Lydia Rogers White

Lydia Rogers White (baptised 1760 – January 1827) was a literary hostess in London known for her independence, her wit, her travel, and her reading. Her obituary was first published in 1910. Although she was the youngest daughter, all three surviving children had both riches and connections. Her sister Ann married Francis Saunderson on 28 August 1778, who was a member of parliament and her other sister Mary married John Bennet Popkin. White was said to be pleasing rather than pretty, and she preferred reading and talking to writing. Six years later she was getting poor regard from Betsy Sheridan, who saw her as a rival for her father, Thomas Sheridan's. affections. Walter Scott said of White that she was "what Oxonians call a lioness of the first order, with stockings nineteen times nine dyed blue, very lively, very good-humoured, and extremely absurd".

White's plans were foreshortened when her legs became swollen. However, disabled by dropsy, she was propped up, and the parties continued at her house for some years. It was said that although she died in January 1827, her guests turned up as usual for the party at Saint George Hanover Square, later that week. Her will was dated 26 February 1827.

The facts of her life were gathered together by William Prideaux Courtney but he did not publish his book on "Friends of the Great" until 1910. https://archive.org/details/eightfriendsofgr00cour/page/148. There is also an article about her by W M Parker in the February 1955 Chambers Journal. The article is headed "A Mayfair bluestocking - Lydia White and her Salon. https://archive.org/details/sim_chambers-journal_1955-02_9_2/page/70/mode/2up?q=francis+saunderson