Frances Anne Crewe, Lady Crewe (''née'' Greville; November 1748 – 23 December 1818), was the daughter of

Fulke Greville Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke (; 3 October 1554 – 30 September 1628) was an Elizabethan poet, dramatist, and statesman who served in the House of Commons at various times between 1581 and 1621, when he was raised to the peerage. Greville ...

envoy extraordinary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to the

elector of Bavaria The following is a list of monarchs during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1918, Bavaria has been under a republican form of government, and from 19 ...

, and his Irish wife, Frances Macartney, who was a poet, best known for "A Prayer for Indifference". She was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time, and was a political hostess with a sharp wit. In late 1783, when

William Pitt the younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...

took office, she famously remarked that he "could do what he pleased during the holidays, but it would only be a mince-pie administration" (in other words it would barely last past Christmas; as it turned out she was wrong in her prediction, but virtually everyone in the political world agreed with her). In 1766, Frances married John Crewe, who became

Baron Crewe Baron Crewe, of Crewe in the County of Chester, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 25 February 1806 for the politician and landowner John Crewe, 1st Baron Crewe, John Crewe, of Crewe Hall, Cheshire. This branch of ...

. They had four children, of whom two reached adulthood,

John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe (bap. 1772 – 4 December 1835) was an English soldier and a peer. He formed part of the first British embassy to China, and rose to the rank of General. Becoming estranged from the majority of his family, he spe ...

, and

Emma Crewe Emma Crewe (born 1741, d. in or after 1795) was a British artist known for her designs for Josiah Wedgwood, and for her botanical art. Life Crewe was the daughter of Elizabeth Shuttleworth, herself daughter of Richard Shuttleworth (1683–1749 ...

, who married Foster Cunliffe-Offley. The younger John as an adult became completely estranged from his family. She was accustomed to entertain, at

Crewe Hall Crewe Hall is a Jacobean mansion located near Crewe Green, east of Crewe, in Cheshire, England. Described by Nikolaus Pevsner as one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire,Pevsner & Hubbard, p. 22 it is listed at grade I. Built in 1615 ...

, her husband's seat in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, and at her villa at

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, some of the most distinguished of her contemporaries.

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

, who much admired her,

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January ew Style, NS1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish Politician, statesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the Social philosophy, soc ...

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, writer and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1780 to 1812, representing the constituencies of Stafford, Westminster and I ...

Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

, and Canning were frequent visitors. She was also on friendly terms with

Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicis ...

and

Sarah Burney Sarah Harriet Burney (29 August 1772 – 8 February 1844) was an English novelist. She was the daughter of the musicologist and composer Charles Burney and half-sister of the novelist and diarist Frances Burney (Madame d'Arblay). She had some in ...

and

Hester Thrale Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi (née Salusbury; 27 January 1741 or 16 January 1740 – 2 May 1821)Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded her birth as 16 January 1740. The pro ...

. In May 1784 when Charles James Fox, after an epic battle, was finally confirmed as MP for

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, Frances Crewe hosted a party to celebrate, where all the guests were asked to wear Fox's chosen colours, blue and buff.

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

gave a toast ''True blue and Mrs. Crewe''. She famously replied ''True blue and all of you''. Sheridan dedicated the ''

School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling S ...

'' to her, and some lines addressed to her by Fox were printed at the Strawberry Hill Press in 1775. Three portraits by Reynolds have been engraved, in one of which she appears with her brother as Hebe and

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...

. She died on 23 December 1818.

Notes

References

* The entry cites: **Hinchliffe's Barthomley, pp. 306–10 **D'Arblay's Memoirs **Piozzi's Autobiography, 2nd ed. **Warburton's Memoirs of Horace Walpole, ii. 223 * Michael Allen (Editor and Foreword): ''An English Lady in Paris: the diary of Frances Anne Crewe, 1786'', St Leonards, U.K.: Oxford-Stockley Publications, 2006, 1818 deaths 1748 births English people of Irish descent British socialites British salon-holders

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

British baronesses {{UK-baron-stub