This post is part of an ongoing series looking at novels and other books of the long eighteenth century which mention Lord Mansfield, or have characters named Mansfield. The title of Jane Austen's third novel Mansfield Park is thought by many to be an allusion to Lord Mansfield and the Somerset case. Click here for an explanation of how I'm exploring this question. If you want a backgrounder on Somerset v Stewart, Dr. Dominique Bouchard gives a fascinating lecture on the the case here. |

The European Magazine, London Review, the Scots Magazine, and Walker's Hibernian Magazine all printed a brief biography with a collection of anecdotes. It appears to be the same article. No mention of the Somerset case.
The Annual Register, Or a View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the Year 1793 also describes the contents of his will, which mentions the now-famous Dido, as does the Edinburgh Magazine and the Gentleman's Magazine. Dido was referred to as a "free black," not as a family member.
Other newspaper articles did not delve into Mansfield's legal accomplishments, but gave brief biographies, praised his public and private character, discussed his will and the size of his estate, and explained who would inherit his titles. Follow up articles gave details of his final illness and his funeral.