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</ref> She married [[Sir Godfrey Webster, 4th Baronet]] in 1786. He was more than 20 years older than she was.<ref name="odnb" /> They had three children that survived infancy. As Lady Webster she spent much of the early 1790s travelling in [[Europe]], visiting [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Switzerland]] and [[Italy]].<ref name="odnb" /> She enjoyed the guidance and friendship of the [[Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire|Duchess of Devonshire]] and politician [[Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester|Thomas Pelham]].<ref name="hdbw" /><ref name="odnb" />
</ref> She married [[Sir Godfrey Webster, 4th Baronet]] in 1786. He was more than 20 years older than she was.<ref name="odnb" /> They had three children that survived infancy:<ref name ="Vassalls">[http://books.google.com.pe/books?id=0vfVCDgxRzIC&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=stillborn+children+of+lady+augusta+coventry&source=bl&ots=OkdwouLGVZ&sig=Urgv3gNFUFz_IBoyHI9IQImu83k&hl=es&sa=X&ei=ZYmDVOmkIsGmNtCNgfgK&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=stillborn%20children%20of%20lady%20augusta%20coventry&f=false ''The New England Historical and Genealogical Register'', Volumen 17: The Vassalls of New England, p. 126.] [retrieved 6 December 2014].</ref>
*Sir Godfrey Vassall Webster (d. 1836).
*Lt. Col. Sir Henry Vassall Webster (d. 1847).
*Lady Harriet Vassall Webster (d. 7 August 1849), married on 5 June 1816 Hon. Adm. Sir Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds.



⚫
In 1794, Lady Webster met Whig politician [[Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland|Henry Fox, 3rd Baron Holland]] in [[Naples]] and they embarked on a love affair.<ref name="odnb" /> In 1796 she gave birth to their son [[Charles Richard Fox]], and the following year she was divorced by Webster on the grounds of adultery.<ref name="hdbw" /> She married Holland two days after her divorce, on 6 July 1797.<ref name="hdbw" /> They lived together in [[Holland House, London|Holland House]] in [[Kensington]], then just outside London, and for many years hosted the elite of Whig society. Visitors included [[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|Lord Grey]], [[George Tierney]], [[Samuel Rogers]], [[Walter Scott]], [[Ugo Foscolo]], [[Sydney Smith]] and [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]].<ref>{{cite book
As Lady Webster she spent much of the early 1790s travelling in [[Europe]], visiting [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Switzerland]] and [[Italy]].<ref name="odnb" /> She enjoyed the guidance and friendship of the [[Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire|Duchess of Devonshire]] and politician [[Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester|Thomas Pelham]].<ref name="hdbw" /><ref name="odnb" />

In 1794, Lady Webster met Whig politician [[Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland|Henry Fox, 3rd Baron Holland]] in [[Naples]] and they embarked on a love affair.<ref name="odnb" />
They had seven children:<ref name ="Vassalls" />
*General [[Charles Richard Fox]] (6 November 1796 – 13 April 1873). Born before the marriage of their parents.
*the Hon. Stephen Fox (18 January 1799 — 22 November 1800).
*A son (born and died 17 March 1801).
*[[Henry Fox, 4th Baron Holland|Henry Edward Fox, 4th Baron Holland]] (7 May 1802 – 18 December 1859).
*the Hon. Mary Elizabeth Fox (19 February 1806 — 7 December 1891)<ref>[http://www.lilfordhall.com/3rd-Baron-Lilford.asp ''Biography of 3rd Baron Lilford'' in: The Lilford Estate - Northamptonshire, England] [retrieved 6 December 2014].</ref>, married on 24 May 1830 [[Thomas Powys, 3rd Baron Lilford]].
*the Hon. Georgianna Anne Fox (7 November 1809 — 31 October 1819).
*A daughter (born and died June 1812).

⚫
On 4 July 1797 she was divorced by Webster on the grounds of adultery.<ref name="hdbw" /> She married Holland two days later, on 6 July.<ref name="hdbw" /> They lived together in [[Holland House, London|Holland House]] in [[Kensington]], then just outside London, and for many years hosted the elite of Whig society. Visitors included [[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|Lord Grey]], [[George Tierney]], [[Samuel Rogers]], [[Walter Scott]], [[Ugo Foscolo]], [[Sydney Smith]] and [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]].<ref>{{cite book
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| first = Iain

Revision as of 23:19, 6 December 2014

Elizabeth Vassall Fox, Baroness Holland (1771–1845) was an English political hostess and the wife of Whig politician Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland. With her husband, and after his death, she hosted political and literary gatherings at their home, Holland House.

Elizabeth Holland, by Louis Gauffier

Biography

Elizabeth Vassall Fox, Lady Holland; Henry Richard Vassall Fox, 3rd Baron Holland; Mrs Brown, portrait by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer

Elizabeth Vassall was born in 1771 in London, the only child of Richard Vassall, a planter in Jamaica and Mary Clarke.[1][2] She married Sir Godfrey Webster, 4th Baronet in 1786. He was more than 20 years older than she was.[2] They had three children that survived infancy:[3]

  • Sir Godfrey Vassall Webster (d. 1836).
  • Lt. Col. Sir Henry Vassall Webster (d. 1847).
  • Lady Harriet Vassall Webster (d. 7 August 1849), married on 5 June 1816 Hon. Adm. Sir Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds.


As Lady Webster she spent much of the early 1790s travelling in Europe, visiting France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.[2] She enjoyed the guidance and friendship of the Duchess of Devonshire and politician Thomas Pelham.[1][2]

In 1794, Lady Webster met Whig politician Henry Fox, 3rd Baron Holland in Naples and they embarked on a love affair.[2] They had seven children:[3]

  • General Charles Richard Fox (6 November 1796 – 13 April 1873). Born before the marriage of their parents.
  • the Hon. Stephen Fox (18 January 1799 — 22 November 1800).
  • A son (born and died 17 March 1801).
  • Henry Edward Fox, 4th Baron Holland (7 May 1802 – 18 December 1859).
  • the Hon. Mary Elizabeth Fox (19 February 1806 — 7 December 1891)[4], married on 24 May 1830 Thomas Powys, 3rd Baron Lilford.
  • the Hon. Georgianna Anne Fox (7 November 1809 — 31 October 1819).
  • A daughter (born and died June 1812).

On 4 July 1797 she was divorced by Webster on the grounds of adultery.[1] She married Holland two days later, on 6 July.[1] They lived together in Holland House in Kensington, then just outside London, and for many years hosted the elite of Whig society. Visitors included Lord Grey, George Tierney, Samuel Rogers, Walter Scott, Ugo Foscolo, Sydney Smith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan.[5]

Lady Holland became known by her guests, and contemporary observers for her domineering nature, in contrast to her husband.[6] In his journals, Sydney Smith, a friend of both Lord and Lady Holland, called her a "formidable woman".[7] Actress Fanny Kemble visited Holland house with her sister Adelaide Kemble described what she called the "domineering rudeness" of Lady Holland.[8] Lady Holland's rule extended not only to all of the guests at Holland House but to Lord Holland too. She dictated when he should go to bed, what he should wear and would have servants take him away from the table in his wheelchair when he was in the middle of telling a story.[9][10]

Both Lord and Lady Holland were great admirers of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1815, Lady Holland commission a bronze bust of him from sculptor Antonio Canova, which was placed in the garden at Holland House.[2][11] After Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena in 1815, Lady Holland sent him supplies of food and hundreds of books.[12] Napoleon remembered Lady Holland in his will and following his death in 1821, his companions General Henri Gratien Bertrand and the Marquis de Montholon arrived at Holland House, delivering a snuffbox.[12] The gold snuffbox, which had been a gift to Napoleon from Pope Pius VI, was bequeathed by Lady Holland to the British Museum.[2]

Lord Holland died on 22 October 1840. After his death, Lady Holland lived at 33 South Street, a property she had inherited from her mother.[2] She continued to entertain, and it was here that the historian John Allen died in 1843.[13] In November of that year she moved to 9 Great Stanhope Street, a property she rented from Lord Palmerston.[2]

Lady Holland died in 1845. By the end of her life, she had become estranged from her children. In his Memoirs, diarist Charles Greville called Lady Holland "a social light which illuminated and adorned England, and even Europe, for half a century".[14]

Introduction of the dahlia

Lady Holland became known for permanently introducing the dahlia to the United Kingdom. An unsuccessful attempt had been made in 1789 by the Marchioness of Bute who brought the plant from Spain, but failed to propagate it.[15] Whilst in Madrid in 1804, Lady Holland was given either dahlia seeds or roots by botanist Antonio José Cavanilles.[16][17] She sent them back to England, to Lord Holland's librarian Mr Buonaiuti at Holland House, who successfully raised the plants.[18] In 1824, Lord Holland sent his wife a note containing the following verse:

"The dahlia you brought to our isle

Your praises for ever shall speak;
Mid gardens as sweet as your smile,

And in colour as bright as your cheek."[19]

Issue

Lady Holland had 11 children, seven of whom survived infancy.

With Sir Godfrey Webster:

  • Godfrey Vassall Webster (1789–1836)
  • a son who died young, born in 1790[2]
  • Henry Vassall Webster (1793–1847)
  • Harriet Frances Webster (1794–1849), married Admiral Fleetwood Pellew, is buried with him in Florence's 'English' Cemetery.
  • a son who died young, born in October 1795[2]

With Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland:

References

  1. ^ a b c d Hartley, Cathy (2003). A historical dictionary of British women. Routledge. pp. 173–174. ISBN 1-85743-228-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wright, C. J. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.
  3. ^ a b The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volumen 17: The Vassalls of New England, p. 126. [retrieved 6 December 2014].
  4. ^ Biography of 3rd Baron Lilford in: The Lilford Estate - Northamptonshire, England [retrieved 6 December 2014].
  5. ^ McCalman, Iain (2001). An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age. Oxford University Press. p. 546. ISBN 0-19-924543-6.
  6. ^ Bevington, Helen Smith (1996). The third and only way. Duke University Press. p. 55. ISBN 0-8223-1850-4.
  7. ^ Smith, Sydney. Wit and wisdom of the Rev. Sydney Smith. p. 89.
  8. ^ Kemble, Frances Anne (2008). Records of Later Life. BiblioBazaar. p. 98. ISBN 0-554-98916-6.
  9. ^ Bradford, Gamaliel (2007). Portraits of Women. READ BOOKS. p. 32. ISBN 1-4067-4591-X.
  10. ^ Sanders, Lloyd (1972). Holland House Circle. Ayer Publishing. p. 61. ISBN 0-405-08915-5.
  11. ^ Malan, A. H. Famous Homes of Great Britain and Their Stories. Adamant Media Corporation. p. 164. ISBN 1-4212-6949-X.
  12. ^ a b Clubbe, John (2005). Byron, Sully, and the power of portraiture. Ashgate Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 0-7546-3814-6.
  13. ^ Lennox, Lady Sarah; Henry Fox Holland (1902). The life and letters of Lady Sarah Lennox. J. Murray.
  14. ^ McCabe, Joseph (1920). A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Rationalists. p. 263. ISBN 1-110-36603-5.
  15. ^ Heriot, James (1836). Journal of Agriculture. W. Blackwood. p. 72.
  16. ^ Forbes, James; John Russell Bedford (1833). Hortus woburnensis. J. Ridgway. p. 246.
  17. ^ Stout, Charles H. (2008). The Amateur's Book of the Dahlia. READ BOOKS. p. 6. ISBN 1-4097-7778-2.
  18. ^ Hogg, Robert (1853). The Dahlia; Its History and Cultivation. Groombidge and sons. p. 5.
  19. ^ Ward, Bobby J. (1999). A contemplation upon flowers. Timber Press. p. 119. ISBN 0-88192-469-5.


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