While several of Elizabeth Simcoe’s granddaughters attempted to maintain her values in a changing world, perhaps none managed to do so more closely than her namesake, Elizabeth Simcoe (1828-1907). Christened Elizabeth Lethbridge, she was the third of the Rev. Henry Addington Simcoe’s daughters. Curiously, Henry and his first wife Anne chose to name their eldest daughter Anne Eliza, to honour the sister who had done so much to support him emotionally and intellectually in c

The Reverend Henry Addington Simcoe may have been Elizabeth’s only surviving son, but he did his best to carry on the family name and values. He had nine children with his first wife, then two more with his second. And indeed, the stories of their lives appear to have fulfilled many of Elizabeth Simcoe’s aspirations. Closer scrutiny, however, reveals that all was not as it seemed. Personal tragedies, unconventional choices, and a changing world combined to produce a legac