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 ( ; 20 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and self-described "lover" of King James VI and I. Buckingham remained at the heigh ...

and Katherine Manners, Baroness de Ros. 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 (W ...

or perhaps

petechia A petechia (; : petechiae) is a small red or purple spot ( 1 cm in diameter) and purpura (3 to 10 mm in diameter). The term is typically used in the plural (petechiae), since a single petechia is seldom noticed or significant. Causes Physical t ...

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 and Stuart families. The current dukedom of Richmond was created in 1675 for Charles ...

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 Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Thomas

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

(d. 1678); he was a younger brother of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle, and is chiefly remembered for his

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

in 1662 with Henry Jermyn, 1st Baron Dover. 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 assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

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

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, and her friend the Duchess of Buckingham 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 (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

as well as a portrait with her children by

John Michael Wright John Michael Wright (May 1617 – July 1694) was an English painter, mainly of portraits in the Baroque style. Born and raised in London, Wright trained in Edinburgh under the Scots painter George Jamesone, and sometimes described himself as Scot ...

. File:George Villiers Duke of Buckingham and Family 1628.jpg, Her parents, 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:Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, with his Family.jpg, Lady Mary (in white) with her first husband's family and father in law 4th Earl of Pembroke. Circa 1635 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 ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...

, 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 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 partic ...

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

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 Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham, Katherine Manners, Baroness de ...

Wives of knights