Mary Catherine Stanley

Background

Daughter of George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De Louisiana Warr.

Career

Lord Sackville Arthur Cecil (16 March 1848 – 29 January 1898)

Lady Mary Arabella Arthur Cecil (26 April 1850 – 18 August 1903), married Alan Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway

Lady Margaret Elizabeth Cecil (1850 – 11 March 1919)

Lord Arthur Cecil (3 July 1851 – 16 July 1913)

Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Lionel Cecil (21 March 1853 – 13 January 1901)

Lady Mary remarried Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby in 1870. She was heavily involved in Victorian politics. Her father was a friend of the Duchess of Kent which meant she was part of Victoria"s circle while growing up.

As a result of her strong family connections, while she was married to the marquess of Salisbury, she turned their house, Hatfield House, into a strong Tory base.

Frequent visitors to the home were Lord Carnarvon, Disraeli, and Hugh Cairns. She influenced Cabinet members and foreign ambassadors at times a matter of some concern.

Her letters were gathered in a book Her papers are also available through the national archives.

She was a well enough known figure to have been mentioned by Virginia Woolf in Orlando: A Biography.

Connections

Friend:

Charles Darwin