Mary Darcy, Countess of Holderness

Mary Darcy, Countess of Holderness (c.1721 – 13 October 1801), formerly Mary Doublet, was the wife of Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness.

Mary, Countess of Holderness by Jean-Étienne Liotard, 1745

Mary was the daughter of Francis Doublet and Constantia Van-der-Beck. She married the earl on 29 October 1743[1] (or in November 1742).[2]

The couple had three children, only one of whom reached adulthood. They were:

From 1770 until her death in 1801, the Countess of Holderness was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.[4]

In 1777, Horace Walpole referred in a letter to "a great breach in the house of Holderness", caused by Amelia and her husband having shielded a young couple who had eloped; her mother is said to have banished her from her presence for this.[5] Amelia died in 1784, and Augusta was largely brought up by her grandmother, the countess, until the latter died in 1801.[6]

The countess's portrait was painted in 1745 by Jean-Étienne Liotard. A sale of her goods, which included paintings, was held in London on 6 March 1802.[7] She was a patron of the poet William Mason, who died in 1797.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. Page 1028
  2. ^ "D'Arcy, Robert" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  3. ^ Wildeman, Marinus Godefridus, De grafboeken der Groote of St. Jacobskerk te's Gravenhage, (1620-1830)... Robijns Publishers, 1898
  4. ^ "Household of Queen Charlotte 1761-1818". Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  5. ^ Horace Walpole; William Mason (1851). The Correspondence of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford, and William Mason, Now First Published from the Original Mss. R. Bentley. pp. 270–.
  6. ^ George Gordon Byron Baron Byron (1898). Letters and Journals. J. Murray.
  7. ^ National Gallery (Great Britain) (1960). The Dutch School. Publ. Department The National Gallery.
  8. ^ The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. E. Cave. 1801. pp. 1049–.