1872, Mary became seriously ill, and by May it was clear that she was dying of stomach cancer. She rallied sufficiently to take a summer tour through the Home Counties with her husband. In November she felt well enough to hold a small dinner party for their close friends; but her condition deteriorated and she died on 15 December, at the age of eighty. "There was no care which she could not mitigate, and no difficulty which she could not face. She was the most cheerful and courageous woman I ever knew" her husband wrote after her death. His great adversary William Gladstone, who had liked Mary, wrote him a letter of condolence. Disraeli, touched by this sympathy from a man who disliked him, replied that "Marriage is the greatest earthly happiness when founded on mutual sympathy." She is buried with Disraeli in a vault in the Church of St Michael and All Angels Church, Hughenden, in Hughenden, Buckinghamshire, close to the Disraeli family home, Hughenden Manor. The house is now in the care of the National Trust, and has been preserved in the state when it was occupied by the Disraelis. It is open to the public as a visitor attraction. Cultural depictions George Arliss became renowned for his portrayal of the man in the 1911 play, Disraeli (which Arliss commissioned), in its 1917 revival, and in the 1921 and 1929 film adaptations. In all four productions, Arliss' wife, Florence Arliss (née Montgomery), appeared in the role of Mary. In The Prime Minister, a 1941 British historical film starring John Gielgud as Disraeli, Mary is portrayed by Diana Wynyard. In the four-part 1978 ATV miniseries Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic, written by David Butler, she is portrayed by Mary Peach, opposite Ian McShane as Disraeli. The miniseries was presented in the U.S. on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre in 1980 and was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series. Arms References Further reading Mollie Hardwick, Mrs Dizzy: The Life of Mary Anne Disraeli, Viscountess Beaconsfield (1972) Daisy Hay, Mr and Mrs Disraeli: A Strange Romance (2015) 1792 births 1872 deaths Disraeli, Mary Beaconsfield, Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Women of the Victorian era Benjamin Disraeli 19th-century Welsh people Burials in Buckinghamshire Hereditary peeresses created by Queen Victoria Wives of knights