Elizabeth Elstob

Elizabeth Elstob, Anglo-Saxon scholar, was born on 29th September 1683 at Newcastle upon Tyne, a daughter of Ralph, a merchant, and his wife Jane (Hall). She moved to Canterbury to the household of an uncle and then lived in London with her brother William (1673-1715), a clergyman. He introduced her to George Hickes and others and she studied Old English texts and history. She published various works including The Rudiments of Grammar for the English-Saxon Tongue. After William's death she taught at a school and in 1739 became governess in the household of Margaret, Duchess of Portland. She died on 30th May 1756, presumably while staying at their London home, and was buried at St Margaret's Westminster on 3rd June. She has no memorial or marker there.

Further reading:

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Collections of her papers are in the British Library and Bodleian Library, Oxford