Lucy Clementina Davies (''née'' Drummond de Melfort; 21 November 1795 – 27 April 1879) was a French-born author of Scottish Jacobite ancestry, known as a writer by the publication in 1872 of her two-volume ''Recollections of Society in France and England'', a work which contains much of her family history and interesting details of the court of France under the

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanish ...

and the

Bonapartes Italian language, Italian and Corsican language, Corsican: ''Casa di Buonaparte'', native_name_lang=French, coat of arms=Arms of the French Empire3.svg, caption=Coat of arms assumed by Emperor Napoleon I, image_size=150px, alt=Coat of Arms of Na ...

. She was the only sister of George Drummond, 5th Earl of Perth (1807–1902), also ''de jure'' 14th Earl of Perth, 6th

Earl of Melfort The titles of Viscount of Melfort and Lord Drummond of Gillestoun were created in the Peerage of Scotland on 14 April 1685 for John Drummond, second son of James Drummond, 3rd Earl of Perth, with remainder to the heirs male of his body by his se ...

, 6th Duc de Melfort, Comte de Lussan.

Life

Davies was born at the Château of St. Germain to Marie Elizabeth Luce de Longuemarre (died 1824) and Lord Leon Maurice Drummond de Melfort (1761–1826), the fourth son of James Drummond, 3rd

Duke of Melfort Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

in France. Her father's elder brother would have been thirteenth earl of Perth but for the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditar ...

of his ancestor. Her brother George's claim to be heir male of the Earls of Perth was admitted by the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

in 1848, and the attainder was reversed in his favour on 28 June 1853, and she herself was granted a

patent of precedence A patent of precedence is a grant to an individual by letters patent of a higher social or professional position than the precedence to which his ordinary rank entitles him. Historical use in the English legal profession The principal instance in ...

as an earl's daughter on 30 September 1853. She was educated in Scotland under Miss Playfair, sister of Professor Playfair, and in the various changes of residence of her parents between France and England. She saw a great deal of life, and at times suffered some hardships. On 8 September 1823, in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, London, she was married to Francis Henry Davies, a registrar of the

Court of Chancery The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the Common law#History, common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over ...

. They had one son and two daughters, including Lucy Elizabeth Drummond Davies, a children's writer. Her husband died at

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

on the Rhine on 22 October 1863, aged 72. Lady Lucy Clementina Drummond, Mrs. Davies, died on 27 April 1879 in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, London at 22 Palace Gardens Terrace, the residence of her son-in-law John Sale Barker,

barrister-at-law A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and givin ...

Publication

''Recollections of society in France and England''. Vol. I.
by Lady Clementina Davies. Publisher: Hurst and Blackett London, 1872
''Recollections of society in France and England. Vol. II''.

References

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Lucy Clementina 1795 births 1879 deaths Drummond family French people of Scottish descent Scottish memoirists Scottish people of French descent Scottish women writers Victorian women writers British women memoirists 19th-century women writers