Lady Louisa Stuart (12 August 1757 – 4 August 1851) was a British writer of the 18th and 19th centuries. Her long life spanned nearly ninety-four years.
Early life
Stuart was one of the six daughters of
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British Tory statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He became the ...
(1713–1792), who at the time of her birth in 1757 was the closest friend of the future
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
. Her mother was Mary Stuart, Countess of Bute (1718–1794). Lord and Lady Bute also had five sons. Although Bute was Scottish, he spent much of his time at his grand London house in
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, ...
.
[Graham, Harry, ocelyn Henry C. Graham ''A Group of Scottish Women'' (New York, Duffield & Co., 1908) Chapter XVIII online a]
Lady Louisa Stuart (1757–1851)
at electricscotland.com (accessed 20 February 2008) In 1762, he bought the estate of
Luton Hoo
Luton Hoo is an English country house and estate near Luton in Bedfordshire and Harpenden in Hertfordshire. Most of the estate lies within the civil parish of Hyde, Bedfordshire. The Saxon word Hoo means the spur of a hill, and is more comm ...
in Bedfordshire.
George III came to the throne in 1760, and in 1762 his friend Bute became prime minister. As a statesman, Bute was massively unpopular with the English, for a variety of reasons. He was a Scot, a Royal favourite, and a handsome man who was lampooned for his vanity, and was constantly the butt of biting political satire, scandal, and gossip. This included frequent allegations of an affair with
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg ( – 8 February 1772) was Princess of Wales by marriage to Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain, George II. She never became queen consort, as Freder ...
(1719–1772), the widow of
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis, German: ''Friedrich Ludwig''; 31 January 1707 – 31 March 1751) was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen C ...
. Bute's ministry fell in 1763, when his daughter Louisa was five years old, and Bute retired from public life to Luton Hoo and thereafter devoted himself to
botany
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
, horticulture and other country pursuits.
[
Stuart's mother, the Countess of Bute, was herself the daughter of the famous writer and traveller ]Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English aristocrat, medical pioneer, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Mary married Edward Wortley Montagu, ...
(1689–1762).[
By the time she was ten, Stuart had begun to follow in the footsteps of her writer grandmother. She had begun a French novel and had also started planning a Roman play. She felt threatened by her brothers, who teased her about her learning.][Miller, Karl, ''Stuart, Lady Louisa (1757–1851), writer'' in '']Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
'', Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, September 2004
online edition
January 2006 (subscription required) accessed 29 February 2008
With her mother, the young Lady Louisa Stuart attended the ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...
s, rout
A rout is a Panic, panicked, disorderly and Military discipline, undisciplined withdrawal (military), retreat of troops from a battlefield, following a collapse in a given unit's discipline, command authority, unit cohesion and combat morale ...
s and soirée
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
s of London society, but she also followed the literature of the day and corresponded with friends. She had great powers of observation from an early age, and a manuscript notebook survives in which she describes her circle.[
]Fanny Burney
Frances Burney (13 June 1752 – 6 January 1840), also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay, was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. In 1786–1790 she held the post of "Keeper of the Robes" to Charlotte of Mecklen ...
often met Lady Bute and her daughter Lady Louisa and described Lady Bute as "forbidding to strangers", but entertaining and lively among friends.[ Burney writes of mother and daughter on one occasion:][''Diary and Letters of Madame D’Arblay'', vol. III, p. 463]
On another occasion, in 1786, Burney found both Stuart and her mother at the house of Mary Delany
Mary Delany, earlier Mary Pendarves ( Granville; 14 May 1700 – 15 April 1788) was an English artist, letter-writer, and bluestocking, known for her "paper-mosaicks", botanic drawing, needlework and her lively correspondence.
Early life
Mary ...
after a return from the spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...
town of Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
and writes that they were:[
]
Brothers and sisters
Louisa's own brothers included John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute
John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute Privy Council of Great Britain, PC, Royal Society, FRS (30 June 1744 – 16 November 1814), styled Lord Mount Stuart until 1792 and known as the Earl of Bute between 1792 and 1794, was a British nobleman, coa ...
(1744–1814), a Tory
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
Member of Parliament from 1766 to 1776, later a Privy Councillor and a Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
; The Hon. Sir Charles Stuart (1753–1801), a soldier who saw active service in the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
and the Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
and rose to the rank of lieutenant-general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...
; The Most Rev. and Hon. William Stuart (1755–1822), a clergyman who became Archbishop of Armagh
The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...
, and James Archibald Stuart
Colonel James Archibald Stuart, later Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie (19 September 1747 – 1 March 1818), British politician and soldier, was the second son of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute and his wife Mary Stuart, Countess of Bute.
On 8 June 1767 ...
(1747–1818), another soldier who raised the 92nd Regiment of Foot in 1779.[ Cokayne, George Edward, '']The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant
''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''); first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition revi ...
''
Her sisters were Lady Mary Stuart (c. 1741 – 1824), who married James Lowther, later the 1st Earl of Lonsdale
Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784 (becoming extinct in 1802), and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowth ...
; Lady Anne Stuart (born c. 1745), who married Lord Warkworth, later the 2nd Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of N ...
; Lady Jane Stuart (c. 1748 – 1828), who married George Macartney, later the first Earl Macartney; and Lady Caroline Stuart (before 1763–1813), who married The Hon. John Dawson, later first Earl of Portarlington
Earl of Portarlington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1785 for John Dawson, 2nd Viscount Carlow, who had earlier represented Portarlington in the Irish House of Commons. He was the son of William Dawson, 1st Viscount C ...
.[
]
Disappointment in love
In 1770, at the age of thirteen, Lady Louisa fell in love with her second cousin, William Medows
General Sir William Medows KB (31 December 1738 – 14 November 1813) was a British Army officer. He entered the army in 1756 and saw action in North America, the Cape, and India. In 1788 he was appointed Governor of Bombay, transferring to beco ...
(1738–1813), the son of Philip Medows of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, Deputy Ranger of Richmond Park
Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...
, and of Lady Frances Pierrepont, who like Louisa's mother was a granddaughter of Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull, ( 16655 March 1726) was an English aristocrat.
He was born at West Dean, Wiltshire, the third son of Robert Pierrepont of Thoresby, Nottinghamshire (son of William Pierrepont ), and h ...
. Medows was then a thirty-one-year-old lieutenant-colonel of the 5th Regiment of Foot
Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five.
Fifth or The Fifth may refer to:
* Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth"
* Fifth Avenue
* Fifth column, a political term
* Fifth disease, a cont ...
, and Lord Bute considered him unsuitable and put a stop to it.[ Lady Louisa was bitterly disappointed with her father's decision, writing glowingly of her cousin:
Later the same year, Medows married another lady, Frances Augusta Hammerton, and went on to become a ]Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...
, a Knight of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
, and Governor-General
Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
of Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
.
Stuart was not a beautiful woman. Fanny Burney
Frances Burney (13 June 1752 – 6 January 1840), also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay, was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. In 1786–1790 she held the post of "Keeper of the Robes" to Charlotte of Mecklen ...
wrote of her in 1786:
Louisa Stuart does not seem to have fallen in love again, but she had at least two other pursuers. Her next was Henry Dundas
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, Privy Council (United Kingdom), PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1791 to 1794 and First Lord of the Ad ...
(1742–1811), member of parliament for Midlothian
Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
and Lord Advocate
His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate (), is the principal legal adviser of both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolution, devolved powers of the Scottish P ...
of Scotland, later created Viscount Melville
Viscount Melville, of Melville in the County of Edinburgh, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
Origins
The title was created on 24 December 1802 for the notable lawyer and politician Henry Dundas. He was created Baron Dunira, ...
. Dundas was a gallant and good-looking man who had been married but was legally separated from his wife. His devotion worried the Bute family, but it turned out to be brief and merely amused Lady Louisa. Her last serious suitor was John Charles Villiers (1757–1838). He was the second son of Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon
Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (1709 – 11 December 1786) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British politician and diplomat from the Villiers family.
Clarendon was the second son of William Villie ...
, and for a time overwhelmed Stuart with his admiration. Her parents encouraged the match, and she was tempted, but she finally decided that a "love match without any love is but a bad business". As a result, she never married.[ In 1791, Villiers married his cousin Maria Eleanor Forbes, a daughter of Admiral John Forbes, and in old age he inherited the family's titles and estates from his older brother ]Thomas Villiers, 2nd Earl of Clarendon
Thomas Villiers, 2nd Earl of Clarendon (25 December 1753 – 7 March 1824), known as Lord Hyde from 1776 to 1786, was a British peer and Tory Member of Parliament from the Villiers family.
Life
Clarendon was the eldest son of Thomas Villiers, ...
(1753–1824), who never married.
When the Earl of Strafford
Earl of Strafford is a title that has been created three times in English and British history.
The first creation was in the Peerage of England in January 1640 for Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, the 1st Viscount Wentworth, the clo ...
(1722–1791) was widowed in 1785, society gossip quickly linked his name with Stuart's, leading Lady Diana Beauclerk to remark "So Lady Louisa Stuart is going to marry her great-grandfather, is she?" However, Stuart looked on Strafford merely as an elderly uncle, and not as a suitor, and he for his part did nothing to promote such an alliance.[
Stuart later became a close friend of the novelist and poet ]Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
(1771–1832), a friendship that lasted from the 1790s until Scott's death in 1832. Scott regularly sent Stuart his work for her opinion, describing her as the best critic of his acquaintance.[
]
Work
For fear of losing caste
A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...
as a lady of quality, Stuart had no wish to see anything she had written published under her name, and it was not until 1895, more than forty years after her death, that this happened.[''The Cambridge History of English and American Literature'' in 18 Volumes (1907–21), Volume XI: The Period of the French Revolution XV The Bluestockings]
§3 Mrs Montagu
online at bartleby.com (accessed 2 March 2008) Lockhart's ''Life of Scott'' (1837–1838) had contained several of Sir Walter Scott's letters to Stuart.[ In a letter to his publisher Robert Cadell, Scott writes "I trust you have received the printed sheets of Lady Louisa Stuart, but for your life mention other name."
Much of Stuart's writing is still in the form of unpublished memoirs and letters, mostly addressed to women,][ but interest in her as an observer of her times began to increase towards the end of the nineteenth century. Between 1895 and 1898, Mrs Godfrey Clark edited and published three volumes of Stuart's work called ''Gleanings from an Old Portfolio (Correspondence of Lady Louisa Stuart)'', and the Hon. James A. Home followed these with ''Lady Louisa Stuart: Selections from her Manuscripts'' (New York & London: Harper Brothers, 1899) and with two volumes of ''Letters of Lady Louisa Stuart to Miss Louisa Clinton'', published in Edinburgh in 1901 and 1903.][Looser, ''op. cit.'', p. 60]
Stuart's memoir of Lady Mary Coke
Lady Mary Coke (6 February 1727 – 30 September 1811) was an English noblewoman known for her letters and private journal. She made pointed observations of people in her circle and political figures. Although not intended for publication, an ed ...
, written in 1827, represents Coke as a virtuous woman suffering from a brutal husband, but also as a tragedy queen subject to paranoia
Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of co ...
.[ Her essay ''Biographical Anecdotes of Lady M. W. Montagu'' (published anonymously as an introduction to the 1837 edition of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's ''Letters and Works'') focusses largely on the work and political position of Lady Mary's husband Edward Wortley Montagu, giving Stuart the chance to air her own views on Wortley Montagu, Walpole, Harley, Halifax, and the Whigs and ]Tories
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The T ...
generally, demonstrating her own loyalty to the side of the Tories. Devoney Looser considers that Stuart (whom she calls "the socially correct octogenarian") was troubled by her grandmother's focus on sexual intrigues and says that Stuart did not see Lady Mary's ''Account of the Court of George I at his Accession'' as history.
Conscious of Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
's, Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...
's and Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
's poetry, Stuart wrote verses of her own, including fable
Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...
s and a ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
about cannibal
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecology, ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well ...
brothers and what happens to an unfortunate woman who has married for money.[
Stuart was not a ]Bluestocking
''Bluestocking'' (also spaced blue-stocking or blue stockings) is a Pejorative, derogatory term for an educated, intellectual woman, originally a member of the 18th-century Blue Stockings Society from England led by the hostess and critic El ...
, and although her writing has a dash of malicious humour, it lacks their mutual admiration. She had a great lady's fine scorn for Elizabeth Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu (née Robinson; 2 October 1718 – 25 August 1800) was a British social reformer, patron of the arts, salonnière, literary critic and writer, who helped to organize and lead the Blue Stockings Society. Her parents were bot ...
's habit of welcoming into society those born outside its pale, and she ridiculed "college geniuses with nothing but a book in their pockets".[ She wrote "The only blue stocking meetings which I myself ever attended were those at Mrs Walsingham's and Mrs Montagu's. To frequent the latter, however, was to drink at the fountain-head".
Jill Rubenstein describes Stuart as "Tory to the bone, never having forgiven the pain inflicted on her father by the scurrilous personal attacks of Wilkes and others" and compares her politics to those of ]Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
, "a principled and consistent conservatism".
Professor Karl Miller, in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
'', praises Stuart's "magnificent pieces of writing". He also reports on her inconsistencies. On the matter of the emancipation of women, she was both for and against it, and while she favoured the old order in politics and had an aversion to the mob, she also admired "unadorned human worth". Miller calls Stuart "the least-known, but by no means the least, of the good writers of her long lifetime".[
]
Later life
In her later years, Stuart took a house in London at 108, Gloucester Place
Gloucester Place is a street in Marylebone in Central London. Located in the City of Westminster, it runs north from Portman Square across the Marylebone Road eventually merging into Park Road. It is parallel to Baker Street to the east and form ...
, Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...
, and from there she walked in Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...
. At home, she would sit with her books, and although something of a recluse, on occasion she was also highly sociable. She destroyed many of her manuscripts, but continued to write letters and to talk and to visit great houses.[ A few months before her death, she was sketched by Sir George Hayter,][ and died at home in London on 4 August 1851.][
]
Obituary
A paragraph on Stuart's death appeared in the Obituary pages of ''The Gentleman's Magazine
''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term ''m ...
'' for September 1851:
By mistake, a shorter version of this notice appeared again in ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' Obituary pages for December 1851, preceded by the date "Oct. 4.". Much the same obituary appeared in the annual ''The Musical World'' for 1851, but by then Stuart's age had been corrected to "aged nearly ninety-four". The quarterly ''The Eclectic Magazine'' for September to December 1851 had the same correction and reported Stuart's death together with that of Harriet Lee under the heading ''DEATH OF LITERARY LADIES''. ''The Annual Register
''The Annual Register'' (originally subtitled "A View of the History, Politicks and Literature of the Year ...") is a long-established reference work, written and published each year, which records and analyses the year's major events, developmen ...
'' for 1851 carried a shorter version of the obituary, repeating the mistake of listing Stuart's death as on 4 October.
Bibliography
By Stuart
*''Biographical Anecdotes'' y Lady Louisa Stuart, published anonymouslyis one of three introductions to the 1837 edition of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English aristocrat, medical pioneer, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Mary married Edward Wortley Montagu, ...
's ''Letters and Works''
*''Gleanings from an Old Portfolio (Correspondence of Lady Louisa Stuart)'', ed. Mrs Godfrey Clark (3 volumes, privately printed, 1895–1898)
*''Lady Louisa Stuart: Selections from her Manuscripts'', ed. the Hon. James A. Home (New York & London: Harper Brothers, 1899)
*''Letters of Lady Louisa Stuart to Miss Louisa Clinton'', ed. the Hon. James A. Home (Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 2 volumes, 1901 and 1903)[
*''The Letters of Lady Louisa Stuart, selected and with an Introduction by R. Brimley Johnson'' (London, John Lane The Bodley Head, 1926)
*''Memoire of Frances, Lady Douglas'' (Edinburgh and London, Scottish Academic Press, 1985)
]
About Stuart
*Harry Graham, ''Lady Louisa Stuart (1757–1851)'', Chapter XVIII of ''A Group of Scottish Women'' (New York, Duffield & Co., 1908)
*Susan Buchan, ''Lady Louisa Stuart: Her Memories and Portraits'' (London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1932, 275 pages, illustrated, with fold-out genealogical table)
*Professor Karl Miller, ''Authors'' (1989): a collection of essays on authors, most living, some of whose work is relevant to the question of what authors mean to their readers. The book centres on the memorial writings of Louisa Stuart and Primo Levi
Primo Michele Levi (; 31 July 1919 – 11 April 1987) was a Jewish Italian chemist, partisan, Holocaust survivor and writer. He was the author of several books, collections of short stories, essays, poems and one novel. His best-known works i ...
.[Miller, Karl, ''Authors'' (Clarendon Press, 1989, 240 pp., )]
*Karl Miller, ''Stuart, Lady Louisa (1757–1851)'' in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
'' (2004, revised for online edition 2006).[
]
Portraits
Few portraits of Stuart survive. In 1770, Johann Zoffany
Johan / Johann Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy, and India. His works appear in many prominent British collections ...
painted her with her sisters, and this group portrait was used for the cover of Karl Miller's ''Authors'' (1989). A portrait of Stuart as a young woman by Mrs Mee is reproduced in James Home's ''Lady Louisa Stuart: Selections from her Manuscripts'' (1899) and is currently in the collection of Helen Storey, as is a locket containing a lock of her hair.[ An oil sketch of Stuart in 1851 by ]George Hayter
Sir George Hayter (17 December 1792 – 18 January 1871) was an England, English Painting, painter, specialising in portraits and large works involving sometimes several hundred individual portraits. Queen Victoria appreciated his merits and app ...
[ was used to illustrate the chapter on her in Harry Graham's ''A Group of Scottish Women'' (1908), and was then in the collection of a Lieutenant-Colonel Clinton.][See caption to illustration at Lady Louisa Stuart by George Hayter] A chalk sketch by J. Hayter dated 1837 is in a private collection.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, Louisa
1757 births
1851 deaths
Daughters of Scottish earls
Daughters of barons
Children of prime ministers of Great Britain
English letter writers
English women letter writers
Women letter writers
18th-century English writers
19th-century English writers
18th-century English women writers
19th-century English women writers
Louisa
18th-century British letter writers
19th-century British letter writers