Lady Mary Wortley Montague, Her Life and Letters (1689-1762)Melville, Lewis
History
Lady Mary Wortley Montague, Her Life and Letters (1689-1762)
Melville, Lewis
Montagu, Mary Wortley, Lady 1689-1762; Montagu, Mary Wortley, Lady 1689-1762 -- Correspondence
The bad terms on which Lady Mary and Lady Hervey were is most clearly
defined by Lady Louisa Stuart: "At the time of Lady Mary Wortley's return
home [in 1762, after an absence abroad of more than twenty years], Lady
Hervey was living in great intimacy with Lady Bute, for whom she
professed, and it is believed really felt, the highest esteem and
admiration. On hearing of her mother's arrival, she came to her, owning
herself embarrassed by the fear of giving her pain or offence, but yet
compelled to declare that formerly something had passed between her and
Lady Mary which made any renewal of their acquaintance impossible;
therefore, if she forbore visiting her, she threw herself upon Lady
Bute's friendship and candour for pardon. No explanation followed. Lady
Bute, who must have early seen the necessity of taking care not to be
entangled in her mother's quarrels, which, to speak truth, were seldom
few in number, only knew that there had been an old feud between her,
Lady Hervey, and Lady Hervey's friend, Mrs. (or Lady) Murray; the
particulars of which, forgotten even then by everybody but themselves,
may well be now beyond recall."
During this period there were several domestic happenings in Lady Mary's
family.
On March 5, 1726, died her father, the Duke of Kingston. After the
accession of George I, the Marquess of Dorchester (as he then was) was
high in favour at Court, and honours were showered upon him with a
lavish hand. He was in 1714 appointed Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, and
in the same year Chief Justice in Eyre, north of Trent, which latter
dignity he held for two years. In August, 1715, he was created Duke of
Kingston upon Hull, in the county of Yorkshire. He held the high office
of Lord Privy Seal from 1716 to 1719 in the Administrations of Townshend
and Stanhope, in the latter year becoming Lord President of the Council.
When Walpole became First Lord of the Treasury, the Duke again became
Lord Privy Seal, and held the post until his death. He was given the
Garter in 1719, and was four times named as one of the Lord Justices of
the Realm during the King's absences from England on visits to Hanover.
He had married, secondly, Isabella, fifth daughter of William Bentinck,
first Earl of Portland, by his first wife, Anne, daughter of Sir Edward
Villiers, who survived him two years.
The Duke had never really forgiven Lady Mary for eloping. Her defiance
of him hurt his pride inordinately. Everyone else to some degree at
least he could control; his young daughter not at all. Only so far were
they ever reconciled that he would occasionally visit the Montagus at
their London house and play with the children.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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