Mary Amelia Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury

Mary Amelia Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury (16 August 1750 – 22 November 1835), known as Emily Mary Cecil, was an English aristocrat, Tory political hostess and sportswoman. The marchioness's eccentricity was frequently remarked upon, in particular her style of dress; her clothes were often of her own design.

Early life

Emily Cecil was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

as Mary Amelia Hill, the daughter of

Wills Hill, 2nd Viscount Hillsborough Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire, (30 May 1718 – 7 October 1793), known as The 2nd Viscount Hillsborough from 1742 to 1751 and as The 1st Earl of Hillsborough from 1751 to 1789, was a British politician of the Georgian era. Best known ...

(later the first

Marquess of Downshire Marquess of Downshire is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1789 for Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough, a former Secretary of State. Hill had already been created Earl of Hillsborough and Viscount Kilwarlin of County Down ...

), and his first wife, Margaretta Fitzgerald (1729–1766), sister of

James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster Lieutenant-General James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, PC (Ire) (29 May 1722 – 19 November 1773), styled Lord Offaly until 1743 and known as The Earl of Kildare between 1743 and 1761 and as The Marquess of Kildare between 1761 and 176 ...

. Her father was the Secretary of State for the Colonies under

Lord North Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was 12th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most o ...

from 1768 to 1772, a critical period leading toward the American War of Independence.

Life

Emily married James Cecil, Viscount Cranborne, the heir of

James Cecil, 6th Earl of Salisbury James Cecil, 6th Earl of Salisbury (20 October 1713 – 19 September 1780) was a British nobleman, politician, and peer. He was the son of James Cecil, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and his wife, Anne Cecil, Countess of Salisbury. He was known for his i ...

, on 2 December 1773. After marriage, she became a prominent political hostess of the Tory party. Unusually for a woman at the time, she not only took part in the sport of fox hunting but also became the first Englishwoman to serve as a Master of Foxhounds, taking over the command of the Hatfield Hunt from her husband in 1775.Jackie C. Burke, ''Equal to the Challenge: Pioneering Women of Horse Sports'' (1997), p. 29

Children

The couple had four children: *Lady Georgiana Charlotte Augusta Cecil (d. 1860), married

Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley GCB (20 January 1773 – 27 April 1847) was an Anglo-Irish diplomat and politician. He was the younger brother of the soldier and politician the first Duke of Wellington. He is known particularly for his servic ...

Edmund Lodge Edmund Lodge, KH (1756–1839), herald, was a long-serving English officer of arms, a writer on heraldic subjects, and a compiler of short biographies. Life and career Lodge was born in Poland Street, London on 13 June 1756, the son of Edmund Lo ...

, ''The Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire as at Present Existing'' (1872)
p. 585
/ref> *Lady Emily Anne Bennet Elizabeth Cecil (d. 1858), married

George Nugent, 1st Marquess of Westmeath George Thomas John Nugent, 1st Marquess of Westmeath (17 July 1785 – 5 May 1871), styled Lord Delvin between 1792 and 1814 and known as The Earl of Westmeath between 1814 and 1821, was an Anglo-Irish peer. Background Nugent was born in Cl ...

and had issue *Caroline Cecil, died young *

James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury, (17 April 1791 – 12 April 1868), styled Viscount Cranborne until 1823, was a British Conservative politician. He held office under The Earl of Derby as Lord Privy Seal in 18 ...

(1791–1868)

Death

Following her husband's death, Lady Salisbury continued to live with her son and grandchildren at

Hatfield House Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house, a leading example of the prodigy house, was built in 1611 by Robert Cec ...

, Hertfordshire, where she died in a fire on 27 November 1835 at the age of eighty-five. It was thought that feathers in her hat caught alight when she was at her writing-desk and caused the conflagration. The fire destroyed the west wing of the house and only a few bones of hers were found.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salisbury, Emily Cecil, Marchioness of

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

English political hostesses 1750 births 1835 deaths Deaths from fire Emily Daughters of British marquesses Wives of knights Masters of foxhounds in England