Maria Molyneux, Countess of Sefton

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Maria Margaret Molyneux, Countess of Sefton (born Craven , born April 26, 1769 , † January 1, 1851 ) was a British aristocrat .

biography

Maria Margaret Craven was the daughter of William Craven, 6th Baron Craven , and Lady Elizabeth Berkley , daughter of Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley . Her mother was an author of travelogues and plays and - like her husband - was known for her numerous affairs. The parents separated when Maria Craven was eleven years old and the mother moved to France. After the baron's death in September 1791, Lady Elizabeth married Karl Alexander von Brandenburg-Ansbach-Bayreuth , with whom she had probably had a love affair for years. There is no evidence that Maria Craven had contact with her mother after her parents separated.

On January 1, 1792, Maria Craven married William Molyneux, Viscount Molyneux , who in 1795 succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Sefton . Her husband was known in London society as Lord Dashalong (to dash along) because of his dashing style of driving . He was one of the founders of the exclusive Four Horse Club , in which the best drivers of four-horse carriages had come together. From 1800 to 1805 he was Master of the Quorn , he was a member of White's Club and from 1816 to 1831 a member of the House of Commons and from 1831 a member of the House of Lords . The couple had six daughters and four sons:

  • Lady Georgina Isabella Frances Molyneux († 1826), ⚭ 1819 Charles Pascoe Grenfell († 1867), MP, squire of Taplow Court in Buckinghamshire;
  • Lady Maria Molyneux († 1872);
  • Lady Louisa Anne Maria Molyneux († 1855);
  • Lady Frances Molyneux;
  • Lady Caroline Harriett Molyneux († 1866) ⚭ 1836 Charles Towneley (1803–1876), squire of Towneley in Lancashire;
  • Lady Katherine Molyneux († 1855);
  • Charles William Molyneux, 3rd Earl of Sefton (1796-1855);
  • Hon. George Berkeley Molyneux (1799–1841), Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army;
  • Hon. Henry Richard Molyneux (1800–1841), Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army;
  • Hon. Francis George Molyneux (1805–1886) ⚭ 1842 Lady Georgina Jemima Mitford (1805–1882), ex-wife of Henry Reveley Mitford, daughter of George Ashburnham, 3rd Earl of Ashburnham .

Due to the diverse social connections of her husband, Lady Sefton was also one of the leading women in high society. She was one of the dreaded patron saints of Almack’s , an exclusive social club that her husband’s mother, Lady Isabella Molyneux, co-founded in 1765.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hon. Maria Margaret Craven on stanford.edu
personal data
SURNAME Molyneux, Maria, Countess of Sefton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Molyneux, Maria Margaret, Countess of Sefton
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British nobles
DATE OF BIRTH April 26, 1769
DATE OF DEATH January 1, 1851