Sister of William Gaskell, husband of Elizabeth. In 1838 married Charles Holland, a Liverpool merchant. Described by Catherine Winkworth (Letters and Memorials, I, 146) as "a very striking-looking woman. In her manners she is something like Mrs. Gaskell, as well as in her appearance (she is not a bit like her brother), is very clever, energetic, and animated". Appears in Mrs. GaskelI's letters to the Gaskell daughters as "Aunt Lizzie" and "Aunt Lizzy".

To a letter written by Mrs. GaskeIl to her daughter Marianne (Letters, No. 134, dated [25 September 1852]), Mrs. Gaskell's daughter Margaret Emily added a note containing the comment: "I won't tell you any more amusing things but about the Growth of goodness (voilà the 'Magic of an Alliteration') w.^ch Aunt Lizzie has written in the HWords—“. In the word "goodness" (which might conceivably read "goodings''), the letter "d" is written over what may have been another letter in that position; the letters following the "d" are not marked out (MS Yale University Library. The note is not given in Letters).

The Office Book lists "The Growth of Good" without author's name, but with the notation "per Horne" and records payment as made to Horne. Horne was no longer a staff member at the time that the item appeared in H.W., but he was still a regular contributor. He must have numbered the Hollands among his numerous friends and acquaintances.

"On the Yorkshire Moors" is assigned in the Office Book to Mrs. Holland, with payment recorded as made by post-office order. The article recounts an excursion to the moors and records various little incidents that occurred. Since Elizabeth Holland had contributed one item to H.W., she is the likely Mrs. Holland to have contributed a second.

Author: Anne Lohrli; © University of Toronto Press, 1971.