Lady Sarah Lennox

Lady Sarah Lennox
Lady Sarah Bunbury Sacrificing to the Graces by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1765
Born14 February 1745
DiedAugust 1826 (aged 81)
Spouses
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(m. 1762; div. 1776)​
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(m. 1781; died 1804)​
Children
Parents

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 of the Georgian era.

During her first London season, she drew the eye of the future King George III. He hoped to marry her but was eventually persuaded that a non-royal match was impossible. Sarah married Charles Bunbury; it was unhappy and she scandalously had a child and eloped with her lover, Lord William Gordon. Bunbury eventually divorced her, a rarity for the time period. Her subsequent fall from grace led to her exile from fashionable society. She later married a second time and had eight children, three of whom became prominent officers in the British Army.

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. The Duke's will dictated that she and her nearest siblings, Louisa and Cecilia, would be brought up by their second eldest sister Emily FitzGerald, Countess of Kildare, who lived 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]

In 1759, the fourteen-year-old Sarah returned to London for her first season. Provided with a dowry of £10,000 to find a worthy husband, she stayed at Holland House, the home of her eldest 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] Soon after her arrival in London, she was again invited to appear at court. There, she caught the eye of his twenty-one-year-old grandson George, Prince of Wales.[12][14] 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 impossible 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 prince or at least advance himself to an earldom.[16][17] In response, part of Bute's objection to Sarah as a royal bride was that her elevation would bring increased power to Fox and the rest of her family at Bute's expense.[18] His mother, the Dowager Princess of Wales, also opposed the match.[2]

The seventeen-year-old Sarah was flattered by the attention and fond of the prince. In October 1760, King George II died and his grandson ascended the throne as King George III. The newly crowned king was still interested in Sarah, hinting to her close friend Susan Fox-Strangways that he wanted an English queen and that Sarah would be a worthy candidate.[15] However, a year after George's ascension, the Privy Council announced his engagement to Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.[19] George's piousness and virtue precluded him from taking Sarah as a mistress.[20]

Sarah was surprised and embarrassed to learn of his betrothal, feeling that she had been deceived and upset that she "look[ed] like a fool".[15] She was not apparently too struck by disappointment; Fox observed that she seemed sadder over the death of her pet squirrel,[21] and Sarah also noted in a letter that she had only liked the king, not loved him.[22] She was one of the ten bridesmaids who carried Charlotte's train at their wedding,[23][24] and in later life expressed relief that she had not become queen.[2]

Marriage to Charles Bunbury

The situation with the king now over, Caroline began looking for a suitable marriage candidate for her sister. Sarah's self-confidence was low and she began worrying about finding a good match, as her three elder sisters had.[25][7] By the end of the London season in 1761, the most suitable options – such as the Duke of Marlborough – had moved on to others or ruled out by her. However, another prospect, considered handsome and witty, emerged at the end of that year.[26] Charles Bunbury, the 22-year-old MP for Suffolk, often attended political discussions at Holland House and began courting her. 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, Caroline was ready for her matchmaking duties to be over, and the match was approved. The couple were married on 2 June 1762 in Holland House's chapel.[27]

Upon their marriage, they went to live at Barton Hall, his country estate in Suffolk. In 1764 Bunbury succeeded his father as sixth Baronet.[2] 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.[28] 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 the Duchess of Devonshire.[29]

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 topic.[30] His emotional distance led her to become anxious for his affection.[31][32] She soon embarked on an affair with Lord William Gordon, the second son of the Duke of Gordon,[33] 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. 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.[30][34] Divorces were rare in the 18th-century and required an Act of Parliament.[35] Her sister Louisa was relieved that the divorce coincided with the bigamy trial of Elizabeth Chudleigh.[35]

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",[36] and was initially allowed to only receive close family members as visitors. She reverted to using her maiden name, Lennox.[37]

Marriage to George Napier

In the late 1770s, Lady Sarah met the Hon. George Napier, an impoverished army officer and younger son of the Scottish peer Francis Napier, 6th Lord Napier.[24][38] After the death of his wife, the pair married on 27 August 1781 at Goodwood House, despite the initial disapproval of her family.[2][38] They had eight children, three of whom would go on to have distinguished military careers in the British Army.[2][39]

  • 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.

Sarah had a warm relationship with her Napier children, striving to be a friend whom they could confide in, rather than dictating their actions.[40] Sarah's first child, Louisa Bunbury, also lived with them. After suffering from a long illness, Louisa died of consumption at the age of seventeen, shortly after the birth of Sarah's third son. The grieving mother found solace in religion, praising her daughter's "angellick disposition" and writing that "her death carried up my thoughts to that Heaven where I know she is".[41]

Later life and legacy

Now Lady Sarah Napier, her second marriage allowed her to return to fashionable society but she never regained her former prominence.[42] The marriage was happy,[24][43] though they had a limited income; Sarah possessed a small annual allowance of £500 from her divorce settlement and often requested the assistance of friends and relatives in finding military appointments for her husband. The Napiers frequently visited Ireland, where they briefly lived with her wealthy sister Louisa Conolly.[2] Louisa's husband, Thomas, eventually bought the growing family a modest home in Celbridge and rented it out to them.[44]

George's health worsened and he died on 13 October 1804 at the age of fifty-three.[45] His death devastated Sarah, who wrote "I have lost him who made me like this world. It is now a dreary expanse... while he lived, I saw all objects through the medium of my own happiness."[46] Sarah returned to London.[2] George's will had left her nearly everything, including his debts.[24][47] She sought financial assistance from King George, who in 1805 granted her a pension of £800 – nearly 50 years after his early courtship.[23][43] Sarah resided at Cadogan Place, dying there on 26 August 1826 amongst the presence of her surviving children.[2]

Sarah was notorious. The historian Andrew Roberts refers to her as "one of the great femmes fatales of the era".[48] 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,[49][50] the publication included nearly 60 years of letters with her close friend Susan Fox-Strangways and others.[51] In 1971, the writer Priscilla Napier published a biography of Sarah entitled The Sword Dance: Lady Sarah Lennox and the Napiers.[52] 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.[53]

References

  1. ^ Tillyard 1994, p. 13.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Richey 2008.
  3. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 8–9.
  4. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 12–13.
  5. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 11–15.
  6. ^ Waller 2009.
  7. ^ a b Hadlow 2015, p. 120.
  8. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 15–16.
  9. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 76, 94.
  10. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 76, 108–10.
  11. ^ Tillyard 1994, p. 110.
  12. ^ a b Hibbert 1998, p. 30.
  13. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 108–09.
  14. ^ Tillyard 1994, p. 111.
  15. ^ a b c Tillyard 1994, pp. 108–119.
  16. ^ Hibbert 1998, p. 37.
  17. ^ Tillyard 1994, p. 117.
  18. ^ Tillyard 1994, p. 115.
  19. ^ Hibbert 1998, p. 40.
  20. ^ Roberts 2021, pp. 47–8.
  21. ^ Hibbert 1998, pp. 38–9.
  22. ^ Hadlow 2015, p. 125.
  23. ^ a b Hibbert 1998, p. 39.
  24. ^ a b c d Stearn 2004.
  25. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 121–2.
  26. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 121–3.
  27. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 122–26.
  28. ^ Schneid Lewis 2003, p. 46.
  29. ^ Grieg 2013, pp. 168, 184–187, 197.
  30. ^ a b Randall 2004.
  31. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 127–29.
  32. ^ Stone 1977, p. 239.
  33. ^ Grieg 2013, p. 198.
  34. ^ Beasley 2017, pp. 15–16.
  35. ^ a b Johnston-Liik 2006, p. 61.
  36. ^ Grieg 2013, p. 99.
  37. ^ Grieg 2013, pp. 197–200.
  38. ^ a b Grieg 2013, p. 201.
  39. ^ Burke 1883, p. 958.
  40. ^ Stone 1977, p. 288.
  41. ^ Lennox 1901, pp. 56–7.
  42. ^ Grieg 2013, pp. 202–03.
  43. ^ a b Beasley 2017, p. 3.
  44. ^ Beasley 2017, p. 7.
  45. ^ Tillyard 1994, pp. 357–58.
  46. ^ Tillyard 1994, p. 358.
  47. ^ Tillyard 1994, p. 359.
  48. ^ Roberts 2021, p. 48.
  49. ^ "The Life and Letters of Lady Sarah Lennox, 1745-1826". National Library of Ireland. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  50. ^ Quarterly Review 1902, p. 274.
  51. ^ Lennox 1901, pp. viii–ix.
  52. ^ "The Sword Dance: Lady Sarah Lennox and the Napiers". National Library of Ireland. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  53. ^ King, Susan (10 October 1999). "Letters to My Sisters". LA Times. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
Works cited
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