Background
Mrs Rayner was the daughter of Jonathan Collier of Dalston (1676-1751), mercer and a Director of the South Sea Company.
Mrs Rayner was the daughter of Jonathan Collier of Dalston (1676-1751), mercer and a Director of the South Sea Company.
She became acquainted with Joseph Priestley when he was preparing his removal to Birmingham in 1779. She contributed towards the cost of Priestley"s moving, and gave him annual gifts of £50, as well as bearing the full cost of publishing his History of Early Opinions Concerning Christ (1786), which is dedicated to her. When William Winterbotham was incarcerated for four years in Newgate prison for allegedly uttering the phrase "French Revolution" and criticising the slave trade, Rev Lindsey and Mrs Rayner were a constant support.
Winterbotham subsequently named his two eldest sons Rayner Winterbotham (1798-1879) and Lindsey Winterbotham (1799-1871), respectively.
Mrs Rayner died at her home in Titchfield Street on 11 July 1800, aged 84. In her will, she asked for a simple burial, in a lead-lined coffin in "Mr Lindsay"s vault", in Bunhill Fields.
She was a generous friend to, and a constant benefactress to Unitarian causes.