A Portrait of Elizabeth Brownlow, Countess of Exeter (1681-1723), by Sir Godfrey Kneller Bt. (1646-1723).

Oil on canvas, 124.5cm by 99cm.

Elizabeth Brownlow was the daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Brownlow, Bt. of Belton House, Lincolnshire.

In 1699 she married John, Lord Burghley (1674-1721), as his second wife.

He became the 6th Earl of Exeter the following year, on the death of his father.

The 1763 Burghley Inventory records: ‘the brown dining room … Elizabeth daughter to Sir John Brownlow.’

The name Brownlow was afterwards adopted as a Christian name by future generations, most notably the 8th and 9th Earls and the 2nd Marquess.

REFERENCE: PIC079

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