It is now commonplace to say, as I did in my recent essay about slavery in Mansfield Park, that the name “Mansfield” would have reminded Austen’s readers of Lord Mansfield, whose judgement in the Somerset case freed a slave in England. Lona Manning argues this is an unwarranted assumption. Her research suggests that Mansfield’s name was not associated with slavery until later.
Some novelists mentioned Lord Mansfield in passing as a distinguished jurist, such as in The History and Adventures of Godfrey Ranger (1813) and Simple Tales (1815), as well as in a few novels published in the 1830s. Modern Literature (1804), Self-deception (1816), and The History of George Godfrey (1828) reference his rulings on libel. Strategems Defeated (1811) mentions his preference for investing in mortgages rather than government funds. I found no mention of his ruling in the Somerset case.
As Junejo noted, Mansfield’s obituary did not mention Somerset. Nor, in fact, did the first full-length biography which came out five years after his death.The Life of William late Earl of Mansfield runs to more than 500 pages, and it does not mention “slave,” “slavery,” or “Somerset” in the text or the index, although many other rulings are discussed.
Lord Mansfield’s contribution to the emancipation of enslaved persons appears to have come to the forefront of the public mind—that is, outside of legal texts—no earlier than the mid-19th century after slavery was ended in the British Empire. An 1865 speech describes Somerset as “perhaps [Mansfield’s] most celebrated decision” (Goodeve, 11). According to the historical record, that simply wasn’t the case 50 years earlier.
Of course, this isn’t definitive either way, but it’s interesting context. My thanks to Lona for pointing this out to me.