Love letter, Lady Mary Rich, 1673

Lady Mary was the daughter of Robert, 3rd Earl of Warwick. After the death of her parents, she, along with her two sisters, was cared for by her uncle Charles, who succeeded to the title, and his wife Mary, Countess of Warwick.

The Countess arranged marriages for her nieces, and for Mary she chose Henry St.John, the son of Sir Walter and Lady Johanna St.John.

Mary and Henry were married on 11 December 1673 at Lees Chapel, Felstead, Essex.

Mary died at the age of twenty-seven on 18 September 1678 at Lydiard Tregoze, following the birth of a son. She is buried in St. Mary's Church.

The love letter dates from before her marriage to Henry, sometime between the summer and December of 1673. Although an arranged marriage there seems to have been real affection between the couple.