Person record for Smith Stanley, Elizabeth (Countess of Derby, née Farren [Farran])

Smith Stanley, Elizabeth (Countess of Derby, née Farren [Farran])

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This person is mentioned in the diary a total of 1 time, and was a venue (V) 0 times.

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1829

Name: Smith Stanley, Elizabeth (Countess of Derby, née Farren [Farran])
Gender: Female
Death Date: 23 April 1829
Occupation: countess
Occupation: actress

Elizabeth Smith Stanley, née Farren, was a star of Drury Lane for over twenty years, fondly called 'the Queen of Comedy' by Horace Walpole. She was also the 2nd wife of Edward Smith Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby.

Godwin recorded her death (as Countess of Derby).

It is possible that Godwin may have met her twice at Charles Aldis's in 1819 and 1820. Farren retired from the stage in 1797 when the first countess of Derby died and she was able to marry the earl. It is possible that Godwin referred to her by her maiden name twenty years after her marriage because he would have been remembering her from her glory days on the London stage in the 1780s, when she was still Elizabeth Farren. However, she would have been known on stage as Miss Farren, rather than Mrs, which casts doubt on these two attributions. They have not been coded for Farren but may bear some relation to her.

See DNB
National Portrait Gallery online: http://www.npg.org.uk/

This table lists the people this person is most frequently noted with in the diary.

Name	Number of Meetings