Melesina Trench (''née'' Chenevix, previously St George; 22 March 176827 May 1827) was an Irish writer, poet and diarist. During her lifetime she was known more for her beauty than her writing, and it wasn't until her son,

Richard Chenevix Trench Richard Chenevix Trench (Richard Trench until 1873; 9 September 1807 – 28 March 1886) was an Anglican archbishop and poet. Life He was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Richard Trench (1774–1860), barrister-at-law, and the Dublin wri ...

, published her diaries posthumously in 1861 that her work received notice.Chawton House Library
Biography of Melesina Chenevix St. George Trench by Katharine Kittredge

Biography

Melesina Chenevix 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 ...

to Philip Chenevix and Mary Elizabeth Gervais. She was orphaned before her fourth birthday and brought up by her paternal grandfather, Richard Chenevix (1698–1779), the Anglican

Bishop of Waterford The Bishop of Waterford was a medieval prelate, governing the Diocese of Waterford from its creation in the 11th century until it was absorbed into the new Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore in the 14th century. After the creation o ...

. The family were of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

extraction. After the death of Richard Chenevix she went to live with her other grandfather, the Archdeacon Gervais. On 31 October 1786 she married Colonel Richard St George (d. 1790). Her husband died only four years later in Portugal, leaving one son, Charles Manners St George, who became a diplomat. Between 1799 and 1800, Melesina travelled around Europe, especially Germany. It was during these travels that she met

Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

Lady Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy me ...

and the cream of European society, including Rivarol,

Lucien Bonaparte Lucien Bonaparte, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano (born Luciano Buonaparte; 21 May 1775 – 29 June 1840), was French politician and diplomat of the French Revolution and the Consulate. He served as Minister of the Interior from 1799 to 1800 ...

, and

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

while living in Germany. She later recounted anecdotes of these meetings in her memoirs. On 3 March 1803 in Paris she married again. Her second husband was Richard Trench (1774–1860), sixth son of Frederick Trench (1724–97) and brother of Lord Ashtown. After the breakdown of the Peace of Amiens, Richard Trench was detained in France by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's armies, and in August 1805 Melesina took it upon herself to petition Napoleon in person and plead for her husband's release. Her husband was released in 1807, and the couple settled at Elm Lodge in

Bursledon Bursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby village ...

, Hampshire, England. Their son

Francis Chenevix Trench Francis Chenevix Trench (1805–1886) was an English divine and author. Francis, born in 1805, was the eldest son of Richard Trench (1774–1860), barrister-at-law, by his wife Melesina Trench, Richard Chenevix Trench was his younger brother. Fra ...

was born in 1805. In 1807, when they were on holiday in Dublin, their son

was born. He went on to be the Archbishop of Dublin, renowned poet and contemporary of

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

. Her only daughter died a few years later, aged four.

Diaries and correspondence

She corresponded with (amongst others)

Mary Leadbeater Mary Leadbeater (; December 1758 – 27 June 1826) was an Irish author and diarist. Early years and education Leadbeater was born in Ballitore, Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. She was the daughter of Richard Shackleton (1726–1792) by his second ...

, with whom she worked to improve the lot of the peasantry at her estate at Ballybarney. Melesina Trench's diaries and letters were compiled posthumously by Richard Chenevix Trench as ''The remains of the late Mrs. Richard Trench'' in 1861 with an engraving of her taken from a painting by George Romney. Another oil painting, ''The Evening Star'' by Sir Thomas Lawrence, had her as a subject, and she was reproduced in portrait miniatures; one in Paris by

Jean-Baptiste Isabey Jean-Baptiste Isabey (11 April 1767 – 18 April 1855) was a French painter born at Nancy. He was a successful artist, both under the First Empire and to the diplomats of the Congress of Vienna. Life At the age of nineteen, after some lesson ...

and another by Hamilton that was copied by the engraver Francis Engleheart. Copies of a number of her works are held at

Chawton House Library Chawton House is a Grade II* listed Elizabethan manor house in Hampshire. It is run as a historic property and also houses the research library of The Centre for the Study of Early Women's Writing, 1600–1830, using the building's connecti ...

Select works

*''Journal Kept During a Visit to Germany in 1799, 1800''. Edited by the Dean of Westminster (R. C. Trench). *''Mary, Queen of Scots, an historical ballad: With other poems'' (1800) *''Campaspe, an historical tale, and other poems'' (1815) *''Laura's dream; Or, The Moonlanders'' (1816) *''The Remains of the Late Mrs Richard Trench: Being Selections From Her Journals, Letters, & Other Papers'' edited by St. George Trench *''Thoughts Of A Parent On Education'' (1837) edited by Elizabeth Whately *''Melesina Trench: poems and letters from her journal.'' 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trench, Melesina 1768 births 1827 deaths 18th-century Irish writers 18th-century Irish women writers 19th-century Irish writers 19th-century Irish women writers Irish adoptees Irish diarists Irish memoirists Irish people of French descent 19th-century travel writers Irish travel writers Irish women non-fiction writers Irish women poets People from County Dublin Melesina Women travel writers Irish women memoirists Women diarists 18th-century diarists 19th-century diarists