Mary Shirley, Countess Ferrers (c.1730 – 25 July 1807), formerly Mary Meredith, later Lady Frederick Campbell, was an English noblewoman. Mary was the youngest daughter of Amos Meredith of Henbury, Cheshire, and his wife, the former Joanna Cholmondeley. Her brother,

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, was an MP and became 3rd Baronet Meredith in 1752, on the death of his grandfather. On 16 September 1752, she married

Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers (18 August 1720 – 5 May 1760) was an English nobleman, notable for being the last peer to be hanged, following his conviction for murdering his steward. Biography Shirley was the eldest son of Laurenc ...

. In 1758, the couple were legally separated, with Mary citing the earl's cruelty as the cause. He was widely believed to come from a family where mental illness was congenital, and in 1760 he was found guilty of murdering one of his servants, and was hanged at Tyburn in May 1760. At his execution he wore his wedding suit, claiming that his "unhappy conduct" was the result of "a forced marriage". There were no children from the marriage, On 28 March 1769, Mary married

Lord Frederick Campbell Lord Frederick Campbell (20 June 1729 – 8 June 1816) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He was lord clerk register of Scotland, 1768–1816; Member of parliament, Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Burghs (UK Parliament constituency), G ...

, a brother of the Duke of Argyll; they had two daughters. One of their daughters, Mary, married Captain Donald Campbell of Barbreck. Lady Campbell was killed in a fire at their home, Combe Bank, Kent. Since the fire caused little damage to the house, it was speculated that Lady Campbell had suffered some kind of fit "with her head in the candle". Her second husband outlived her by nine years.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrers, Countess, Mary Shirley 1730s births 1807 deaths Deaths from fire British countesses Daughters of baronets Accidental deaths in England