Lady Sarah Lennox

Lady Sarah Napier (née Lennox, later Bunbury; 14 February 1745 – August 1826) was a British society hostess. Born into great wealth and connections, she was the most notorious of the famous Lennox sisters.

Lady Sarah Lennox
Lady Sarah Bunbury Sacrificing to the Graces by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1765
Born	14 February 1745
Died	August 1826 (aged 81)
Spouses	Sir Charles Bunbury, 6th Baronet ​ ​ (m. 1762; div. 1776)​ Hon. George Napier ​ ​ (m. 1781; died 1804)​
Children	Louisa Bunbury Sir Charles James Napier Emily Napier Sir George Thomas Napier Sir William Francis Patrick Napier Richard Napier Henry Edward Napier Caroline Napier Cecilia Napier
Parents	Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond Sarah Cadogan

Early life

Lady Sarah was the sixth surviving child of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond and his wife Sarah Cadogan, daughter of the 1st Earl Cadogan.^[1][2] She was born into great wealth and connections. Her paternal grandfather, Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, was an illegitimate son of King Charles II. Through this connection, the 1st Duke had been granted many titles in England and France, and perhaps more importantly, wealth through an annuity and a share of certain coal taxes in Newcastle. This coal allocation would become a significant source of the family's wealth, as mining and manufacturing grew during the Industrial Revolution.^[3] The Lennox family's royal connections increased in 1727 when the 2nd Duke and Duchess obtained court appointments under King George II and Queen Caroline.^[4]

Though arranged, her parents had a loving marriage and the family was large; Sarah was one of twelve children, seven of whom survived to adulthood.^[5] Compared to the rigid formality typical of the era, the Lennox family was inseparable and unconstrained.^[6] Young Sarah was considered lively in an already energetic family.^[7] Her father had a great interest in biology and medicine, eventually forming a small menagerie of animals and entertaining prominent scientists at their home, Goodwood House. He also had a passion for the arts, serving as president of several organizations including the Royal Society of Arts.^[8]

By the time Sarah was six years old, however, both of her parents were dead. Consequently, she and her nearest siblings, Louisa and Cecilia, were brought up by their second eldest sister Emily FitzGerald, Countess of Kildare at Carton House in County Kildare, Ireland. As a married woman more than 10 years their senior, Emily acted as both sister and second mother to them.^[2][9]

At age fourteen Sarah returned to London with a dowry of £10,000 to find a worthy husband, staying at Holland House, the home of another sister, Lady Caroline Fox.^[2][10] Described by Caroline as "immensely pretty" and in possession of a "vastly engaging" manner, Sarah was also at first awkward and unsure of her attractions.^[11] She soon gained a reputation for beauty;^[2] her brother-in-law, the politician Henry Fox characterised her as "different from & prettyer than any other girl [he] ever saw... her beauty is not easily described, otherwise by saying she had the finest complexion, most beautiful hair, with a sprightly and fine air, a pretty mouth, remarkably fine teeth & excess of bloom in her cheeks".^[12]

Royal favourite

Sarah had been a favourite of King George II since childhood, often being invited to court with her father and amusing the old king with her energy and playfulness.^[2][13] At the age of fourteen,^[14] she was again invited to appear at court and caught the eye of his grandson George, Prince of Wales (soon to be King George III), who was six years older.^[12] Over a two-year period, he fell in love with her and eventually confided his feelings to his advisor Lord Bute, who replied that marriage with a non-royal spouse was not possible and began looking for a suitable match.^[15] Meanwhile, Henry Fox encouraged her appearances at court, even if it did not end in marriage, hoping he could use the relationship to supplant Bute's influence with the king.^[16] The seventeen-year-old Sarah, flattered by the attention and fond of the newly crowned king, was surprised to learn of his eventual betrothal to Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.^[15] She was not apparently too struck by disappointment; Fox noted that she seemed sadder over the death of her pet squirrel,^[17] and Sarah also wrote in a letter that she had only liked the king, not loved him.^[18] She agreed to be a bridesmaid at their wedding and in later life expressed relief that she had not become queen.^[2]

Marriage to Charles Bunbury

Ladies Sarah Lenox and Susan Strangeways, with Charles James Fox (1762) by Joshua Reynolds.

At the age of seventeen, Lady Sarah began worrying about finding a good match.^{[citation needed]} Her three elder sisters had done well in their marriages.^[7] She was briefly engaged to Lord Newbattle.^[19] Charles Bunbury, the 22-year-old MP for Suffolk, often attended political discussions at Holland House and began courting Lady Sarah. Though the eldest son of a baronet, he was not considered by her family to have a large enough fortune for them to live in fashionable society. Nonetheless, her sister Caroline was ready for her matchmaking duties to be over, and the match was approved. The couple were married on 2 June 1762 at Holland House Chapel. In 1764 he succeeded his father as sixth Baronet.^[2][20]

Upon their marriage, they went to live at Barton Hall, his country estate in Suffolk.^{[citation needed]} Sarah helped her husband's political career and was an effective campaigner. In 1767, she reportedly secured 94 out of 100 votes while canvassing in the borough of Morpeth.^[21] She was a prominent figure and court favourite within London's beau monde, considered one of the beauties of her aristocratic class; she was featured in the 1770s and 1780s within the London Chronicle and The Morning Post, alongside popular figures such as Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.^[22]

However, Sarah's relationship with her husband was difficult; horse racing was Bunbury's primary interest and he was often away attending meetings on the subject.^[23] His emotional distance led her to become anxious for his affection.^[24] She embarked on an affair with Lord William Gordon, the second son of the Duke of Gordon,^[25] and gave birth to his illegitimate daughter on 19 December 1768. The child was not immediately disclaimed by Sir Charles and was named Louisa Bunbury. However, Lady Sarah and Lord William eloped shortly afterwards, in February 1769, taking the infant with them.^{[citation needed]} Sir Charles refused to take her back, and Lady Sarah returned to her brother's house with her child, while her husband introduced into Parliament a motion for a divorce on grounds of adultery, citing her elopement. It was not until 14 May 1776 that the decree of divorce was issued.^[23][26][27]

The affair caused a great scandal and she was effectively banished from polite society. After fleeing with Lord William to Scotland, they soon separated and she returned to live in a small cottage on her family's Goodwood House estate. For twelve years, she lived a self-described "solitary life" that was "sorrowfully confined",^[28] and was initially allowed to only receive close family members as visitors. She reverted to using her maiden name, Lennox.^[29]

Marriage to George Napier

In the late 1770s, Lady Sarah met an impoverished army officer, the Hon. George Napier.^[30] Though her family initially disapproved, the pair married on 27 August 1781, at Goodwood House.^[2][30] They had eight children, three of whom would go on to have distinguished military careers in the British Army.^[2][31]

• General Sir Charles James Napier (10 August 1782–29 August 1853); married Elizabeth Oakeley in April 1827. He married Frances Philipp in 1835.
• Emily Louisa Augusta Napier (11 July 1783–18 March 1863); married Lt.-Gen. Sir Henry Bunbury, 7th Baronet (nephew of her mother's first husband), on 22 September 1830.
• Lieutenant-General Sir George Thomas Napier (30 June 1784–8 September 1855); married Margaret Craig on 22 October 1812. They had five children. He married Frances Blencowe in 1839.
• Lieutenant-General Sir William Francis Patrick Napier KCB (17 December 1785–12 February 1860); married Caroline Fox (granddaughter of his aunt Lady Caroline Fox) on 14 March 1812. They had five children.
• Richard Napier (1787–13 January 1868); married Anna Louisa Stewart, daughter of Sir J. Stewart, in 1817.
• Captain Henry Edward Napier RN (5 March 1789–13 October 1853); married Caroline Bennett. They had three children.
• Caroline Napier (1790–1810); died at the age of twenty.
• Cecilia Napier (1791–1808); died at the age of seventeen.

Later life and legacy

Now known as Lady Sarah Napier, her second marriage allowed her to return to fashionable society, though she never regained her former prominence.^[32] Whilst the marriage was happy, their income was limited. Sarah had a small allowance of £500 from her earlier divorce settlement and requested the assistance of friends and relatives in finding appointments for her husband. The family frequently visited Ireland and eventually lived in Celbridge, near her sister Louisa's estate. After George's death on 13 October 1804, she returned to London. Sarah resided at Cadogan Place, dying there on 26 August 1826 amongst the presence of her surviving children.^[2]

Many years after Sarah's death, Mary and Henry Fox-Strangways edited a two-volume collection of her correspondence. Published in 1901 with the title The Life and Letters of Lady Sarah Lennox, 1745-1826,^[33][34] the publication included nearly 60 years of letters with her close friend Susan Fox-Strangways and others.^[35] In 1971, the writer Priscilla Napier published a biography of Sarah entitled The Sword Dance: Lady Sarah Lennox and the Napiers.^[36] In 1994, the historian Stella Tillyard published a biography of the Lennox sisters, which was later adapted into a six-part series and released in the United Kingdom in 1999. It was called Aristocrats, and Sarah was played by the actress Jodhi May.^[37]