Mary Elizabeth Nugent, wife of Nugent Buckingham. See family tree. 

• Father: Eldest daughter and co-heiress of Robert, Viscount Clare, of Carlanstown, Kilbeg, Meath, Ireland. Afterwards Lord Nugent. He was a politician and a poet. Robert married in succession three wealthy widows this led to Horace Walpole inventing the new word ‘nugentize’ to describe this desirable practice.
• Mother: Elizabeth Drax, countess dowager of Berkeley (3rd wife of Robert)

Born about 1758, Dublin. Married George Grenville (Nugent Buckingham): 16 April 1775, aged 16.

Children

• 1) Richard: born 20 March 1776; later 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
• 2) George Nugent: born 30 Dec 1788; later Baron Nugent
• 3) Mary: died in infancy on 10 April 1792
• 4) Mary Anne: born 8 July 1787; married 26 February 1811 to Hon. James Edward Arundell, afterwards tenth Baron Arundell of Wardour; died 1 June 1854 (according to DNB) or 2 July 1845 (according to Hirst); no children.

The children were raised in the Anglican faith, but Mary Anne converted to Catholicism in 1810. 

Gosfield

Mary inherited Gosfield and the Nugent Barony and Gosfield Hall on her father's death. She was lucky to inherit these. Robert Nugent had a son, Edmund, by his first wife, Lady Emilia Plunkett (who died giving birth to Edmund). Edmund had two sons and the eldest of these would have inherited the title. However, on Edmund's death in 1771, his marriage arrangements were found to be flawed and his sons were declared illegitimate. As a result, 12 year old Mary became an heiress. 

Mary Nugent and Nugent Buckingham did not make any significant alterations to Gosfield Hall or its grounds. However, they established a school for the poor children of Gosfield parish, paid the governess's salary, gave a weekly dole to around 20 poor villagers, and paid for a dinner every Sunday for the schoolchildren and paupers. They also introduced the straw hat plaiting industry into the area, but not with immediate success:

To make the first miserably-coarse bungled straw was a great effort, and as nobody would buy them, Lady Buckingham decorated one with a ribbon, and wore it in sight of the whole village. The Marquis went to church in another and laid it during the service in the full sight of the whole congregation. But it was no easy matter to introduce the fashion among the farmer's daughters and others. [1807; quoted in MHA.]

The industry eventually became established. 

Catholicism

Mary converted to Catholicism in 1772. Her daughter later wrote that at the time of Mary's conversion:

Most of the penal laws against Catholics were still in force; priests dared not to appear publicly; for saying Mass a priest incurred the penalty of death; and the individual at whose house it could be proved that Mass had been celebrated suffered forfeiture and transportation for life. (Hirst, p1).

Mary's piety was described by Edward Jerningham in 1805. 

Art

Mary was a skilled musician and painter—she studied under Sir Joshua Reynolds. She painted a number of family portraits, including:

• Lady Anne Grenville, only daughter of Thomas Pitt
• Richard Temple, 1st Duke, when a boy.

Death

Mary died at 11 o'clock on the evening of 16 March 1812 (BRO D-FR/42/13/?) at Buckingham House and is buried at Wotton.

This description of her death appeared in Gentleman’s Magazine, March 1812, p292. 

[...] Her Ladyship possessed considerable talent in her drawings and painting, many of which decorate the superb mansion at Stowe. But the chief trait in her character was he charity and benevolence of which the instances are without number […] She had complained of an increasing illness of Light unattended by any other symptom of illness, and had come to town the week preceding to consult the best oculists as well as her own Physicians, on the state of her eyes. She had been out every fore noon, and appeared perfectly well in health till Sunday evening when she was seized with an acute pain in her head, and the next morning her physicians, considering her in danger dispatched an express to the Marquis who was on his road from Stowe and had reached Oxbridge, when he was met with the heart rending tidings of her death. It will be easier to imagine than describe the depth of affliction in which his Lordship and all the family are involved. (This transcription is taken from HEH STO 1074 (Box 10).)

Her death was also described by Edward Jerningham. 

Notes

See also:

• Biographical sketch in La Belle Assemblee, January 1812
• Portrait of Mary Nugent at Stowe