Augusta Legge, Countess of Dartmouth (''née'' Lady Augusta Finch; 18 February 1822 – 1 December 1900 was an English noblewoman and philanthropist. She was born at

Packington Hall Packington Hall is a 17th-century mansion situated at Great Packington, near Meriden in Warwickshire, England and is the seat of the Earl of Aylesford. It is a Grade II listed building. History Packington Hall was built in 1693 for Sir Cl ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, the daughter of

Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford (24 April 1786 – 3 January 1859) was a British peer, the eldest son of Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford. He was styled Lord Guernsey until he succeeded his father in 1812. He attended the University o ...

, and his wife, the former Lady Augusta Sophia Greville, daughter of

George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, FRS, FSA (16 September 1746 – 1816), styled Lord Greville until 1773, was a British peer and politician. The eldest son of Francis Greville, 1st Earl Brooke (created Earl of Warwick in 1759), he was bor ...

. She married

William Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth William Walter Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth (12 August 1823 – 4 August 1891), styled Viscount Lewisham until 1853, was a British peer and Conservative politician. Political career Legge was elected in 1849 as Member of Parliament (MP) for ...

, on 9 June 1846. They had two sons,

William Legge, 6th Earl of Dartmouth William Heneage Legge, 6th Earl of Dartmouth, (6 May 1851 – 11 March 1936), styled Viscount Lewisham between 1853 and 1891, was a British Peerage, British peer and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. He served as Vice-Chamberla ...

(1851–1936), and the Honourable Sir Henry Legge (1852–1924), and four daughters, who died unmarried. In 1853, she founded a Birmingham school in her former residence,

Sandwell Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of the West Midlands conurbation. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough ...

, when she and her husband moved to

Patshull Hall Patshull Hall is a substantial Georgian mansion house situated near Pattingham in Staffordshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building and by repute is one of the largest listed buildings in the county. History The Hall was built to designs ...

, near Wolverhampton. Laetitia Frances Selwyn ran Sandwell School which was open to girls to train as domestic servants. By the time it closed in 1891 it had extended its range to governesses and even industrial jobs irrespective of gender.A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 17, Offlow Hundred (Part)
british-history.ac.uk, Retrieved 13 March 2017. She became a widow and she dedicated herself to good works including founding a local

Mother's Union The Mothers' Union is an international Christian charity that seeks to support families worldwide. In addition to mothers, its membership includes parents, men, widows, singles and grandparents. Its main aim is to support monogamous marriage and f ...

and a home for orphan boys. She crossbred chickens to create the Andalusian Bantam. She died at

Woodsome Hall Woodsome Hall is a 16th-century country house in the parish of Almondbury, near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is now the clubhouse of Woodsome Hall Golf Club and a Grade I listed building. Built in the Elizabethan era as a hall hous ...

near Huddersfield in 1900.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dartmouth, Augusta Legge, Countess of 1822 births 1900 deaths English women philanthropists People from Warwickshire British countesses by marriage Daughters of British earls Augusta 19th-century English philanthropists 19th-century British women philanthropists