Maria Rebecca Bouverie ^33,34

  General Notes:

From The Times, 9 October 1844

Ireland
(from our own correspondent)
Dublin, Oct. 7

Death Of Lady Heytesbury

This melancholy event took place at a few minutes before 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, at the Viceregal Lodge, in the Phoenix Park, but the intelligence was not made public until a more advanced hour in the evening.
At 8 o'clock the death-bells of the Cathedrals of Christ Church and St. Patrick's commenced pealing, and continued at intervals throughout the evening.
The sad result has cast the deepest gloom over the city. A similar event has not taken place for a period of nearly a quarter of a century, when the Countess Talbot died during her noble husband's viceroyalty.
In immediate attendance on her last moments were, his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, his brother, the Hon. E.H. A'Court, M.P. for Tamworth, captain in the navy; her son, the Hon. W.H. Ashe A'Court Holmes, M.P. for the Isle of Wight; the Hon. Miss A'Court, daughter, and Mrs. Pennett, sister, of the late Baroness.
The late Baroness was second daughter of the late Hon. William Henry Bouverie, and grand-daughter to the Earl of Radnor; she was born in 1783.


From The Times, 14 October 1844

Ireland
(from our own correspondent)
Dublin, Oct. 12

Funeral of Lady Heytesbury

The mortal remains of the lamented Baroness Heytesbury were conveyed last night from the Viceregal Lodge in the Park to the North Wall Quay, where Her Majesty's steamer Meteor, Lieutenant Butler, R.N., was in waiting to convey them to Bristol.
The body of the deceased was deposited in a mahogany shell, lined with white satin; over this was a strong encasement of lead, and the outer coffin was composed of oak, covered with superfine black cloth, and richly mounted with gilt nails, breast-plate, &c. On the breast-plate was the following inscription:-

"Mary (sic) Rebecca,
Wife of the Right Hon. William A'Court,
Baron Heytesbury, G.C.B.,
Died October 6th, 1844,
In her 61st year"

"At 8 o'clock," says the Freeman, "the melancholy cortège took its departure from the Viceregal Lodge, Phoenix Park. The coffin was placed in a hearse drawn by six horses, and attended by 12 mates habited in mourning cloaks, and bearing lamps containing large wax-lights. In the mourning carriage which came immediately after were seated Captain A'Court, the brother, and Mr. A'Court Holmes, the son of his Excellency, together with Colonel Bowles, and Mr. A'Court, his Excellency's private secretary. The family carriage, with drawn blinds, next followed, and brought up the rear of the funeral, which was strictly private. It proceeded at a slow pace through the Park Gate, leading to the Circular Road, Seville Place, Sheriff Street, thence to the North Wall, where it arrived at 10 o'clock. The coffin was taken on board Her Majesty's steamer Meteor, Captain Butler commanding, and having been placed in the state cabin, was in a few minutes afterwards on its way across the Channel. His Excellency did not accompany the procession. The time of arrival at Bristol, it is calculated, will be about 2 o'clock a.m., on Sunday. On reaching that place the remains will be conveyed through Bath to the family burying-place at Heytesbury, a distance of 30 miles. Notwithstanding all the efforts which have been made to keep the funeral private, it is expected that the chief portion of the tenantry on the Heytesbury estates will meet it at Bristol.
A body of police, under the command of an inspector, was in attendance at the North Wall. Owing to the privacy with which the arrangements were conducted, and the lateness of the hour, there were but very few spectators present. The only remains of his Excellency's family that accompanied the remains to England were Mr. A'Court Holmes and Mr. A'Court.



Inscription found in Heytesbury Church:

In the family vault near this place lie the remains of Maria Rebecca
Lady Heytesbury and daughter of the The Honourable William Henry
Bouverie and the Lady Bridget his wife daughter of James 14th Earl of
Morton. She was born October 5 1785 and died at the Vice-Regal lodge
near Dublin October 6 1844. Deeply regretted by her family and
endeared to the recollections of the inhabitants of this parish by the
gentleness of her demeanor and extensive benevolence.
Also those of William Lord Heytesbury one of her majesty's most
honourable privy council Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
and a Baronet. He was born at Salisbury July 11 1779 and after many
years spent in the diplomatic service of the country and after filling
the high office of Viceroy of Ireland departed this life May 31st
1860.

  Noted events in her life were:

1. She appeared on the census in 1841 in 53 Queen Ann Street, Marylebone, London.

Maria married William à Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury, son of William Peirce Ashe à Court, 1st Baronet and Laetitia Wyndham, on 30 October 1808 in St. George's Hanover Square, London. (William à Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury was born on 11 July 1779 in The Close, Salisbury, christened on 22 September 1779 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, died on 31 May 1860 in Heytesbury House, Heytesbury, Wiltshire ¹³ and was buried in 1860 in Heytesbury, Wiltshire.)