The Duchess: Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Amanda Foreman

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The 1784 general election saw Georgiana take a surprisingly prominent role, campaigning in the streets and attending meetings. Unusually, this was not in support of a member of her own family, but instead, she was a figurehead for the entire party. Georgiana's feelings clearly showed on her face, while the Duke appeared inscrutable. His new wife may have occupied his thoughts, although they may well have turned to another Spencer. Not very far away in a rented villa, on a discreet road where He did not mean to hurt her, but there was a nine-year age difference between them and a gulf of misunderstanding and misplaced expectations. A completely new form of public architecture appeared, the sole purpose of which was to facilitate social intercourse. Coffee houses—where men of all classes gathered during the day to read newspapers and discuss

Some Old Time Beauties by Thomson Willing Featuring a different version of her picture as well as written material on her reputation. The three lived together - the relationship an open secret - with Bess travelling to the continent to give birth to two illegitimate children, Caroline St Jules (1785-1862) and Sir Augustus Clifford (1788-1877). Initially, the children were fostered out to other families but in later years they were admitted into the family and socialised with their half-siblings. Graves, Henry, & Company. Engravings from the Works of Thomas Gainsborough, R.A.. London, c. 1880: no. 33 (mezzotint by R. B. Parkes, published 1870). Georgiana had entered into marriage thinking that, like her mother, she would be a wife and companion. She soon discovered that her chief role was to produce children and carry out her social obligations. The Duke was used to his bachelor life: love he In 1782 Lady Elizabeth Foster (1759-1824) and Georgiana began a friendship which would last the rest of Georgiana’s life. Elizabeth, known as Bess, became a companion and support to the Duchess but Bess also had a relationship with Duke.also elevated the Duke in her eyes. The Spencers were extremely gratified by the interest he showed in their eldest daughter, and it did not escape Georgiana's notice that she was being watched; she knew that her parents Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire, The Sylph, ed. Jonathan David Gross (Chicago: Northwestern University Press, 2007),

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer; / dʒ ɔːr ˈ dʒ eɪ n ə/ jor- JAY-nə; 7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806), was an English aristocrat, socialite, political organiser, author, and activist. Born into the Spencer family, married into the Cavendish family, she was the first wife of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, and the mother of the 6th Duke of Devonshire.The family travelled around France for a few months and then moved on to Spa, where Georgiana celebrated her sixteenth birthday, in the summer of 1773. They found many friends already there, including the twenty-four-year-old Duke of Devonshire. His family Like her dear friend Marie Antoinette, the Duchess of Devonshire was one of the fashion icons of her time, and her elegantly flashy style made her the leader of fashion in England. Every outfit Georgiana wore, including her hairstyle, was immediately copied by the masses. The fashionable styling of her hair alone reached literally extraordinary heights above her exuberant outfits. [6] During her early forties, the Duchess of Devonshire devoted her time to the coming out of her eldest daughter, Lady Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish. The debutante was presented in 1800, and the Duchess saw her daughter wed Lord Morpeth, the heir apparent of the Earl of Carlisle, in 1801; it was the first and only time the Duchess of Devonshire saw one of her issue marry. [6]

What did the Duke think to Georgiana’s fashion trends? After praising the Duchess’s hair, a newspaper reported that the Duke was happy to support his wife’s fashion choices as long as she did not think it ‘necessary that I should wear any ornament on my head’. In fact, the Duchess was not the first member of the family to employ someone for the purpose of maintaining their hair: the 3rd Earl of Devonshire employed his own barber in 1660. Although a luxury, Georgiana’s hairdresser was an important part of her household and shows that it was not always easy to define who was and who was not a servant. a b c d e f g h i j k Hastings, Chris (9 August 2008). "Princess Diana and the Duchess of Devonshire: Striking similarities". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 . Retrieved 26 June 2014. In modern times, her life's circumstances are seen as an example of female oppression by historical, cultural and legal constructs favoring male interests while denying rights to the female party in a relationship. They have become the subject of scholarly and dramatised works. [3] [24] In literature [ edit ] After nine years of marriage, the Devonshires would celebrate the birth of their first child, Georgiana (1783-1858) known as Little G, who was followed two years later by Harriet (1785-1862), known as Harryo. The sisters were joined by a brother William, known as Hart, who would become the 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858) in 1790.Westminster Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935: "Name: Henry Bouverie William Brand; Marriage Age: Full Age; Marriage Date: 16 April 1838; Marriage Place: St George, Hanover Square; into streets, turned fields into smart squares, and built shops, arcades, and churches on previously empty spaces. By the 1770s modern London was envied throughout Europe for its glass-fronted shops and spacious roads that But where a husband's delicacy and indulgence is so great that he will not say what he likes, the task becomes more difficult, and a wife must use all possible delicacy and ingenuity in trying to find out his inclinations, and the utmost readiness Despite her unhappiness with her detached and philandering husband and volatile marriage, social norms dictated that Georgiana must produce an heir for her extra-marital sexual liaison to be socially acceptable. The first successful pregnancy resulted in the birth of Lady Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish on 12 July 1783. Called "Little G," she would become the Countess of Carlisle and have her own issue. Georgiana developed a strong mothering sentiment raising Charlotte, and she insisted on nursing her own children (contrary to the aristocratic custom of having a wet nurse). [6] On 29 August 1785, a second successful pregnancy resulted in another daughter: Lady Harriet Elizabeth Cavendish, called "Harryo," who would become Countess Granville and have children of her own. Finally, on 21 May 1790, the Duchess gave birth to a male heir to the dukedom: William George Spencer Cavendish, who took the title of Marquess of Hartington at birth, and was called "Hart." He would never marry and would become known as "the bachelor duke." With the birth of the Marquess of Hartington, Georgiana was able to take a lover.

The first of her published literary works was Emma; Or, The Unfortunate Attachment: A Sentimental Novel in 1773. leaving each with the impression that it had been a memorable event. She was "so handsome, so agreeable, so obliging in her manner, that I am quite in love with her," Mrs. Delany burbled to a friend. "I can't myself I should have had more time to have improv'd her understanding and, with God's assistance to have strengthened her principles, and enabled her to avoid the many snares that vice and folly will throw in Eliza had another daughter, named Elizabeth Georgiana, in 1818. This Elizabeth married Henry Bouverie William Brand (1814–1892) in 1838. [6] After a distinguished speakership of the House of Commons, Eliza's husband was created Viscount Hampden; later still he inherited from his brother the Barony of Dacre. Descendants include the present John Dodson, 3rd Baron Monk Bretton; Sarah, Duchess of York and her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and Anthony Brand, 6th Viscount Hampden. Elizabeth Georgiana Brand died on 8 March 1899 at Pelham House, Lewes.

bachelors in London—although Mrs. Delany was mystified as to the reason why. "The Duke's intimate friends say he has sense, and does not want merit," she wrote. But in her opinion he was boring and The aristocratic "season" came into existence not only to further the marriage market but to entertain the upper classes while they carried out their political duties. The season followed the rhythm of Parliament: it began in late October with European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 164, repro. was almost seventeen and preparing to make her entrance into society. Hers was not to be an arranged marriage in the sense of those common a generation before. She was not exchanged in lieu of gambling debts, nor thrown