She was born at Packington Hall, Warwickshire,[1] the daughter of Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford, and his wife, the former Lady Augusta Sophia Greville,[2] daughter of George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick.

[3] In 1853, she founded a Birmingham school in her former residence, Sandwell, when she and her husband moved to Patshull Hall, near Wolverhampton.

[2] Laetitia Frances Selwyn ran Sandwell School which was open to girls to train as domestic servants.

By the time it closed in 1891 it had extended its range to governesses and even industrial jobs irrespective of gender.

[4] She became a widow and she dedicated herself to good works including founding a local Mother's Union and a home for orphan boys.