Marguerite Blessington was an Irish writer who was born in
Knockbrit, County Tipperary on September 1, 1789. She was well known for both
her beauty and her intellect as well as her writing. She had six siblings, and
her father, an Irish squire, was harsh towards all seven children.
When she was 14, her father forced her to marry Capt.
Maurice St. Leger Farmer, who was a sadist who harmed her. Her father chose him
as Marguerite’s husband because of his position and wealth. At the time, Farmer
was stationed at Clonmel. Farmer went abroad and Blessington refused to go with
him. In 1817, while imprisoned at King’s Bench prison for an assault related to
a drunken quarrel, Farmer jumped out of a window to his death.
In the meantime, Blessington lived between Dublin and
London. When Blessington was 20, she was painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence. After
a difficult first marriage, Marguerite married the Earl of Blessington in 1818.
While the Earl had a home in County Tyrone, Blessington preferred to stay in
his London mansion.
Together, they traveled across Europe, which allowed
Marguerite to cultivate a love of art and literature. She published two books
based on her observations from her travels: “The Idler in Italy” and “The Idler
in France.”
When her husband died in 1829, she moved to London and
continued her love of learning, surrounding herself with intellectual people. She
established English salons: one at Seamore Place in Westminster and another at
Gore House in Kensington.
She wrote her “Journal of Conversations with Lord Byron” in
1832, which is one of Blessington’s most known books. From there, she went on
to publish 12 novels. Aside from the books she published, she contributed to
various newspapers, including “The Daily News.”
Due to family circumstances dealing with finances with her
step daughter’s husband, Count d’Orsay, Blessington relocated to France with
d’Orsay in 1849. She died a few days later on June 2, 1849 at the age of 59.
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