Maria Coventry, Countess of Coventry

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Maria Coventry, Countess of Coventry (1733–September 30, 1760) was a famous London beauty and society hostess during the reign of King George II.

[edit] Early life

Born Maria Gunning, she was born in Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire, the daughter of John Gunning of Castle Coote and his wife, Bridget (a daughter of the 6th Viscount Mayo) and the elder sister of Elizabeth Gunning. Though her beginnings were humble, Maria Gunning would go on to become one of the most celebrated beauties of her day. [1]

The family was relatively poor and when the two sisters came of age, their mother urged them to take up acting to earn a living. They then travelled to Dublin, and were befriended by actress Peg Woffington, and worked for some time in the city's theatres. For women, the theatrical stage was not yet a stepping-stone to becoming the wife of a noble, and acting was not considered a respectable field. Many actresses of the time doubled as courtesans to wealthy benefactors, many maintaining that lifestyle for long lengths of time, while others used that simply as a means to hopefully obtain a wealthy husband. So the girls were encouraged to attend social events to attract potential suitors.

One such event was held at Dublin Castle by the Viscountess Petersham. However, the two sisters did not have any dresses for the gathering until Tom Sheridan, manager of one of the theatres the young women had acted in, supplied two costumes from the green room, namely Lady Macbeth and Juliet, and they were presented to the Earl of Harrington, the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The two sisters then travelled to London in 1751 from Ireland and starred in many West End shows and at New Spring Gardens, as well as being presented at the Royal Court. In both environments, crowds and courtiers would clamber to see both sisters and they became celebrities within months.

Within a year, her sister had married the Duke of Hamilton. [2] In March 1752, Maria married the 6th Earl of Coventry and became the Countess of Coventry. For their honeymoon, the Earl and Countess travelled around Europe accompanied by Lady Petersham, but neither ladies enjoyed it much, especially Maria who particularly disliked Paris. The Countess's ignorance of the French language and her husband's decision not to allow her to wear red powder as makeup (which was fashionable in Paris at the time) intensified her dislike of the city and the trip. On one occasion, her husband saw her arrive at dinner with powder on her face and tried to rub it off with his handkerchief.

Maria's popularity and beauty was such, that on her return to London, she was mobbed when she appeared in Hyde Park and was eventually given a guard by the King, led by the Earl of Pembroke. Her husband became involved with then famous courtesan Kitty Fisher, which caused Maria much stress. Of one occasion , Giustiniana Wynne, visiting London at the time, wrote:

"The other day they ran into each other in the park and Lady Coventry asked Kitty the name of the dressmaker who had made her dress. Kitty Fisher answered she had better ask Lord Coventry as he had given her the dress as a gift."

Maria, also, became involved in at least one affair. She was rumored to have been involved romantically with the 3rd Duke of Grafton, but this was never confirmed beyond a doubt. [3]

[edit] Untimely death

She continued to utilize heavy makeup, simply because it was stylish. Had she paid heed to her husband's actions against her wearing lead-based makeup in Paris for the rest of her days, her death eight years later (at the age of 27) may not have been so untimely. However, throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, it was fashionable for ladies to have pale white skins and red rouged cheeks and use lead as a basis for their makeup. It was the noxious effects of the lead which caused skin eruptions (which also encouraged ladies to powder their skins more vigorously to mask their blemishes) and eventually blood-poisoning which killed Maria on September 30, 1760.