stroke as well as bouts of scurvy and bladder stones. He resigned his government positions in September 1680, as which point Elizabeth nursed him at Ham House. After his death in April 1682 Elizabeth entered into a legal dispute with her brother-in-law Lord Tweedale over her late husband's debts and funeral expenses. Tweedale had insisted on an ostentatious burial for his brother and subsequently sent the bill to Elizabeth, which triggered a dispute that persisted into the following decade. The Duke had mortgaged Ham House to fund the renovation of his Scottish properties (especially his favoured residence Thirlestane Castle), which had now been settled upon Lord Tweedale in the late Duke's will, while Ham House had been returned to Elizabeth. The Duchess sold some of her jewels as well as part of the late Duke's book collection to cover the interest on the mortgages. Despite the efforts of Lord Tweedale's son and even James II, the dispute persisted until being settled in the Scottish courts in June 1688, who required Lord Tweedale to cover the debts, while assigning Elizabeth the responsibility for the funeral expenses. Death and burial Elizabeth had suffered from gout for many years, and her mobility became limited until she was largely confined to the ground floor at Ham House. Despite that she maintained a brisk correspondence with friends and family, keenly interested in the news from Court. In 1694 she suffered the loss of her sons Thomas and William. The Duchess of Lauderdale died at the age of 72 on 5 June 1698 at Ham House. She is buried, according to her wishes, with other members of the Dysart family in a vault under the chancel of Petersham Parish Church. In literature and art Elizabeth Murray was first described in popular literature in the 1975 book by Doreen Cripps, Elizabeth of the Sealed Knot. She is also the subject of the novel Royalist Rebel, by Anita Seymour published by Claymore Books in 2013. Notes References Sources 1626 births 1698 deaths Burials at St Peter's, Petersham People from Richmond, London Tollemache, Elizabeth 2nd Countess of Dysart Dysart, Elizabeth Tollemache 2nd Countess of Elizabeth Murray 17th-century Scottish women Dysart British duchesses by marriage Wives of knights 17th-century spies