page_title: Elizabeth Rayner
hierarchical_section_title: Elizabeth Rayner
caption_attribution_description: English: Tomb of Theophilus Lindsey (1723-1808), Elizabeth Rayner (1714-1800) and Thomas Belsham (1750-1829) in Bunhill Fields burial ground.
context_page_description: Elizabeth Rayner or Raynor, née Collier was a British Unitarian benefactress.
  She was born Elizabeth Collier, the daughter of Jonathan Collier of Dalston, mercer and a Director of the South Sea Company. Through her sister Susanna Collier, Mrs John Lewis, Mrs Rayner was the great-aunt of Peter Burrell Jr.; his second daughter, Isabella, married Lord Algernon Percy, and his third daughter, Frances, married Hugh Percy, later 2nd Duke of Northumberland.
  Elizabeth married widower John Rayner [d. 1777] in 1754.
  Elizabeth Rayner converted to Unitarianism on hearing Theophilus Lindsey preach, following which, she became a regular attendant at Essex Street Chapel. She was a generous friend to, and a constant benefactress to Unitarian causes.
  She became acquainted with Joseph Priestley when he was preparing his removal to Birmingham in 1779. She contributed towards the cost of Priestley's moving, and gave him annual gifts of £50, as well as bearing the full cost of publishing his History of Early Opinions Concerning Christ, which is dedicated to her. In addition, at his request, she set aside some stocks for Joseph Priestley Jr. to purchase a partnership.
context_section_description: Elizabeth Rayner or Raynor, née Collier (1714–1800) was a British Unitarian benefactress.
  She was born Elizabeth Collier, the daughter of Jonathan Collier of Dalston (1676-1751), mercer and a Director of the South Sea Company. Through her sister Susanna Collier, Mrs John Lewis, Mrs Rayner was the great-aunt of Peter Burrell Jr.; his second daughter, Isabella, married Lord Algernon Percy, and his third daughter, Frances, married Hugh Percy, later 2nd  Duke of Northumberland.  
  Elizabeth married widower John Rayner [d. 1777] in 1754. 
  Elizabeth Rayner converted to Unitarianism on hearing Theophilus Lindsey preach, following which, she became a regular attendant at Essex Street Chapel.  She was a generous friend to, and a constant benefactress to Unitarian causes.
  She became acquainted with Joseph Priestley when he was preparing his removal to Birmingham in 1779.  She contributed towards the cost of Priestley's moving, and gave him annual gifts of £50, as well as bearing the full cost of publishing his History of Early Opinions Concerning Christ (1786), which is dedicated to her.  In addition, at his request, she set aside some stocks for Joseph Priestley Jr. to purchase a partnership.
  When William Winterbotham was incarcerated for four years in Newgate prison for allegedly uttering the phrase "French Revolution" and criticising the slave trade, Rev Lindsey and Mrs Rayner were a constant support.  Winterbotham subsequently named his two eldest sons Rayner Winterbotham (1798-1879) and Lindsey Winterbotham (1799-1871), respectively.
  Mrs Rayner died at her home in Titchfield Street on 11 July 1800, aged 84.  In her will, she asked for a simple burial, in a lead-lined coffin in "Mr Lindsay's vault", in Bunhill Fields.  She made numerous bequests, including £2,000 in public stock to Dr Priestley, and a separate bequest for his son William.
caption: Tomb of Theophilus Lindsey (d. 1808), Elizabeth Rayner (d. 1800) and Thomas Belsham (d. 1829) in Bunhill Fields burial ground
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "NIKON", "Image Model": "COOLPIX P5000", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "COOLPIX P5000V1.0", "Image DateTime": "2014:06:28 10:28:20", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "2356", "Image Padding": "[]", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "300", "Thumbnail YResolution": "300", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "8642", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6837", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/99", "EXIF FNumber": "19/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "64", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "0000:00:00 00:00:00", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "0000:00:00 00:00:00", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "2", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "29/10", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, auto mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "15/2", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2578", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1818", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "8506", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "36", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0", "EXIF Padding": "[]", "EXIF OffsetSchema": "3898"}