Elizabeth Maitland, Duchess of Lauderdale, 2nd Countess of Dysart, was a Scottish noblewoman. She was the eldest daughter of William Murray and his wife Catherine, the Earl and Countess of Dysart. She was raised in English court circles during the years leading up to the English Civil War and received a well-rounded education from her parents. Her first husband was Lionel Tollemache, with whom she had eleven children. In 1672, three years after Lionel's death, she married John Maitland and gained a prominent position in the restored court.

William Murray, 1st Earl of Dysart was a Scottish peer and courtier. During his childhood, he served as the whipping boy of Charles I of England before subsequently serving as an advisor to the king.