Lennox Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Lennox sisters were the daughters of Charles Lennox
, 2nd Duke of Richmond
in the Peerage of England
and 2nd Duke of Lennox
in the Peerage of Scotland
, and Lady Sarah Cadogan (1705–1751), daughter of William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
.
, a Whig
politician
. He was the brother of Stephen
, first Earl of Ilchester
, and son of politician Sir Stephen Fox. Though she was eventually reconciled with her parents, she was cut out of her father's will in 1752. In 1762, she was raised to the peerage as Baroness Holland of Holland in the County of Lincolnshire
. Her husband became Baron Holland of Foxley in the County of Wiltshire
the next year. Her two surviving sons (two others died young) were both dissipated, caused her great grief over their gambling, and this may have contributed to her death. She died on 24 July 1774, soon after Henry Fox.
was born on 6 October 1731 and died on 27 March 1814. On 7 February 1747 she married James Fitzgerald, 20th Earl of Kildare and 1st Duke of Leinster, becoming Emily Fitzgerald, Duchess of Leinster. The couple had at least sixteen children, twelve of whom survived to adulthood. In 1774, a year after her husband died in 1773, Emily outraged society in Ireland by marrying her children's tutor, William Ogilvie, in France. With Ogilvie she had four more children. The couple returned from France in 1779.
was born on December 5, 1743. On the death of her father in 1750, she went to Ireland to live with her elder sister Emily. In 1758 she married Thomas Conolly, of Castletown
, County Kildare
, becoming Louise Conolly. The couple had no children. Louisa was involved in charitable works in Castletown, including the building of an industrial school and several other buildings. She managed her husband's estate after his death.
was raised in Ireland by her sister Emily. She caught the eye of the young George III, who hinted that he was considering her as a wife but never proposed. In 1762 she married Charles Bunbury. They had no issue. Lady Sarah embarked on an adulterous affair with Lord William Gordon and bore him a daughter, called Louisa Bunbury, in 1768. Bunbury divorced her in 1776. In 1781, Lady Sarah contracted a much happier second marriage with Hon. George Napier, by whom she had eight children.
--and her older siblings sent her first to Kingsgate
and then to France in a vain effort to recover her strength. She died in Paris on 13 November 1769.
(1735–1806), and Lord George Lennox
(1737–1805), as well as two others who died in infancy.
Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond
The 2nd Duke of Richmond has been described as early cricket's greatest patron. Although he had played cricket as a boy, his real involvement began after he succeeded to the dukedom...
, 2nd Duke of Richmond
Duke of Richmond
The title Duke of Richmond is named after Richmond and its surrounding district of Richmondshire, and has been created several times in the Peerage of England for members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families...
in the Peerage of England
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
and 2nd Duke of Lennox
Duke of Lennox
The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The Dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Stirling, was first created in 1581, and had formerly been the Earldom of Lennox. The second Duke was made Duke of Richmond; at his...
in the Peerage of Scotland
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
, and Lady Sarah Cadogan (1705–1751), daughter of William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan KT PC was a noted military officer in the army of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession...
.
Ancestry
They were the daughters of the Second Duke of Richmond and of Sarah, a daughter of William Cadogan, the army general. Their paternal grandfather was an illegitimate son of Charles II.Caroline (1723-1774)
Georgiana Caroline Lennox was born on 27 March 1723. In 1744, at the age of 21, she eloped with Henry FoxHenry Fox, 1st Baron Holland
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, of Foxley, MP, PC was a leading British politician of the 18th century. He identified primarily with the Whig faction...
, a Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He was the brother of Stephen
Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of Ilchester
Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of Ilchester PC was a British peer and Member of Parliament.Ilchester was the son of Sir Stephen Fox and his second wife Christiana Hope. Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, was his younger brother and Charles James Fox his nephew...
, first Earl of Ilchester
Earl of Ilchester
Earl of Ilchester, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1756 for Stephen Fox, 1st Baron Ilchester, who had previously represented Shaftesbury in Parliament. He had already been created Baron Ilchester, of Ilchester in the County of Somerset in 1741, and Baron Ilchester and...
, and son of politician Sir Stephen Fox. Though she was eventually reconciled with her parents, she was cut out of her father's will in 1752. In 1762, she was raised to the peerage as Baroness Holland of Holland in the County of Lincolnshire
Baron Holland
Baron Holland, of Holland in the County of Lincoln, and Baron Holland, of Foxley in the County of Wiltshire, were two titles in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first barony was created on 7 March 1762 for Lady Caroline Fox, the daughter of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond and the eldest of...
. Her husband became Baron Holland of Foxley in the County of Wiltshire
Baron Holland
Baron Holland, of Holland in the County of Lincoln, and Baron Holland, of Foxley in the County of Wiltshire, were two titles in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first barony was created on 7 March 1762 for Lady Caroline Fox, the daughter of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond and the eldest of...
the next year. Her two surviving sons (two others died young) were both dissipated, caused her great grief over their gambling, and this may have contributed to her death. She died on 24 July 1774, soon after Henry Fox.
Emily (1731-1814)
Amelia Mary LennoxEmily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster
Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster , known before 1747 as Lady Emily Lennox, from 1747 to 1761 as The Countess of Kildare and from 1761 to 1766 as The Marchioness of Kildare, was the second of the famous Lennox sisters, daughters of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and illegitimately...
was born on 6 October 1731 and died on 27 March 1814. On 7 February 1747 she married James Fitzgerald, 20th Earl of Kildare and 1st Duke of Leinster, becoming Emily Fitzgerald, Duchess of Leinster. The couple had at least sixteen children, twelve of whom survived to adulthood. In 1774, a year after her husband died in 1773, Emily outraged society in Ireland by marrying her children's tutor, William Ogilvie, in France. With Ogilvie she had four more children. The couple returned from France in 1779.
Louisa (1743-1821)
Louise Augusta LennoxLady Louisa Conolly
Lady Louisa Conolly , known from 1743 to 1758 as Lady Louisa Lennox, was the third of the four Lennox Sisters immortalised in Stella Tillyard's book Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox and the BBC television series based on it.The Lennox sisters were daughters of Charles Lennox,...
was born on December 5, 1743. On the death of her father in 1750, she went to Ireland to live with her elder sister Emily. In 1758 she married Thomas Conolly, of Castletown
Castletown House
Castletown House, Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland's is a Palladian country house built in 1722 for William Conolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. It formed the centrepiece of a estate...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, becoming Louise Conolly. The couple had no children. Louisa was involved in charitable works in Castletown, including the building of an industrial school and several other buildings. She managed her husband's estate after his death.
Sarah (1745-1826)
Sarah LennoxLady Sarah Lennox
Lady Sarah Lennox was the most notorious of the famous Lennox Sisters, daughters of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond.-Early life:...
was raised in Ireland by her sister Emily. She caught the eye of the young George III, who hinted that he was considering her as a wife but never proposed. In 1762 she married Charles Bunbury. They had no issue. Lady Sarah embarked on an adulterous affair with Lord William Gordon and bore him a daughter, called Louisa Bunbury, in 1768. Bunbury divorced her in 1776. In 1781, Lady Sarah contracted a much happier second marriage with Hon. George Napier, by whom she had eight children.
Cecilia (1750-1769)
Cecily Margaret Lennox, sometimes called Cecilia, was born in 1750. Her parents died when she was very young, and Cecilia, along with her sisters Louisa and Sarah, was raised by her sister Emily in Ireland. As a young woman, she fell ill with a wasting disease--possibly tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
--and her older siblings sent her first to Kingsgate
Kingsgate
-Places:* Kingsgate, East Kilbride, Scotland* Kingsgate, Kent, England, part of Broadstairs* Kingsgate, Washington* Kingsgate, Winchester, Hampshire, England-Church:...
and then to France in a vain effort to recover her strength. She died in Paris on 13 November 1769.
Other sisters and brothers
While five Lennox sisters lived to adulthood, three others died in childhood: Louisa Margaret (1725–1728), Anne (1726–1727), and Margaret (1739–1741). The Lennox sisters had two brothers who lived to adulthood, Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of RichmondCharles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond
Field Marshal Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 3rd Duke of Lennox, 3rd Duke of Aubigny, KG, PC, FRS , styled Earl of March until 1750, was a British politician and office holder noteworthy for his advanced views on the issue of parliamentary reform...
(1735–1806), and Lord George Lennox
Lord George Lennox
General Lord George Henry Lennox was the second son of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and was thus descended from King Charles II of England. He was a brother of the famous Lennox sisters.-Military career:...
(1737–1805), as well as two others who died in infancy.
External links
- A more complete lineage of Sarah Lennox (and by extension her sisters) may be found at
Dramatization
- In 1999, the BBC adapted Stella Tillyard's book as a 6-part miniseries called Aristocrats.