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Lady Mansfield continued: He asked his uncle Lord Mansfield if he would take her into his household and bring her up. And she was brought up in Kenwood House in Hampstead by her great uncle and great aunt.
The 1st Earl of Mansfield, William Murray, was Lord Chief Justice and the most admired judge in 18th-century Britain. His name by this time was linked with the rights of slaves and he was a campaigner for greater racial equality.
Belle was raised by Lord Mansfield and his wife, Elizabeth Murray, alongside their great niece, Lady Elizabeth Murray, who is depicted alongside Belle in the portrait.