Lady Isabella Stanhope was the second child of
William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington and
Lady Caroline FitzRoy, a daughter of
Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton. She was an older sister of
Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington. According to the memoirs of
Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven, Lady Isabella refused the hand of the
Duke of Fitz-James. On 27 November 1768 she married
Charles Molyneux, 8th Viscount Molyneux, the future
1st Earl of Sefton in the
Peerage of Ireland. On 18 September 1772 Lady Sefton gave birth to a son, the future
2nd Earl of Sefton. , circa 1768) She was painted by notable painters including
Catherine Read and
Thomas Gainsborough, and engraved by the artist
James Watson. A portrait of her by Gainsborough was unveiled at the inaugural exhibit of the
Royal Academy of Art. A poem written in 1768 by
Temple Luttrell, son of
Simon Luttrell, 1st Earl of Carhampton, titled
Ode to Lady Isabella Stanshope on Her Birthday, was dedicated to her. == References ==