Mary Stewart, Duchess of Richmond and Duchess of Lennox (1622–1685), formerly Lady Mary Villiers, was the daughter of the

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, 28 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and possibly also a lover of King James I of England. Buckingham remained at the ...

and

Katherine Manners, 19th Baroness de Ros Katherine Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham, Marchioness of Antrim, 18th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley (''née'' Lady Katherine Manners; died 1649) was an English aristocrat. The daughter and heir of Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland, she was kn ...

. On 8 January 1634, at the age of 12, she married the 15-year-old Charles, Lord Herbert, eldest son of the 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery, but was widowed in 1635 when her young husband died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

or perhaps

petechia A petechia () is a small red or purple spot (≤4 mm in diameter) that can appear on the skin, conjunctiva, retina, and Mucous membrane, mucous membranes which is caused by haemorrhage of capillaries. The word is derived from Italian , 'freckle,' ...

e. On 3 August 1637, she married the 4th Duke of Lennox, who was created

Duke of Richmond Duke of Richmond is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created four times in British history. It has been held by members of the royal Tudor dynasty, Tudor and House of Stuart, Stuart families. The current dukedom of Richmond was ...

in 1641. They had two children: * Esmé Stewart, 2nd Duke of Richmond and 5th Duke of Lennox (2 November 1649 – 10 August 1660), died of smallpox. *Lady Mary Stewart (10 July 1651 – 4 July 1668), Baroness Clifton in 1660; married Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Arran. No issue. Sometime before 1664, Mary married Colonel Thomas Howard (d. 1678): he was a younger brother of

Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle (162824 February 1685) was an English military leader and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1653 and 1660 and was created Earl of Carlisle in 1661. Howard was the son and ...

, and is chiefly remembered for his

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

in 1662 with

Henry Jermyn, 1st Baron Dover Henry Jermyn, 3rd Baron Jermyn and 1st Baron Dover, 1st Jacobite Earl of Dover PC (c. 1636–1708) was an English peer and supporter of James II. Jermyn was the second son of Thomas Jermyn, of Rushbrooke, Suffolk, who died in 1659, and his wi ...

. Maureen E. Mulvihill has built a case for Mary Villiers as the author of the poems published under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Ephelia, including ''Female Poems...by Ephelia'' (1679). In October 1670 the duchess, with the queen, and her friend the

Duchess of Buckingham {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Duchess of Buckingham is a title given to the wife of the Duke of Buckingham, an extinct title created several times, formerly in the Peerage of England and latterly in the Peerage of the Uni ...

decided to go to a fair near

Audley End Audley End House is a largely early 17th-century country house outside Saffron Walden, Essex, England. It is a prodigy house, known as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. Audley End is now one-third of its original size, but is st ...

disguised as country women for a "merry frolic", dressed in red petticoats and waistcoats. The costumes were outlandish rather than convincing, and they began to draw a crowd, when they tried to buy stockings and gloves their speech was also conspicuous. A member of the crowd recognised the duchess from a dinner she had attended. The party returned followed by as many people at the fair as had horses.''HMC 6th Report'' (London, 1877), pp. 367-8.

Depiction in art

A Poem to his Sacred Majesty on the Plot written by a Lady of Quality 1679

Mary is the subject of several paintings by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

as well as a portrait with her children by

John Michael Wright John Michael Wright (May 1617 – July 1694) was an English or Scottish (he signed as both at times) portrait painter in the Baroque style. Wright trained in Edinburgh under the Scotland, Scots painter George Jamesone, and acquired a consider ...

. File:George Villiers Duke of Buckingham and Family 1628.jpg, George Villiers Duke of Buckingham and Family 1628 by

Gerard van Honthorst Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch: ''Gerrit van Honthorst''; 4 November 1592 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painting, Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickn ...

File:Van Dyck Mary Villiers as Venus.jpg, Mary Villiers, later Duchess of Richmond and Lennox, with her cousin Charles Hamilton, Lord Arran, as

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, lust, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus (mythology), Venus and the god of war Mar ...

, circa 1636, by

. File:Mary Villiers, Lady Herbert of Shurland by Anthony van Dyck, Timken Museum of Art.JPG, Mary Villiers, Lady Herbert of Shurland, circa 1636, by Anthony van Dyck. File:Porträtt, Henrietta Maria av Frankrike - Skoklosters slott - 88967.tif, ''Mary Villiers, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox'' about 1640,

Skokloster Castle Skokloster Castle ( sv, Skoklosters slott) is a Swedish Baroque castle built between 1654 and 1676 by Carl Gustaf Wrangel, located on a peninsula of Lake Mälaren between Stockholm and Uppsala. It became a state museum in the 1970s and displays co ...

File:Wenceslas Hollar - Duchess of Lennox, after van Dyck (State 5).jpg, ''Duchess of Lennox, after van Dyck'', by

Wenceslaus Hollar Wenceslaus Hollar (23 July 1607 – 25 March 1677) was a prolific and accomplished Bohemian graphic artist of the 17th century, who spent much of his life in England. He is known to German speakers as ; and to Czech speakers as . He is particu ...

File:Mary Villiers Duchess of Lennox and Richmond by Richard Gaywood.jpg, Mary, Duchess of Lennox and Richmond, by

Richard Gaywood Richard Gaywood ( fl. 1650–1680) was an English engraver. Life Gaywood was a pupil of Wenceslaus Hollar, and worked in his style. A friend of Francis Barlow, he engraved many of his designs. Works Gaywood was prolific, the bulk of his work ...

References

Royal Genealogy Database, University of Hull
* Gordenker, Emilie E.S.: ''Van Dyck and the Representation of Dress in Seventeenth-Century Portraiture'', Brepols, 2001,

External links

"Thumbprints of Ephelia" by Maureen E. Mulvihill, Princeton Research Forum, in ''ReSoundings''
with biography of Mary Villiers {{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, Mary Stewart, Duchess of 1622 births 1685 deaths Daughters of British dukes English duchesses by marriage

Mary Stewart, Duchess of Richmond Mary Stewart, Duchess of Richmond and Duchess of Lennox (1622–1685), formerly Lady Mary Villiers, was the daughter of the George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Katherine Manners, 19th Baroness de Ros. On 8 January 1634, at the age o ...

Wives of knights