Second Marriage of Elizabeth Dominick, Dowager Baroness Saint George?

[Paul Theroff]

I wonder whether anyone has any information about a second marriage for Elizabeth, née Dominick, widow since January 1775 of George St. George [formerly Usher], Baron Saint George of Hatley Saint George.

The Complete Peerage, which usually mentions known marriages of widows of Peers, does not mention any subsequent marriage.

"He m. 18 July 1752, Elizabeth, da. and h . of Christopher DOMINICK, of Dublin. He d. s.p.m.s.(c ) Jan. 1775 when the peerage became extinct. His widow d. in Dublin , 26 Feb. 1813 , in her 81st year."

However, Lady Louisa Conolly, writing to her sister the Dowager Duchess of Leinster, mentions a "Chevalier de la Tour" a couple times as being together with the Dowager Lady St. George already in October 1775.

"Lady St George and the Chevalier de la Tour received me most graciously, and said all sorts of proper and fine things. Lady St George, I think, is a pretty woman, and very pleasing in her manner, and the Chevalier an unaffected, agreeable foreigner."

footnote in the Leinster Correspondence: "Elizabeth, heiress of Christopher Dominick, Esq., and widow of Usher St George, Lord St George ; married, for the 2nd time, the Chevalier de la Tour." [But it does not say whether they were already married when these 1775 letters were written.]

In another letter:

"And so I shall quit that subject to tell you that the Chevalier de la Tour, My Lady and Miss made me a visit at Castletown the other morning... Mr Conolly is vastly taken with the Chevalier ; he seems agreeable."

These mentions were in connection with the forthcoming marriage of Lady St. George's daughter to the 2nd Duke of Leinster.

Does anyone know whether Lady St. George did remarry, and the identity of the Chevalier?

[Paul Theroff]

Lady St. George definitely married "the Chevalier" before the end of 1775, so less than a year after Lord St. George's death.

Lady Louisa Conolly wrote to the Dowager Duchess, 23 November 1775:

"I wish mightily I could peep into the St Georges' opinion, as 'tis natural to suppose that the little Duches will be influenced by them, and William of course by her. My Lady St George, who has been condemned by some for her marriage, may think it right to defend yours. On the other hand, the Chevalier may counteract that, by his foreign high notions of blood ; and the little Duchess, whom I have a notion is sensible, perhaps will be wise enough to see that she cannot possibly do a thing that would be more to her credit than behaving kindly to you, and I think must see, that that will be her best way of making herself agreeable to her husband's family. "

[Paul Theroff]

It was not so unusual in those days for a widow to re-marry so soon. The Dowager Duchess of Leinster had herself married less that a year after the Duke died.