Elizabeth Barbara Lytton
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Barbara Bulwer-Lytton (born Elizabeth Barbara Warburton-Lytton) (1773–1843)
was a member of the Lytton family of Knebworth House
in Hertfordshire
, England
. During her marriage to General William Earle Bulwer (1757-1807), the couple lived at Heydon Hall
in Norfolk
. In 1811, a few years after his death, she returned to Knebworth House, which by then had become dilapidated. She renovated it by demolishing three of its four sides and adding Gothic towers and battlements to the remaining building. She lived there with her son, the writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton, until her death. Because of a long-standing dispute she had with the local church, she is buried not with her ancestors in the churchyard but in her own mausoleum in the grounds of the house.
Elizabeth's death greatly affected her son, as described in a letter originally published in 1845, and again in a posthumous 1875 collection. As to his mother, in her room, Bulwer-Lytton "had inscribed above the mantlepiece a request that future generations preserve the room as his beloved mother had used it", and which remains essentially unchanged to this day.
Elizabeth Bulwer-Lytton's parents were Richard Warburton-Lytton (1745-1843) and Elizabeth Jodrell.
was a member of the Lytton family of Knebworth House
Knebworth House
Knebworth House is a country house in the civil parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England.-History and description:The home of the Lytton family since 1490, when Thomas Bourchier sold the reversion of the manor to Sir Robert Lytton, Knebworth House was originally a genuine red-brick Late Gothic...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. During her marriage to General William Earle Bulwer (1757-1807), the couple lived at Heydon Hall
Heydon Hall
Heydon Hall is an Elizabethan house in parkland near the village of Heydon, Norfolk, England. The Hall is Grade I listed by English Heritage.-Location:...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. In 1811, a few years after his death, she returned to Knebworth House, which by then had become dilapidated. She renovated it by demolishing three of its four sides and adding Gothic towers and battlements to the remaining building. She lived there with her son, the writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton, until her death. Because of a long-standing dispute she had with the local church, she is buried not with her ancestors in the churchyard but in her own mausoleum in the grounds of the house.
Elizabeth's death greatly affected her son, as described in a letter originally published in 1845, and again in a posthumous 1875 collection. As to his mother, in her room, Bulwer-Lytton "had inscribed above the mantlepiece a request that future generations preserve the room as his beloved mother had used it", and which remains essentially unchanged to this day.
Elizabeth Bulwer-Lytton's parents were Richard Warburton-Lytton (1745-1843) and Elizabeth Jodrell.