Lady Sarah Lennox

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Lady Sarah Napier (née Lennox, later Bunbury; 14 February 1745 – August 1826) was a British society hostess. Born into great wealth and connections, she was the most notorious of the famous Lennox sisters.

Early life

Lady Sarah was the sixth surviving child of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond and his wife Sarah Cadogan, daughter of the 1st Earl Cadogan.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn She was born into great wealth and connections. Her paternal grandfather, Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, was an illegitimate son of King Charles II. Through this connection, the 1st Duke had been granted many titles in England and France, and perhaps more importantly, wealth through an annuity and a share of certain coal taxes in Newcastle. This coal allocation would become a significant source of the family's wealth, as mining and manufacturing grew during the Industrial Revolution.Template:Sfn The Lennox family's royal connections increased in 1727 when the 2nd Duke and Duchess obtained court appointments under King George II and Queen Caroline.Template:Sfn

Though arranged, her parents had a loving marriage and the family was large; Sarah was one of twelve children, seven of whom survived to adulthood.Template:Sfn Compared to the rigid formality typical of the era, the Lennox family was inseparable and unconstrained.Template:Sfn Young Sarah was considered lively in an already energetic family.Template:Sfn By the time she was six years old, however, both of her parents were dead. Consequently, she and her nearest siblings, Louisa and Cecilia, were brought up by their elder sister Emily FitzGerald, Countess of Kildare at Carton House in County Kildare, Ireland. At age fourteen Sarah returned to London with a dowry of £10,000 to find a worthy husband, staying at Holland House, the home of another sister, Lady Caroline Fox.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Described by Caroline as "immensely pretty" and in possession of a "vastly engaging" manner, Sarah was also at first awkward and unsure of her attractions.Template:Sfn She soon gained a reputation for beauty;Template:Sfn her brother-in-law, the politician Henry Fox characterised her as "different from & prettyer than any other girl [he] ever saw... her beauty is not easily described, otherwise by saying she had the finest complexion, most beautiful hair, with a sprightly and fine air, a pretty mouth, remarkably fine teeth & excess of bloom in her cheeks".Template:Sfn

Royal favourite

Sarah had been a favourite of King George II since childhood.Template:Sfn At the age of fourteen,Template:Sfn she was again invited to appear at court and caught the eye of his grandson George, Prince of Wales (soon to be King George III), who was six years older.Template:Sfn Over a two-year period, he fell in love with her and eventually confided his feelings to his advisor Lord Bute, who replied that marriage with a non-royal spouse was not possible; he soon began looking for a suitable match.Template:Sfn Meanwhile, Henry Fox encouraged her appearances at court, even if it did not end in marriage, hoping he could use the relationship to supplant Bute's influence with the king.Template:Sfn The seventeen-year-old Sarah, flattered by the attention and fond of the newly crowned king, was surprised to learn of his eventual betrothal to Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.Template:Sfn She was not apparently too struck by disappointment; Fox noted that she seemed sadder over the death of her pet squirrel,Template:Sfn and Sarah also wrote in a letter that she had only liked the king, not loved him.Template:Sfn She agreed to be a bridesmaid at their wedding and in later life expressed relief that she had not become queen.Template:Sfn

Marriages

At the age of seventeen, Lady Sarah began worrying about finding a good match.Template:Cn Her three elder sisters had done well in their marriages.Template:Sfn She was briefly engaged to Lord Newbattle and refused a proposal of marriage from the Earl of Erroll.

Charles Bunbury, the 22-year-old MP for Suffolk, often attended political discussions at Holland House and began courting Lady Sarah. Though the eldest son of Reverend Sir William Bunbury, 5th Baronet, he was not considered by her family to have a large enough fortune for them to live in fashionable society. Nonetheless, her sister Caroline was ready for her matchmaking duties to be over, and the match was approved. The couple were married on 2 June 1762 at Holland House Chapel. In 1764 he succeeded his father as sixth Baronet.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Upon their marriage, they went to live at Barton Hall, his country estate in Suffolk. Lady Sarah helped her husband's political career and was an effective campaigner. In 1767, she reportedly secured 94 out of 100 votes while campaigning in Morpeth.Template:Sfn However, their relationship soon became difficult; Bunbury was distant and she became anxious about his affection.Template:Sfn

Lady Sarah embarked on an affair with Lord William Gordon, the second son of the Duke of Gordon, and gave birth to his illegitimate daughter on 19 December 1768. The child was not immediately disclaimed by Sir Charles and was named Louisa Bunbury. However, Lady Sarah and Lord William eloped shortly afterwards, in February 1769, taking the infant with them. Lord William soon abandoned her. Sir Charles refused to take her back, and Lady Sarah returned to her brother's house with her child, while her husband introduced into Parliament a motion for a divorce on grounds of adultery, citing her elopement. It was not until 14 May 1776 that the decree of divorce was issued.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Lady Sarah married an army officer, Hon. George Napier, on 27 August 1781, with whom she had eight children:Template:Sfn

  • General Sir Charles James Napier (10 August 1782–29 August 1853); married Elizabeth Oakeley in April 1827. He married Frances Philipp in 1835.
  • Emily Louisa Augusta Napier (11 July 1783–18 March 1863); married Lt.-Gen. Sir Henry Bunbury, 7th Baronet (nephew of her mother's first husband), on 22 September 1830.
  • Lieutenant-General Sir George Thomas Napier (30 June 1784–8 September 1855); married Margaret Craig on 22 October 1812. They had five children. He married Frances Blencowe in 1839.
  • Lieutenant-General Sir William Francis Patrick Napier KCB (17 December 1785–12 February 1860); married Caroline Fox (granddaughter of his aunt Lady Caroline Fox) on 14 March 1812. They had five children.
  • Richard Napier (1787–13 January 1868); married Anna Louisa Stewart, daughter of Sir J. Stewart, in 1817.
  • Captain Henry Edward Napier RN (5 March 1789–13 October 1853); married Caroline Bennett. They had three children.
  • Caroline Napier (1790–1810); died at the age of twenty.
  • Cecilia Napier (1791–1808); died at the age of seventeen.

In 1999, a six-part mini-series based on the lives of Sarah Lennox and her sisters aired in the UK. It was called Aristocrats, and Sarah was played by actress Jodhi May.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

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Works cited

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