Valley of the Dolls: Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire--late 18th century England

 

F&*k.  I just LOVE her expression:  'don't tread on me,' right?

Alright.  This week, I'm going to write on this lady...who just happens to be the ancestor of both Diana Spencer, and Winston Churchill! Cool!

Nope, I know.  I know.  Not much of a 'resemblance.'

Yup.  Now, I can totally see the family resemblance, can't you?

So, what was her early history?

Georgiana was born in June, 1757, living until March, 1806.  She was a member of the well-placed Spencer family--truly among the more prominent of England's nobles.  She was the first of three children, and from the beginning, a favorite of her parents.  An odd thing about her parents--there is little or no evidence to indicate any extra 'romps' for either of them.  I gotta tell you, this was rare for the period.  Sometimes I think, that in Europe during the 18th century, marital fidelity was essentially unfashionable for the upper echelons.  

As she grew older, of course, marriage was expected.  Coming from such prominent (i.e. male-bearing stock) people, Georgiana finally caught the eye of William Cavendish, the fifth Duke of Devonshire.

Apparently, he was filthy rich and powerful, but kind of a dick.

As I've already told you, adultery (yes, I'm gonna use the old fashioned word here) was an accepted behavior for English male nobles, as long as it was kept "on the QT, and very hush, hush."  The Duke kept up a string of lovers throughout their married life.

Although Georgiana continually 'fell' pregnant, she had numerous miscarriages, and several stillbirths.  Can you imagine, the emotional damage on a young woman with this constant cycle of repeated pregnancies, only producing two girls in six years? Additionally, ole Dukie introduced his wife, shortly after their marriage, to an illegitimate daughter, whose mother (a hat maker) had recently died.  Georgiana accepted the girl, growing quite fond of her.  I think her attitude was a credit to her.

Dude, what a looker.

Uh...not.

From the beginning, it was clear that it would not be a happy match.  I guess that they were too different in temperament.  They were also too far apart in age (Georgiana was over twenty years younger)--but I don't believe that this was a huge consideration in those days.

An island in the storm? Enter Lady Elizabeth Foster.

It was in 1782, that the Duchess met Elizabeth Foster, while visiting Bath to 'take the waters' for her failure to give the Duke a child.  A male child.  Yeah, I know, they already had a couple of daughters, but no son.  Come on, in those days, only male children counted as real live human beings.  Girls of the upper classes were only valuable in terms of the marriages they made, and the number of healthy buns (read males), that they popped out of their ovens.

Lady Elizabeth Foster

"Bess," as she was generally nicknamed, was living in gentile poverty in Bath, when she met Georgiana and Duke.  Why? Because her husband was reportedly abusive.  Taking her life back, she formally separated from her husband.  Unfortunately for her, the asshole/bastard refused to allow her to take their two sons.  Personally, I think Bess' situation must have been pretty bad, to force such an action on her part.  But, we'll never really know.  Women had zero rights in those days, being essentially treated like chattel.  

At first, Georgiana and Bess were fast friends.  Eventually, Bess was invited to live as (more or less) a permanent guest, with the Duke and Duchess.  

Yeah.  you just know what happened next, don't you?

Double the pleasure (for the Duke), Triple the fun (for the Duke)

Yes, Dear Reader, that's right.  Now, can we all say "menage a trois"?

 

F*&k (literally), it's good to be an 18th century noble-prick.

Once Bess was ensconced in the castle with the Duke and Duchess, she quickly became integral to the household.  Just how integrated, is frankly, a matter of debate.  It was certainly unusual for a mistress to live in the same house as the wife! Oh well, this type of situation was tacitly accepted among the highest echelons.  In other words, the Duke was simply too rich and powerful to f*&k with, so his social contemporaries let him alone.  As long, as the unusual living situation was kept discreet.

So, where was Georgiana in all of this? Did she object? Well, we don't rightly know.  It seems as though she was given no choice in the matter (it was the 18th century, after all), so that she was forced to accept the situation, living with her children, and the illicit couple.  Lady Bess was even said to eat at the dinner table with the Duke and Duchess.  Ye Gods.

Weirdest of all, it was widely gossiped in London, that Bess regularly had affairs with lots of guys, during her tenure with the Cavendishs'.  Jesus.  Really? I suppose I should write now "what a gal!" but I cannot,  I don't particularly like duplicity, and Bess was duplicitous with regard to Georgiana, wasn't she? 

So, what could our erstwhile heroine do?  Well, she was not actually permitted to do anything at this point, because she'd not yet produced an heir (i.e. a male child).  This was her primary responsibility, as I've already told you, Dear Reader.  Finally, in 1790, Georgiana produced an heir, who was subsequently named William George Spencer Cavendish.  God, what a moniker, eh?  Apparently, his family got bored with all those names, and simply called him "Hart."

Once she'd produced the beloved male heir (Great Zeus), Georgiana was allowed some personal freedom.  In her case, that meant she could find someone of her own to love.  Ultimately, her choice fell on Charles Grey (who would later be known as 'Earl Grey').  

It would be pretty cool, if he did in fact develop earl grey tea, right? I mean, what in hell would Cpt. Picard have ever done without it?

He doesn't exactly look like a volcano of passion.

Georgiana had a child by Grey in 1791.  A girl, whom she named Eliza.  Of course she was forced to give up the child, who would be then raised by the father's family.  However, Georgiana would remain in contact with Eliza, often sending her presents, and showering her with what affection that convention allowed.

After Grey...

Upon her return, Georgiana tried to accept her impossible life situation with the Duke and his lovers. hopefully she found solace in her children.  But, anyone needs an outlet, if life's intolerable, right? She was certainly no exception.  Following Eliza's birth, Georgiana fell into a life of dissipation:  gambling, drinking, other sexual affairs, and perhaps even drugs (opium?).  I wonder at this.  Would she have done so in any event? I don't know.  

However, in her later life, Georgiana calmed down.  She had a miscarriage (Ye Gods, what a life).  The Duke developed severe gout, and the Duchess began to nurse him.  Oddly, this had a beneficial effect on their relationship, which up until then had been admittedly tumultuous.  She also took an interest in the burgeoning scientific community of London, and also resumed her career as a political activist.

Even more incredibly, Georgiana eventually became fast friends with the wife of her former lover Charles Grey! 

She lived into her forties, and I wish I could tell you that life was calm, but I can't.  Georgiana suffered from a rather nasty addiction:  gambling.  She played the tables constantly, searching for who knows what.  Often, she found herself in debt as a result.  This condition continued until her decline into ill health.

It is not known precisely what caused her final illness.  It may have been an infection of her liver.  Damn, that was a painful way to die, Dear Reader.  She died at the age of 48, surrounded by her mother, daughter, husband (arse), and -- yes, even Lady Bess.  The year was 1806.

Shortly after Georgiana's death, the Duke married Bess, who temporarily found security.  However, this union was wildly unpopular with the Duke's legitimate children, who came to deplore their father's new wife.  The Duke died in 1811, and Hart, the new head of the family, took control.  He had never liked Bess, whom he found to be grasping--she demanded abundant properties, and even announced that her illegitimate son, by the former Duke, be allowed use of the family crest.

Uh....  Oh-kay.

Hart immediately lost patience, and set about dis-engaging his family (and their finances) from Lady Bess.  She, in turn, tried to manipulate the situation, by publicly complaining about her treatment by the new Duke, and being blatant about the nature of their former relationship (including the illegitimate children).  Understandably, this caused Hart a great deal of embarrassment.  He eventually paid Bess off, and she departed into the sunset (albeit not quietly).

I've always found Georgiana's life to be rather sad.  In 2008, Keira Knightly starred in a rather romantic film entitled "The Duchess."  Here is a link to it, if you'd like to try it out:

https://123movies.net/watch/Ed9NY0vY-the-duchess.html

On an ending note, the parallels between Diana‘s ancestor, and her life, which ended so recently are difficult to ignore. It strikes me as ironic that both women were in bad marriages, hounded by the press, and ultimately died young. It also strikes me as interesting how both women lived as free spirits in a social system that did not embrace them. Perhaps it serves as a lesson to us about oppressive cultures – and one can certainly say that I think, about the British royal family. In my opinion, we can certainly see the nature of this restrictive environment, by considering the fate of  Harry and his wife, Meghan. However, let me say this, that in the event, those two do not find a home in England, I think I can state, that we welcome them in both the United States, and California.