Harriet Holroyd, Countess Of Sheffield

Harriet Holroyd, Countess of Sheffield (née Lascelles), was born on 19 June 1802. She was the daughter of Hon. Henry Lascelles, who was the younger son of Edward Lascelles, 1st Earl of Harewood. Harriet was the sixth child and the eldest daughter in her family. In 1814, her paternal uncle, Viscount Lascelles, died unmarried, and in 1820 he succeeded to the earldom, making Harriet's family more prominent within the British aristocracy.

From 1820 to 1825, she was styled as Lady Harriet Lascelles. She served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Adelaide, the consort of King William IV of the United Kingdom. Her role at court positioned her within the social and ceremonial life of the monarchy.

On 6 June 1825, Harriet Lascelles married George Holroyd, who was the 2nd Earl of Sheffield. Following her marriage, she became known as the Countess of Sheffield. Her portrait was featured in La Belle Assemblée, a society magazine of the period that published images of the nobility and distinguished ladies. The illustration was based on a painting by John Jackson, which was displayed at the Royal Academy.

Harriet and George Holroyd had four children. Their first child, Frederick Henry Stuart, was born in 1827 but died in childhood in 1829. Their second child, Lady Susan Harriet Holroyd, was born in 1829 and later married Edward Vernon Harcourt, Member of Parliament, with whom she had children. Their third child, Henry Holroyd, was born in 1832 and became the 3rd Earl of Sheffield, living until 1909. Their fourth child, Douglas Edward Holroyd, was born in 1834; he was a barrister who died unmarried in 1882.

George Holroyd, the 2nd Earl of Sheffield, died in April 1876 at the age of 74. He was succeeded by his son, Henry, as the 3rd Earl. Harriet Holroyd, the Countess of Sheffield, died on 1 January 1889 at 10 Royal Crescent in Brighton, at the age of 86. She was interred in the Sheffield family mausoleum located at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Mary the Virgin in Fletching, East Sussex.