[2][3] Her parents had six daughters, and one son, who would become George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, after changing his surname when he married the heiress Anne Richards, a legatee of Sir Thomas Dunk.
[5] Though unacceptable for unmarried women to live alone in the period, Lady Bab, who suffered from a serious heart condition, was unsuited for marriage, or taking residence with any of her sisters, as she could not bear the hectic pace of court life.
[2] In 1748 Montagu met Sarah Scott, an English novelist and translator, who was the daughter of Elizabeth (née Drake) and Matthew Robinson, both from distinguished Yorkshire families.
The separation agreement left Sarah with only a small allowance, as her husband returned only a portion of her dowry, making the pooling of the women's resources a necessity.
[9][10] Among the women in their community, which included Elizabeth Cutts, Sarah Fielding and possibly Jane Collier, was an agreement that they would support each other psychologically and financially, so that they did not become dependent on others.
[11] For example, Lady Bab paid for the publishing of a book, The Histories of Some of the Penitents in the Magdalen House, as Supposed to Be Related by Themselves which was printed anonymously in 1759 so that its royalties might support the author.