Sarah Fane, Countess of Westmorland
Sarah Anne Fane, Countess of Westmorland | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age |
| Died | November 9, 1793 (aged 29) |
| Occupation(s) | Aristocrat, heiress |
| Known for | Heiress of Robert Child, proprietor of Osterley Park and leading shareholder of Child & Co; Countess of Westmorland |
Sarah Anne Fane, Countess of Westmorland (née Child; 28 August 1764 – 9 November 1793) was an English aristocrat and the exclusive heiress of Robert Child, proprietor of Osterley Park and the leading shareholder of the banking institution Child & Co. On 20 May 1782, she wed John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland at Gretna Green following an elopement. Her parents disapproved of this union, favoring a match with a commoner to maintain the Child family name. As a result, her father excluded her eldest child from inheritance in his will, bequeathing the estate and wealth to her second child rather than the heir apparent to the Westmorland title. A formal wedding ceremony took place subsequently on 7 June 1782 at Apethorpe, Northamptonshire. She succumbed to fever on 9 November 1793 at Phoenix Park, Dublin.
The children of Sarah Anne and the earl who survived were:
- John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland (1784–1859)
- Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785–1867), who married George Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey, in 1804
- Lady Augusta Fane (1786–1871), wed John Parker, later 1st Earl of Morley (divorced in 1809), and subsequently Sir Arthur Paget
- Lady Maria Fane (1787–1834), spouse of John Ponsonby, later 4th Earl of Bessborough
- Lady Charlotte Fane (1793–1822)
With only one son surviving, the majority of Child's wealth eventually transferred to his eldest granddaughter, Lady Sarah Sophia. Following Sarah Anne's passing, seven years later the Earl entered a second marriage with heiress Jane Saunders and fathered additional offspring.