Portrait of Mrs Delany, from her autobiography edited by Lady Llanover, 1861

Description

Engraving of Mary Granville (Mrs Delany), dated 1782, from an original portrait by John Opie which was in the possession of Lady Llanover.

Mary Granville (1700-88) (the future Mrs Delany) was born at Coulston, Wiltshire, the daugher of an aristocratic and influential family. She married Alexander Pendarves, an elderly MP in 1718 but he died in 1725 and Mary moved to London where she became a familiar face at public and social functions. In 1743 she married Patrick Delany, an Irish Anglican cleric. She died in 1788 at Windsor Castle. During her lifetime Mary had been a prolific writer of letter and corresponded regularly with her family and friends. She was the great-aunt of Lady Llanover (Augusta Hall, neé Waddington) (1802-96).