Martha Ray ( Eng. Martha Ray ; 1742 - April 7, 1779 , London , Kingdom of Great Britain ) - British singer of the " ." Known as a successful singer and for her relationship with John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich . Ray lived with him as a lover from the age of seventeen, while the count's wife suffered from mental illness .
| Martha Ray English Martha ray | |
|---|---|
| basic information | |
| Date of Birth | 1742 |
| Date of death | April 7, 1779 |
| A place of death | London , Kingdom of Great Britain |
| A country | Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Professions | singer |
| Singing voice | |
Life and career
Ray's father was a corsetist , and his mother a servant in a noble house. Martha herself was a student of the modist . A good, smart and talented singer attracted the attention of many representatives of the English nobility . Having become Lord Sandwich’s mistress, Ray settled at his residence in Westminster upon his receipt, receiving from him a generous allowance and permission to stay there during periods when she did not want to live at home. With the help of Lord Sandwich, Ray was able to complete her education. In public, although Sandwich was married, they acted like husband and wife. Marta gave birth to five children, one of whom was , a later famous British lawyer, writer and philanthropist.
In 1775, Ray at Hingingbrook, Lord Sandwich’s estate, met James Hackman, [1] ensign, then lieutenant of the . Hackman became a frequent visitor, and is believed to have suggested that Ray several times marry him, but she refused each time. By this time, Sandwich was deeply in debt. It is believed that although Sandwich was financially generous with Ray, he did not offer her long-term financial support, perhaps this led to the fact that Ray did not break off relations with Hackman.
In 1779, Hackman left the British Army to become the deacon of the English Church . At some point, presumably around 1778, Ray and Hackman’s relationship became romantic, but not for long because she believed that he did not have enough money and social status to support her. However, Hackman was still in love with Ray, becoming more and more jealous and starting to pursue her.
Murder
On April 7, 1779, in the company of a close friend, singer , Ray left his home to attend the performance of the ballad opera and Thomas Arn 's . [1] That night, Hackman approached her, but when she refused to tell where she was going, he followed her to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden , where he shot her. After the murder, he tried to shoot himself, but only wounded himself and was arrested. At the trial, lawyers tried to protect their client by declaring the cause of the murder "temporary insanity." [1] They claimed that Hackman had succumbed to a sudden and “irresistible impulse” when he saw in front of his eyes in Covent Garden Ray met with William Hunter, Baron Colraine , whom he mistook for a new lover. Whether Ray and Hunger had an affair was never established. Lord Sandwich was devastated by her death. On April 14, two days after Martha Ray’s funeral, Hackman was sentenced to be hanged . The execution took place on April 19 at the confluence of a large crowd in Tyburn (County Middlesex ).
The events surrounding the murder of Martha Ray were used in popular novel (1780) and in Gilbert Burgess’s book, The Love Letters of Mr. X and Miss P 1775-1779 ( The Love Letters of Mr. H and Miss R 1775-1779 ), actually an edited version of Croft's novel. [one]
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 John Brewer. Fatal Triangle . ' Smithsonian ' (May 2005).
Literature
- Martin Levy (2004), Love and Madness: The Murder of Martha Ray, Mistress of the Fourth Earl of Sandwich , Harper & Brothers ( ISBN 0-06-055975-6 )
- John Brewer (2005), A Sentimental Murder: Love and Madness in the Eighteenth Century , Farrar, Straus and Giroux ( ISBN 0-374-52977-9 )