Maria Molyneux, Countess Of Sefton
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Maria Molyneux, Countess of Sefton (26 April 1769 – 9 March 1851), was the wife of
William Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton William Philip Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton (18 September 1772 – 20 November 1838), also known as Lord Dashalong, was a sportsman, gambler and a friend of the Prince Regent. Personal life Born in 1772, Lord Sefton was the only son of Charles ...
. She was one of the seven of children of
William Craven, 6th Baron Craven William Craven, 6th Baron Craven (11 September 1738 – 26 September 1791) was an English nobility, English nobleman and a landowner. Biography William Craven was the son of Revd John Craven, Vicar of Stanton Lacy, Shropshire (1708–1752) ...
, and his wife, the former Elizabeth Berkeley; her parents separated in 1780 and her mother, a writer, went to live in France. She married Molyneux, then Viscount Sefton, in 1792, and they had four sons and six daughters: *
Charles William Molyneux, 3rd Earl of Sefton Charles William Molyneux, 3rd Earl of Sefton (10 July 1796 – 2 August 1855), styled Lord Molyneux (or Viscount Molyneux until 1838), was a British Whig politician. Background Sefton was the eldest son of William Molyneux, 2nd Earl of S ...
(10 July 1796 – 2 August 1855), who succeeded his father. He married Mary Augusta Gregg-Hopwood and had children. *Lady Caroline Harriett Molyneux (d. 8 Feb 1866), who married
Charles Towneley Charles Townley Royal Society, FRS (1 October 1737 – 3 January 1805) was a wealthy English country gentleman, antiquary and collector, a member of the Towneley family. He travelled on three Grand Tours to Italy, buying antique sculpture, vase ...
and had children *Lady Georgiana Frances Molyneux (d. 28 Jun 1826), who married Charles Pascoe Grenfell and had children *Maria Molyneux (d. 3 May 1872) *Louisa Anne Maria Molyneux (d. Jul 1855) *Frances Charlotte Molyneux *Katherine Maria Elizabeth Louisa Molyneux (d. 25 Mar 1855) *Lt.-Col. George Berkeley Molyneux (16 July 1799 – 27 August 1841) *Lt.-Col. Henry Richard Molyneux (27 August 1800 – 23 May 1841) *Hon. Francis George Molyneux (5 March 1805 – 24 May 1886), who married Lady Georgiana Jemima Ashburnham and had children She became well known as one of the Lady Patronesses of
Almack's Almack's was the name of a number of establishments and social clubs in London between the 18th and 20th centuries. Two of the social clubs would go on to fame as Brooks's and Boodle's. Almack's most famous establishment was based in assembly ...
Assembly Rooms in London, a prestigious venue during the
Regency era The Regency era of British history is commonly understood as the years between and 1837, although the official regency for which it is named only spanned the years 1811 to 1820. King George III first suffered debilitating illness in the lat ...
. As such, she was described in the '' Reminiscences of Captain Gronow'' as "kind and amiable". The earl was a friend of the Prince Regent (the future King George IV) and it was through the Seftons that
Maria Fitzherbert Maria Anne Fitzherbert (''née'' Smythe, previously Weld; 26 July 1756 – 27 March 1837) was a longtime companion of George, Prince of Wales (later King George IV of the United Kingdom). In 1785, they married secretly in a ceremony that was ...
, who was related to the earl, first met the prince in 1784. As a senior patroness of Almack's, the countess was well-placed to help Mrs Fitzherbert gain her entrance into London society.


Fictional portrayals

Maria, Countess of Sefton, features in several of the Regency novels of
Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer (; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story conceived for her ail ...
, including ''
Regency Buck ''Regency Buck'' is a novel written by Georgette Heyer. It has three distinctions: it is the first of her novels to deal with the Regency period; it is one of only a few to combine both genres for which she was noted, the Regency romance and th ...
'' and '' The Grand Sophy''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sefton, Maria Molyneux, Countess of 1769 births 1851 deaths Irish countesses Daughters of barons