Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Countess of Loudoun Requested Separate Burial for Right Hand
When the Countess of Loudoun died in 1874, she left a very unusual instruction.
She wanted her right hand removed from her body.
She asked for it to be buried in a different place.
That place was Donington Park.
She also wanted her family motto written at the burial site.
The motto was “I byde my tyme.”
Nobody knows why she made this request.
Historians also disagree about whether her instructions were actually followed.
The Countess of Loudoun died in 1874.
She instructed that her right hand be cut off and buried separately.
The hand was reportedly to be buried in Donington Park.
The burial site was to bear the motto “I byde my tyme.”
The reason for the request is unknown, and historians disagree about whether it happened.
- Who
- The Countess of Loudoun.
- What
- She requested that her right hand be cut off and buried separately.
- When
- 1874, when she died.
- Where
- The hand was to be buried in Donington Park.
- Why
- The reason for the request is unknown.
Historians Who Believe It Happened
Historians Who Question It
Whether the instruction was fulfilled
Historians Who Believe It Happened
Some historians accept that the Countess’s unusual burial instruction may have been carried out.
Historians Who Question It
Other historians disagree and say it remains uncertain whether her right hand was actually buried separately.
- Person
- The Countess of Loudoun
- Year
- 1874
- Unusual instruction
- Her right hand was to be cut off and buried separately.
- Requested location
- Donington Park
- Inscription
- “I byde my tyme.”
- Reason
- Unknown
- Historical dispute
- Historians disagree over whether the burial was carried out.