Maria Stanley, Baroness Stanley Of Alderley

Maria Josepha Stanley, Baroness Stanley of Alderley (née Holroyd), was born in 1771 and died in 1863. She was a British letter writer and a supporter of liberal causes, associated with the Stanley family. Her parents were Abigail (née Way) and John Baker Holroyd. Her maternal grandfather was Lewis Way, director of the South Sea Company, and her maternal uncle was Benjamin Way. The family resided at Sheffield Park in Sussex, a property acquired by her father following an inheritance from his uncle.

Her father, John Baker Holroyd, was engaged in politics and was elevated to the peerage as Baron Sheffield in 1781 and later became Earl of Sheffield in 1816, both titles being part of the Peerage of Great Britain. In 1783, following the death of his only son at the age of five, he was granted a barony in the Irish peerage—Baron Sheffield of Roscommon—with a special remainder permitting inheritance by his daughters and their descendants. A second son was born in 1802 who inherited the familial titles.

From a young age, Maria Josepha was noted for her intelligence. She and her sister Louise engaged in writing and performing plays, many of which explored themes related to personal choice, such as whether a daughter could select her own marriage partner rather than have it dictated by her parents. At twelve years old, her intelligence drew the attention of Edward Gibbon, a close associate of her father, who proposed to educate her over the following four years.

In 1796, she married Sir John Stanley, 7th Baronet, an explorer known for his voyages to Iceland. They established their residence at Alderley Park in Cheshire, a family estate with origins dating back around two centuries. The estate’s main hall had been damaged by fire in 1779, and in 1818, Maria and her husband commissioned a new hall constructed on a site that was then occupied by Park House. They remained there for approximately fifty years.

Maria and Sir John Stanley had eleven children, with seven daughters and two sons surviving to adulthood. Their children included:

- Hon. Maria Margaret (1797–1882), who died unmarried.

- Hon. Louisa Dorothea (1799–1877), who died unmarried.

- Hon. Isabella Louisa (1801–1839), married Sir William Edward Parry in 1826 and was mother of Edward Parry; she died two days after the birth of twin sons.

- Hon. Lucy Anne (1798–1869), married Marcus Theodore Hare in 1833.

- Hon. Edward John (1802–1869), elder twin brother who inherited the family titles.

- Hon. William Owen (1802–1884), younger twin brother, who was also involved in politics.

- Hon. Harriot Alethea (1804–1888), married General William Henry Scott in 1835.

- Hon. Matilda Abigail (1806–1850), married Henry John Adeane.

- Alfred (1808–1811), who died young.

- Hon. Emmeline (1810–1906), married Albert Way in 1844.

- Elfrida Susannah (1813–1817), who died young.

Maria Josepha Stanley passed away in Shiplake in 1863. Her correspondence from early life was published posthumously in 1896 as *Girlhood of Maria Josepha Holroyd (Lady Stanley of Alderley)*, documenting her early letters.