
• Lady Dorcas Clinton (born 1614)^[9]
• Lady Sara Clinton (born 1615)^[10]

Book of advice

In 1622, Elizabeth Clinton wrote an advisory pamphlet dedicated to her daughter-in-law, Bridget, entitled The Countess of Lincoln's Nursery.^[11] It drew on earlier works on child-rearing by Elizabeth Jocelin and Dorothy Leigh,^[12] and the dowager's own experience as a mother. She praised the young countess for deciding to breast-feed her own children, something which Elizabeth regretted that she had not done.^{[13] [14]}

The physician and author Thomas Lodge wrote a preface to the countess's book. He praised it for its conciseness and for tackling an issue little addressed hitherto.^[13] Thomas Goad, who edited the 1632 printing, called Elizabeth Clinton "a deputed mother for instruction".^[12]

Notes and References

1. Book: Mary Abbott . Life Cycles in England, 1560-1720: Cradle to Grave . 1996 . Psychology Press . 978-0-415-10842-3 . 189.
2. Charles Mosley, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, US: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. Vol. 1, p. 824.
3. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JW4T-583 : 11 February 2018, Theophilus Clynton, 11 Nov 1599); citing index based on data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 421,894.
4. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J339-126 : 11 February 2018, Arbella Clinton, 3 Aug 1597); citing index based on data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 421,894.
5. "England Births and Christenings, 1538–1975", database FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NGZ5-7YV : 11 February 2018, Edward Clynton, 21 Dec 1600); citing index based on data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 421,894.
6. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JM8M-CQR : 11 February 2018, An Clynton, 3 Mar 1602); citing index based on data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 421,894.
7. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975" database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NG89-6HG : 11 February 2018, Charles Chlenton, 30 Aug 1604); citing index based on data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 421,913.
8. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J33S-B3P : 11 February 2018, Knephet Clynton, 30 Jan 1605); citing index based on data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 421,913.
9. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NG89-6YP : 11 February 2018, Dorcas Clinton, 16 Jun 1614); citing index based on data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 421,913.
10. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J33S-BNY : 11 February 2018, Sarah Fynes Clinton, 14 Sep 1615); citing index based on data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 421,913.
11. Book: Randall Martin . Women Writers in Renaissance England: An Annotated Anthology . 21 July 2014 . Routledge . 978-1-317-86290-1 . 145.
12. Ramona Wray, Women Writers of the Seventeenth Century, 2004, Tavistock, Devon: Northcote House Publishers, p. 38.
13. Book: Randall Martin . Women Writers in Renaissance England: An Annotated Anthology . 21 July 2014 . Routledge . 978-1-317-86291-8 . 148.
14. Book: Madeline Bassnett . Women, Food Exchange, and Governance in Early Modern England . 21 November 2016 . Springer . 978-3-319-40868-2 . 69–70.