Dorothy Boyle (née Savile) was the third surviving daughter of
William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifaxby his second wife Lady Mary Finch, whose father was
Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl Nottingham, 7th Earl of Winchilsea. Boyle was a co-heiress of her father's estate. Boyle's two brothers both died when they were young. She had a sister, Lady Mary, who wed
Sackville, 7th Earl of Thanet. Boyle also had a half-sister and 2nd cousin, Lady Anne (married to the
3rd Earl of Ailesbury), from her father's first marriage to Elizabeth Grimston, daughter of
Sir Samuel Grimston and Lady Elizabeth Finch, sister of 2nd Earl of Nottingham. Dorothy became an orphan when her mother died in 1718. Afterwards she went to live with her grandfather
Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham at his home
Burley on the hill with her many aunts and uncles. She had an inheritance of £30,000 and an annual income of £1,600. The
Duchess of Marlborough said that Boyle was “so desirable that everybody is fighting for the prize”. One of her suitors was the duchess's own widowed son in law, the wealthy
Scroop Egerton, 4th Earl of Bridgewater (later 1st Duke of Bridgewater). He pursued Dorothy for over a year. Bridgewater even went to her grandfather Lord Nottingham to persuade Dorothy. Bridgewater was upset when he found out that Boyle had apparently banned her grandfather from mentioning Bridgewater. Dorothy's first cousin, the
Duchess of Bolton, was puzzled by her refusals and attempted to persuade her, she said if Dorothy requires a higher title, Bridgewater would be made a Duke soon and he has £10,000 a year. But it is evident that riches and a dukedom were not enough to persuade Dorothy. Two years later, she married
Lord Burlington in 1721. He had relatively lesser fortune and title, but both shared the love of arts, he was called the "architect Earl". ==Artist==