| Amelia Byron, Baroness Conyers | |
| Birth Name: | Lady Amelia d'Arcy |
| Birth Date: | 12 October 1754 |
| Death Place: | Mayfair, London |
| Parents: | Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness Mary Doublet |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | George Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds Mary Pelham, Countess of Chichester Francis Osborne, 1st Baron Godolphin Hon. Augusta Leigh |
Amelia Byron, Baroness Conyers, 12th Baroness Darcy de Knayth, 9th Baroness Conyers, 5th Countess of Mértola (née Lady Amelia Darcy; 12 October 1754 - 27 January 1784), known as the Marchioness of Carmarthen from 1773–9, was a British peer and a Portuguese countess. She is best known for eloping with John "Mad Jack" Byron, father of Lord Byron.
Lady Amelia was the only surviving child of Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, and his wife, the former Mary Doublet. Her portrait was painted in about 1764 by François-Hubert Drouais.[1]
On 29 November 1773, Lady Amelia married Francis Osborne, Marquess of Carmarthen, in London,[2] and they had three children:
In early 1777, Lady Amelia's mother, Lady Holderness, broke off relations with her daughter after the Carmarthens gave shelter to Richard Glover (son of the poet), a friend of Lord Carmarthen, when he eloped with one of the daughters of Solomon Dayrolles.[3]
On 16 May 1778, as the only surviving child of her father, Lady Amelia succeeded de jure to the titles of 12th Baroness Darcy de Knayth and 9th Baroness Conyers in her own right, and to the Portuguese countship of Mértola. Her right to the baronies of Darcy de Knayth and Conyers was eventually confirmed in 1798, long after her death.
In December 1778, Lady Carmarthen's marriage ended when she ran off with Captain John "Mad Jack" Byron. The previous month, Byron visited her at home in Grosvenor Square when her husband was absent, and they began an affair.[4] [5] Lord and Lady Carmarthen were divorced on 31 May 1779.[6] Almost immediately after the divorce, Lady Conyers, as she was styled, married Byron. They had three children:
A year after the birth of the last child, Lady Conyers died following a lingering illness at her home at Upper Brook Street, Mayfair.[9] Her titles were inherited by her eldest son, George. By his second wife, her widower became the father of the poet, Lord Byron.[10]