Mary Montagu, Duchess of Montagu (1689–1751)

Her Grace

The Duchess of Montagu
Her Grace; The Duchess of Montagu
	Portrait by Charles Jervas
Born	Lady Mary Churchill; 15 July 1689
Died	14 May 1751 (aged 61)
Spouse(s)	John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu (m. 1705)
Issue	Isabella Montagu, Duchess of Manchester; John Montagu; George Montagu; Mary Montagu, Duchess of Montagu; Edward Montagu;
Father	John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
Mother	Sarah Jenyns

Mary Montagu, Duchess of Montagu (15 July 1689 – 14 May 1751), formerly Lady Mary Churchill, was a British court official and noble, the wife of John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu. She was the youngest surviving daughter of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and his wife, Sarah Jenyns.^[1]

Life

She married Montagu on 17 March 1705, when he was Earl of Montagu. They had five children:^[2]

Isabella (с. 1706 - d. 20 December 1786), who married first William Montagu, 2nd Duke of Manchester, and second Edward Hussey-Montagu, 1st Earl of Beaulieu; there were children from her second marriage only.
John (1706–1711)
George (died in infancy)
Mary (c. 1711 – 1 May 1775), who married George Brudenell, 4th Earl of Cardigan, and had children.
Edward (27 December 1725 – May 1727)

From 1714 to 1717, the Duchess was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Caroline of Ansbach,^[3] then Princess of Wales. She was painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller in 1740.^[4] A portrait of her with her husband and daughter was painted in about 1729 by Gawen Hamilton.^[5] The duchess is obliquely referred to in Delarivier Manley's 1709 satire, The New Atalantis.^[6]

One of those who benefited from the duchess's will was Ignatius Sancho, an African slave whom she took on as a butler following her husband's death. She left him a pension, but, having failed to find an alternative career, he later returned to the service of the Montagu family.^[7]

References

^ "Family Lineage: Duke of Marlborough". Burke's Peerage. August 2004. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes. Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999.
^ "Household of Princess Caroline 1714-27". Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
^ "Mary Montagu (née Churchill), Duchess of Montagu". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
^ "John, 2nd Duke of Montagu (1690-1749), his wife Lady Mary Churchill, daughter of the Duke of Marlborough, and their youngest daughter, Lady Mary Montagu, c.1730 1730s". Historical Portraits Image Library. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
^ Catherine Gallagher (28 December 1995). Nobody's Story: The Vanishing Acts of Women Writers in the Marketplace, 1670-1920. University of California Press. pp. 143–. ISBN 978-0-520-20338-9.
^ Markman Ellis (29 July 2004). The Politics of Sensibility: Race, Gender and Commerce in the Sentimental Novel. Cambridge University Press. pp. 57–. ISBN 978-0-521-60427-7.

[1] "Family Lineage: Duke of Marlborough". Burke's Peerage. August 2004. Retrieved 6 August 2007.

[2] Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes. Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999.

[3] "Household of Princess Caroline 1714-27". Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2017.

[4] "Mary Montagu (née Churchill), Duchess of Montagu". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 21 December 2017.

[5] "John, 2nd Duke of Montagu (1690-1749), his wife Lady Mary Churchill, daughter of the Duke of Marlborough, and their youngest daughter, Lady Mary Montagu, c.1730 1730s". Historical Portraits Image Library. Retrieved 21 December 2017.

[Gallagher1995-6] Catherine Gallagher (28 December 1995). Nobody's Story: The Vanishing Acts of Women Writers in the Marketplace, 1670-1920. University of California Press. pp. 143–. ISBN 978-0-520-20338-9.

[7] Markman Ellis (29 July 2004). The Politics of Sensibility: Race, Gender and Commerce in the Sentimental Novel. Cambridge University Press. pp. 57–. ISBN 978-0-521-60427-7.

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