Emily Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury

The marchioness's eccentricity was frequently remarked upon, in particular her style of dress; her clothes were often of her own design.

[1] Emily Cecil was born in Dublin[2] as Mary Amelia Hill, the daughter of Wills Hill, 2nd Viscount Hillsborough (later the first Marquess of Downshire), and his first wife, Margaretta Fitzgerald (1729–1766), sister of James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster.

Her father was the Secretary of State for the Colonies under Lord North from 1768 to 1772, a critical period leading toward the American War of Independence.

[5] The couple had four children: Following her husband's death, Lady Salisbury continued to live with her son and grandchildren at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, where she died in a fire on 27 November 1835 at the age of eighty-five.

[7] It was thought that feathers in her hat caught alight when she was at her writing-desk and caused the conflagration.