CONTENTS

SECTION I

THE EARLY LIFE OF MARY AND AGNES BERRY

(1763-1789)

PAGE

Mary Berry's Notes of Early Life-Her silence concerning her father's

forebears-Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe states that her maternal

grandfather was a tailor-Her great-uncle Ferguson's career-His

childless marriage-His sister's sons, Robert and William, his natural

heirs-Robert Berry's early life-His marriage with Miss Seton

alienates his uncle-The birth of Mary and Agnes Berry-The

death of Mrs. Robert Berry-Ferguson wishes Robert Berry to

marry again-His refusal brings about a breach between them-

William Berry is informed that he, not Robert, will be his uncle's

heir-Mary Berry's life-long bitterness at the loss of fortune-Robert

Berry's weakness of character-The girls live with their grandmother

in Yorkshire-Robert Berry rents College House, Chiswick-His

daughters' education-Sir George and Lady Cayley-Mary Berry's

first suitor-The death of Ferguson-Robert Berry's legacy-Mary

Berry's dissatisfaction-a tour in the west of England-A visit to

Weymouth-With the Craufords at Rotterdam-A Dutch tour-

Switzerland and Italy -An autobiographical passage-Florence-

Sir Horace Mann-Turin-Rome-Naples-Montpellier-Paris-

Return to England-The Berrys after their return from abroad

-Their meeting with Horace Walpole-Their acquaintance with

him ripens into intimacy-Walpole's account of them-His affection

for the sisters-He laughs at the discrepancy in age between him

and them-Mary his favourite-He writes his Reminiscences of the

Courts of George I and George II for their entertainment-He

dedicates to them his Catalogue of Strawberry Hill-He introduces

them to the Conways-Caroline, Lady Aylesbury-Anne Seymour

Conway-Her artistic instincts-Ceracchi's statue of her as the

Muse of Sculpture-Her marriage with the Hon. John Damer-

Damer's extravagance-He commits suicide-Lady Sarah Lennox

on the ill-fated marriage-Lord Milton's brutal behaviour to his

daughter-in-law, Mrs. Damer-Mrs. Damer goes to her father's

house-She goes abroad-She rents a house in Sackville Street-

Lady Sarah Lennox's pen-portrait of her-Mrs. Damer's later life. 3

SECTION II

THE BERRYS ABROAD (October 1790 to November 1791)

Mary Berry's Memoranda for 1790-1-The sisters correspond regularly

with Horace Walpole-His letters-His affection for them-His

longing for their company-He refuses their offer to return-His

jealousy of their friends-Unpublished correspondence of Mrs.

Damer and Mary Berry-The Berrys depart for Italy-Mrs. Damer's

devotion to Mary Berry-Dr. George Fordyce-M. and Mme. de

Boufflers-Edward Jerningham, the charming man” — Lady

Melbourne-Mrs. Damer winters abroad-Lady Elizabeth Foster

-Mrs. Cholmeley-General Charles O'Hara-The Duke and

Duchess of Richmond-Lady Bristol-Giardini-Richard Cosway

-The Countess of Albany, wife of "The Young Pretender "-An

accident to Mary Berry-Her ill-health-The rivalry between the

French and English captains of passenger-vessels at Calais-

Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France-Horace Walpole's

jealousy-Mrs. Elizabeth Hervey-Mrs. Buller-Cicero's Letters--

Lucan-Lady Aylesbury-Mrs. Damer's studio-She falls from the

scaffold-Protestations of friendship-Lady Duncannon-Mrs.

Damer slandered in the Newspapers-William Combe expresses his

desire to apologise for his statements-Lady Mount Edgcumbe

Mrs. Damer's statue of George III-The fate of the French Royal

family-Lady Mary Churchill-Walpole's indignation that the

Countess of Albany does not recognise the Berrys' name-The

Countess of Albany and Alfieri-Lady Frederick Campbell-Lady

Craven-Walpole suffers from rheumatism-Foolish paragraphs

in the World-Edward Topham-Mrs. Damer at Felpham-

Horace Walpole desires the Berrys to live at Cliveden after their

return to England-The Countess of Albany proposes to visit

Scotland-Lord Frederick Campbell-Mrs. Damer and her mother

-Madame de Cambis-Walpole's anxiety about the Berrys return-

ing via France-His appeal to them to alter their projected route-

Field-Marshal Conway-German inns-The Berrys' carriage breaks

down near Bologna

PAGE

23

SECTION III

THE BERRYS AT LITTLE STRAWBERRY HILL

(1792-1794)

The Berrys return to England-Horace Walpole desires them to live at

Little Strawberry Hill-Kitty Clive-Walpole's lines to her-A

newspaper attack on the Berrys-Mary Berry thereupon decides not

to live at Little Strawberry Hill-Walpole eventually persuades her

to do so-Walpole succeeds to the earldom of Orford-His distress

thereat-A false rumour that he proposed marriage to Mary Berry

-A proposal of marriage to Anne Seymour Damer-William

Augustus Fawkener-Correspondence between Mary Berry and

Mrs. Damer concerning the proposed marriage--The Berrys at Sir

George Cayley's-Lord Orford unwell-Lady Aylesbury-The

Berrys at Scarborough-Lord Hartington-Field-Marshal Conway

-Jerningham's play, The Siege of Berwick-" Pretty Mrs. Stanhope"

-Captain Nugent-Lord Moira and the expedition to Brittany-

Admiral Lord Howe-Mrs. Damer's bust of Miss Berry-William

Combe-The Berrys in Yorkshire-They return to Little Straw-

berry Hill-Agnes Berry at Cheltenham-Mary and Mr. Berry at

Park Place The Berrys at Prospect House, Isle of Thanet-The

Greatheads-Mrs. Damer at Goodwood-Her new town house-

Professor Playfair-Miss Berry's play.

88

SECTION IV

THE LOVE-STORY OF MARY BERRY (1795-1796)

Mary Berry in love at sixteen-Her one serious love-affair-General

Charles O'Hara-His early career-He first meets Mary Berry-

His further career-At Gibraltar and Toulon-Imprisoned in the

Luxembourg-On his return proposes to Mary Berry-She accepts

him-The engagement kept a secret from all but Mrs. Damer-

The death of Field-Marshal the Hon. H. S. Conway-Correspond-

ence, mainly concerning O'Hara, between Mrs. Damer and Mary

Berry-Agnes Berry's love-affair-The departure of O'Hara to

take up the Governorship of Gibraltar—a pen-portrait of O'Hara

at Gibraltar-Mary Berry's reasons for not marrying him before

his departure-The breaking off of the engagement-Mary Berry's

regrets after forty years

PAGE

.134

SECTION V

THE BERRYS AT HOME AND ON THE CONTINENT

(1797-1803)

The death of Mrs. Damer's half-sister, the Duchess of Richmond-

Horace Walpole's illness and death-Mary Berry's account of his

last days—His will-Mary Berry edits his collected works-The

Berrys and Mrs. Damer in 1798-9-The Hon. Caroline Howe-She

is mentioned in Walpole's Letters-An appreciation of her by Mary

Berry-At Strawberry Hill-Mrs. Damer's private theatricals-The

production by amateurs of Mary Berry's comedy, Fashionable

Friends-The cast-Joanna Baillie-The play well received-The

author determines to secure a public representation-The second

Viscount Palmerston-The Peace of Amiens-Mary Berry and Mrs.

Damer visit Paris-Berthier, Cambacérès, Macdonald, Fouché,

Masséna, Mme. Récamier, Mme. de Staël, &c.-Presented to

Madame Buonaparte-Napoleon Buonaparte-Fashionable Friends

produced at Drury Lane-The Berrys go abroad in October 1802-

At Nice-The death of Caroline, Lady Aylesbury-Mme. de

Staremberg-Amateur theatricals at The Priory-Correspondence

with Lord Hartington and Mrs. Damer-The propects of a new

war-Death of the Duke of Bridgewater-His will-Reported death

of "Old Q."-Sir William Hamilton's estate-Bridgewater House. 196

SECTION VI

MARY AND AGNES BERRY IN SOCIETY (1804-1816)

Agnes Berry's engagement to her cousin-It is broken off-Agnes Berry's

illness-Miss Kate Perry's appreciation of her-The salon in Curzon

Street-Some frequenters-Mary Berry and Sam Rogers-"The

Dead Dandy"-The Berrys receive everybody and go everywhere-

Parties at Tunbridge Wells-Paul Amsinck, Master of the Cere-

monies-A game of whist—Mary Berry presented to the Princess

PAGE

of Wales-Her Royal Highness at Strawberry Hill-An intimacy
springs up between the Princess and Mary Berry-The Battle of
Vimiera-The Hon. Caroline Howe-Lady Charlotte Campbell—
Mary Berry's edition of the letters of Madame du Deffand-The
Rev. Sydney Smith-The Rev. G. O. Cambridge-Lord Carlisle-
Lord Dudley-The Hon. Mrs. Damer-Mary Berry at Wimpole,
Christmas 1811-Agnes Berry to Mary Berry-Lady Charlotte
Campbell's letters-The assassination of Spencer Percival-The
grief of the Princess of Wales-The Battle of Salamanca-The
Princess of Wales visits the Berrys at Tunbridge Wells, August 1812
-Little Strawberry Hill leased to Alderman Wood-The Berrys in
London, 1812-1815-Mary Berry goes to Paris in 1816 to stay
with the Hardwickes-Sir Charles and Lady Stuart-Her corres-
pondence with her sister-John William Ward-Lord Rosebery-
The Greffulhes-Sir Robert Wilson's trial-Admiral Linois and
General Boyer-Mdlle. George-Talma―The Duke of Wellington
--Mdlle. Duchenois-The Duc de Richelieu-Pozzo di Borgo-
Talleyrand-Mdlle. Mars-French society-Henry Luttrell-A
letter from Maria Edgeworth-Letters from Mary to Agnes Berry. 286

SECTION VII

THE LATER LIFE OF THE BERRYS (1817-1852) The Berrys at Genoa-Society in that town-The Duke of DevonshireLord John Russell-The letters of Lady Russell-The death of Lady Glenbervie The death of Robert Berry-Mrs. Damer's tribute to him-The death of Madame de Staël-Lucca BathsProfessor Playfair-Lady Carlisle-The death of Princess Charlotte -Lady Charlotte Campbell's second marriage-John WhishawThe publication of The Life and Letters of Rachel, Lady RussellThe Countess of Albany-Lady Hardwicke-Lord Colchester-The Berrys' movements, 1822-5-They move to Curzon Street-Mary Berry begins to prepare her edition of the correspondence of Horace Walpole-Lady Charlotte Lindsay-The Comparative View of Social Life in France and England-The death of Mrs. DamerLord Dover-The Reform Bill-"The quiet of gunpowder' Macaulay-Richard Westmacott, R.A.-English art in 1834Charades-The Berrys at Paris in 1834-Harriet, Lady Granville -William Beckford's Italy, with Sketches of Spain and PortugalBuckingham Palace-The Duke of Sutherland-The resignation of Sir Robert Peel, 1835-Lord Melbourne again becomes Prime Minister-Lord Jeffrey-Lord Carlisle on Jesse's George Selwyn and his Contemporaries-Sarah Austin-Madame Récamier-The Duchesse de Praslin-Chateaubriand-Stratford Canning-The state of Europe in 1848-Kate Perry-Dean Milman-RuskinLast years-Death of Agnes Berry-Death of Mary BerryEpitaph.

382

ILLUSTRATIONS

MARY BERRY AND AGNES BERRY. From miniatures by George Engleheart in the Pierpont Morgan Collection. From a photograph lent by Dr. Williamson .

FACING
PAGE

Frontispiece

JOHN WILLIAM WARD, FIRST EARL OF DUDLEY. From a contemporary sketch by E. Berens

ΙΟ

14

Horace WalpoLE. From an engraving by T. Evans after Lawrence
THE HONBLE. MRS. DAMER. From an engraving by Hopwood after a
dainting by G. C.

LADY SARAH LENNOX. From a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds
EDWARD JERNINGHAM. From an engraving by F. Thomson after
Shee. From the Collection of John Lane.

LADY DUNCANNON. From an engraving by Mackenzie after Walker
in the Collection of A. M. Broadley, Esq.
LADY CHARLOTTE CAMPBELL. From an engraving by G. Wilkin
after Hoppner.

MRS. CLIVE'S HOUSE AT TWICKENHAM. (CLIVEDEN OR LITTLE
STRAWBERRY HILL.) From an engraving in the Collection of A.
M. Broadley, Esq., by H. S. Storer, from the original drawing by
the same artist.

ORIGINAL DRAWING FOR MRS. DAMER'S BOOKPLATE BY AGNES
BERRY. Reproduced by kind permission of Mr. Tregaskis

JOHN PLAYFAIR, F.R.S. From an engraving by R. Cooper after
Raeburn. From the Collection of John Lane .

MARY BERRY. From the Collection of A. M. Broadley, Esq.
Madame de STAËL

20

22

26

42

50

888

104

THE SIXTH DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE. From an engraving by Edward
Scriven after G. Hayter.

MARY BERRY. From a contemporary engraving in the “Town and
Country Magazine" in the Collection of A. M. Broadley, Esq.
SAMUEL ROgers. From an engraving by C. W. Sherborn after
Hoppner in the Collection of A. M. Broadley, Esq. .

x vii