This particular lady a Duchess of Devonshire,
was a famous figure in British society in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In 1757, she was born into the Spencer family
but would marry the Duke of Devonshire in 1774 and became a leading figure
in London society.
She was known for her beauty, fashion sense and her stormy personal life.
In addition to being a trendsetter and a patron of the arts,
she was also politically active and was a strong advocate for the Whig party.
Despite her social and political achievements,
her personal life was marked by scandal and tragedy.
She struggled with gambling and debt, and her marriage to the Duke was turbulent.
So join me now as we look back on the fascinating story
of Georgiana Spencer, also known as The Duchess.
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Her parents, John
Spencer and Margaret, welcomed their first child, Miss Georgiana
Spencer, on 7 June 1757 at
the Spencer family house, Althorp. Upon the birth of her daughter,
Lady Spencer wrote, “I will own and I am so partial
to my Dear little Gee that I think I never shall love another so
well.” The couple had two other children, Henrietta (Harriet)
and George, the youngest.
John would establish the Spencer family home in London’s St.
James’s neighbourhood, where he and his wife and children grew up.
Georgiana and her siblings were brought up in a happily married household,
which was unusual for the time.
On Georgiana’s seventeenth birthday, 7 June 1774 she married the most
eligible bachelor of her day, the 5th Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish.
The ceremony and reception were held in the Wimbledon Parish Church.
Only her parents, her paternal grandmother Lady Cowper,
one of her future brothers-in-law, and her future sister-in-law,
the Duchess of Portland, were present at the intimate ceremony.
Yet her parents were disheartened to see her marry one of the country’s
most influential and wealthy men, but they had little choice.
The reason being her parents doted on their children
and were anxious to see them leave the home.
Her father, who had always been loving toward his children, wrote to her,
“My Dearest Georgiana, I did not know till lately how much I loved you;
I miss you more every day and every hour.” The Duke of Devonshire,
affectionately known as “the Duke” by his friends and family,
was never able to satisfy Georgiana’s emotional requirements.
Both parties shared little interests or values.
Rarely spending time with her, in the evening’s
he preferred to spend his time playing cards.
Disbelief always arose whenever the Duke’s extramarital affairs
resulted in a miscarriage or the couple failed to have a male heir.
These were not just one off’s;
he continued his dalliances throughout their marriage.
The Duke eventually did have an illegitimate daughter named Charlotte
Williams with his one-time mistress and milliner, Charlotte Spencer.
The Duchess later learned about this well after marrying the Duke.
Charlotte’s mother had passed away, which left Georgiana now
responsible for the upbringing of this child.
Lady Spencer, Georgiana’s mother, disapproved of Charlotte, saying,
“I hope you have not talked of her to people.”
Yet Georgiana was “quite happy” with Charlotte.
and said “She is the greatest humoured little thing
you ever saw.”
Georgiana met Lady
Elizabeth Foster, commonly referred to as “Bess,” in the City
of Bath in 1782 while on a short break from London with the Duke.
After Bess’s divorce left her and her two children homeless,
she and Georgina became good friends.
In light of the strong friendship between the two women and Lady Elizabeth’s
precarious situation, Georgiana consented
to have her move in with them with the Duke’s blessing.
However, it wouldn’t take long
before the Duke started engaging in sexual relations with Lady Elizabeth;
they formed a ménage à trois and arranged for her to move in with them permanently.
While it was customary for upper-class men to have mistresses,
it was not normal for a mistress to live openly with a married couple.
In addition, Georgiana had been extremely lonely
ever since she wed the Duke, so when she met Lady Elizabeth, whom
she thought would be the perfect friend, she grew emotionally reliant on her.
Without any other choice, the Duchess helped
facilitate Elizabeth’s affair with her husband, the Duke.
However, while the Duke and Lady Elizabeth had a sexual relationship,
there is little proof of anything more than emotional reliance and a specific
and genuine fondness on Georgiana’s part.
Georgiana told Bess in one letter, “Dear Bess!
Can you hear my heart’s scream for help?
Can you fathom how it hurts for me to be removed from you?” On
the other hand, Bess was green with envy and desired her place.
Though Bess may have been envious of Georgiana, she did love her.
Years later, when Elizabeth passed away, a locket
with Georgiana’s hair was found around her neck.
Lady Elizabeth “engineered” her way into a sexual connection with the Duke,
taking advantage of the Duchess’s affection and dependence on her.
Although history records that while involved in the “love triangle”
with the Duke and Duchess, Lady Elizabeth had intercourse with other men.
However, a daughter named Caroline and a son named Augustus
were born illegitimately to Lady Elizabeth and the Duke.
It was possibly the final straw for Georgiana, who was incredibly unhappy
in her marriage to her emotionally distant and philandering husband.
Still, she could not have an affair without having children
because that was against the rules of society at the time.
But her first successful pregnancy culminated on 12 July
with the birth of Lady Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish.
Since parenting Charlotte, Georgiana
developed a strong mothering emotion and insisted on nursing her children
contrary to the aristocratic habit of having a wet nurse.
Another child followed this time, Lady Harriet Elizabeth Cavendish,
who was born on 29 August 1785,
the product of a second successful pregnancy.
Finally, the Duchess gave birth to a male heir
to the dukedom: on 21 May 1790,
William George Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, was born
and was dubbed “Hart.” However, he was forever regarded
as “the bachelor duke” since he never settled down with anyone.
Once the Hart was born, Georgiana was free to have an affair.
Although the exact timing of Georgiana’s affair with Charles Grey later Earl Grey,
with whom she became pregnant in 1791, is unknown.
Georgiana was terrified she would die giving birth
after being shipped off to France.
Depressed, she wrote a letter to her newborn boy,
in which she lamented, “This letter will be provided to you
as soon as you reach the age of comprehension.
My blessing, written in blood, is the only gift I can give you.
Sadly, I passed away before you could get to know me, I care about you so much.”
However, Eliza Courtney was born on 20
February 1792, and both mother and child were healthy.
When Grey’s family demanded that Georgiana give up her illegitimate daughter
Eliza, Georgiana’s heart was torn over again.
She gave up her feelings for Charles Grey after her husband insisted she does so,
so that she might return to England and her children.
As time went on, the family made sure that no one ever knew
about her time spent in exile in France.
However, the Duke and Duchess’s offspring were briefed on the circumstances
surrounding her disappearance. The
Duchess of Devonshire may have appeared to be OK on the outside,
but she suffered severe emotional and mental anguish due to her marriage.
To cheer herself up, she indulged in a series of hobbies
socialising, fashion, politics, writing,
vices gambling, alcohol, and drugs,
and extramarital affairs with several men,
not just Grey.
Georgiana was an
attractive, generous, good-humoured, and bright woman.
Her generosity began at an early age when she joyfully handed
her pocket money to needy children and friends.
In a letter, Lady Charlotte Bury praised Georgiana’s kindness:
“She was always there to help someone else out of financial trouble,
but never thought to take care of her own problems.
She made the wrong choice most of the time.
Being a giving person requires first being just.
But it’s hard not to be won over by the good nature that led her to step in
to protect someone from harm immediately.”
Georgiana is incredibly self-aware and goes
to great lengths to present a flawless exterior.
Yet, despite her best efforts,
she consistently receives negative feedback from those around her.
She was good
at holding many conversations with people she knew would end up being friends
and managed to make everyone feel like they were the only one.
According to numerous accounts, Georgiana won the hearts of nearly
everyone she met.
She has always had a strong inclination to try to win the approval of others
and to be the centre of attention.
Lady Spencer’s mother worried about her daughter’s future
and accepted responsibility for her flaws.
But Georgiana who was an exuberant, impressionable
young woman because of her inherent temperament and upbringing,
would make her susceptible to the influences of her peers.
Along with her reluctance to say no to her so-called degenerate friends
that got her into several difficulties and caused her
to feel shame for the actions she took.
The Duchess of Devonshire was at the pinnacle of society
thanks to her marriage to the wealthy and influential Duke of Devonshire
and her uncommon beauty and generous nature.
She represented the age brilliantly.
If her descendant, Diana, Princess of Wales, was as well-known
as she was more than two centuries later,
then Georgiana must have been the Diana of her day.
Like Diana, Georgiana was constantly monitored
by spies who reported their findings to the press,
which subsequently poked fun at her every misstep the following day.
Personality-wise, Georgiana and Diana were similar in that
they both suffered from binge eating disorders, were extremely passionate,
and adored their children. The Duchess of Devonshire, like her close friend
Marie Antoinette, was a leading figure in the fashion world.
Her extravagant yet tasteful style put her at the top of the English
fashion scene.
The public quickly began imitating Georgiana’s
every fashion choice and haircut.
Just how she’d styled her hair was a work of art, taking her
look to new heights. Georgiana
made significant contributions to politics, science, and literature
using the influence she garnered as a famous socialite and fashion figure.
The press followed her everywhere,
and every last minute of her life outside was reported.
Horace Walpole described her as a beauty; with a her youthful shape,
flowing good disposition, sensibility and vivid modesty,
and humble familiarity make her a phenomenon.”
Georgiana enjoyed
gambling as a form of diversion and recreation,
as did many other members of the aristocracy in her day.
However, her unstable mental state exacerbated
her gaming habit and would eventually destroy her.
She ran up debts in the early years of her marriage that exceeded 4,000 pounds.
So-called pin money the Duke gave her each year.
Her mother disapproved and tried to discourage her
from continuing the behaviour, but to no avail.
After first accruing over 3,000 pounds of debt,
Georgiana begged her parents for a loan since she was adamant
that she would never tell her husband about her financial situation.
But Georgiana continued to rack up a massive, ever-increasing debt
throughout her life while keeping it a secret from her husband
even though he was among the wealthiest men in the land.
She would concede that she knew about part of it,
but it was always less than the whole picture.
Discreetly, she would approach the Prince of Wales about borrowing money.
She did not hesitate to ask her wealthy friend and banker Thomas
Coutts for cash when she needed to pay off some of her debts.
But by now, it was all too little and too late.
When Georgiana returned to England
from her exile in France, she was a “changed lady” in every way.
When the Duke developed gout, she devoted herself to caring for him.
She and her husband grew closer and more understanding.
She developed an enthusiastic fascination with scientific inquiry,
resumed her writing career resulting in two further publications,
and kept up her political engagement while attempting to revive the Whig Party.
In 1796, Georgiana lost an eye to sickness;
the subsequent medical procedure left permanent scarring on her face.
However, “She overcame her anxiety; she stopped worrying
if she was pretty enough or smart enough to do the job.”
Although her private life would continue to be blighted
by varying degrees of sadness, debt, and loss of health,
Georgiana could reclaim much-needed support
and enjoy an open society
in her late thirties. In her early forties,
she would support her eldest daughter, Lady Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish,
when she came out as a debutante.
As the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire,
the Duchess witnessed her daughter’s marriage to Lord Morpeth,
the heir apparent of the Earl of Carlisle, in 1801.
This was the first and only time the Duchess of Devonshire
witnessed the marriage of a member of her family.
Georgiana’s health began to deteriorate
as she progressed into her forties, and her gambling problem persisted.
Once, while experiencing jaundice,
she contacted her mother for help, asking for a hundred pounds.
Many at the time thought the girl was only sick
because of her gambling, but they eventually realised the truth.
She had been diagnosed with a liver abscess. The death
of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, occurred at 3:30 p.m.
on 30 March 1806.
She was 48 years old.
In attendance were her husband, the 5th Duke of Devonshire,
and her mother, Countess Spencer; sister, Countess
of Bessborough; eldest daughter, Lady Morpeth and Lady Elizabeth Foster.
Everyone was reportedly devastated by her passing.
A contemporary noted that “the Duke has been most severely affected
and has displayed more feeling than anyone imagined imaginable”
and that “every individual in the family is in an awful condition of sorrow.”
Charles James
Fox, her distant relative, was observed to have shed tears.
“The kindest-natured and the best-bred woman in England is gone,”
even the Prince of Wales himself mourned.
Londoners in the thousands gathered at Piccadilly, near
the Cavendish family’s townhouse, to pay their final respects.
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