Back in February, I blogged here (Feb.15, 2022) about Lady Worsley's scandals. At the time I was planning to use her story as a small part of my novella "Lady Laura's Curiosity," but instead I chose another set of miscreants to for my novella, more a nosegay than a bouquet in my story, as a matter of fact. My novella, Lady Laura's Curiosity, has been published now in A Regency Summer Garden, available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
Above, left, the Anthology with six stories from award-winning and best-selling authors, brought to you by Dreamstone Publishing. Right, my inner cover.
Now back to the scandals mentioned in the story...
Now back to the scandals mentioned in the story...
Lady Sarah Lennox Bunbury, above, was portrayed by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1763-65, now hanging in the Art Institute of Chicago. Youngest of the famous/notorious Lennox sisters (daughters of the second Duke of Richmond), Lady Sarah was painted for her first husband, Sir Charles Bunbury, 6th Baronet, who sat in the House of Commons. The marriage was unhappy and Sarah eloped with the Duke of Gordon, who fathered her daughter in 1768, before abandoning her. In 1776, Bunbury was able to divorce Sarah under the male-favoring rules of the day. She married Colonel George Napier in 1781 and they had eight children. Three of their sons achieved the rank of general in the Army.
Above, left, my crooked snapshot of Lady Sarah in the Art Institute of Chicago. Right, the full story of all four Lennox sisters can be found in Stella Tillyard's excellent account, The Aristocrats, and/or the 1999 TV multi-part mini-series based on the book. Click on the photos for larger images, please.
Above, left, Lady Caroline Lennox, Lady Holland by Sir Joshua Reynolds 1757-58; right, Lady Emily, Duchess of Leinster. The four sisters discussed in The Aristocrats were among the daughters of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond; several other sisters died early and one in her teens. Richmond was a grandson of Charles II, who had several illegitimate sons he made dukes, though he and his wife Henrietta Maria of France were childless.
Left, Lady Louisa, Mrs. Tom Connolly, by George Romney, 1776; Right, Lady Sarah, another portrait by Reynolds, 1762.
I will not try to catalog other contretemps in which the sisters were involved, but suffice it to say their letters were filled with amazing events, from intensely personal comments about their child bearing to the matters of the highest political and military importance.
I will not try to catalog other contretemps in which the sisters were involved, but suffice it to say their letters were filled with amazing events, from intensely personal comments about their child bearing to the matters of the highest political and military importance.
Above left: Canaletto's 1747 painting of Whitehall and the Privy Garden from Richmond House, the immensely important London residence of the family of the Dukes of Richmond. On the right, View of the Thames from Richmond House, with St. Paul's Cathedral, center back on the horizon, painted by Canaletto in 1746. The famous Italian artist visited London several times to paint local scenes for the aristocracy. Reproductions from Commons.wikimedia.org.
Richmond House, Whitehall, left, as designed in 1730 by the 3rd Earl of Burlington for the 2nd Duke of Richmond (RIBA, London). The present building on the Whitehall site houses government offices. The current Richmond family lives primarily at Goodwood House, West Sussex, above right, which includes horse- and motor-racing venues. Originally built about 1600, it was a hunting lodge, later expanded in size.
Goodwood includes an excellent art collection belonging to the family, including the two Canalettos pictured above. Below, Goodwood House from the air.
Goodwood includes an excellent art collection belonging to the family, including the two Canalettos pictured above. Below, Goodwood House from the air.
Among the paintings at Goodwood is the image below of the famous Duchess of Richmond's Ball, in Brussels on the eve of the Duke of Wellington's Waterloo Campaign which resulted in the downfall of Napoleon. Painted in the 1870's, it was one of the many recreated battle scenes artist Robert Alexander Hillingford (1828-1904) executed. Host of the ball was the 4th Duke of Richmond, nephew of Lady Sarah Lennox and her sisters.
Lady Sarah's story is told to Lady Laura, heroine of my novella "Lady Laura's Curiosity" which appears in A Regency Summer Garden, an anthology of six works by best-selling and award-wining authors.
Arietta Richmond
Victoria Hinshaw
Summer Hanford
Janis Susan May
Regina Jeffers
Olivia Marwood
Victoria Hinshaw
Summer Hanford
Janis Susan May
Regina Jeffers
Olivia Marwood
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