Letters of Harriet, Countess Granville, 1810-1845: Edited By Her Son the Hon, F. Leveson Gower, Vol. 1 of 2 (Classic Reprint)

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Machin, Ian (2004). "Howard, George, sixth earl of Carlisle (1773–1848)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (onlineed.). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/13901. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Just as Duncannon had taken to publicly embarrassing his wife, Harriet got a little naughty herself. She began indulging in some pretty public affairs. The Duchess was born Miss Georgiana Spencer, on 7 June 1757, [4] as the first child of John Spencer (later Earl Spencer) and his wife, Georgiana (née Poyntz, later Countess Spencer), at the Spencer family home, Althorp. [3] After her daughter's birth, her mother Lady Spencer wrote that "I will own I feel so partial to my Dear little Gee, that I think I never shall love another so well." [5] Two younger siblings followed: Henrietta ("Harriet") and George. The daughter of her sister Henrietta, Lady Caroline Lamb, would become a writer and lover of Lord Byron. John Spencer, a great-grandson of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, came from a wealthy English noble family. He built a Spencer family residence at St. James's, London, and raised his children there. The parents raised Georgiana and her siblings in a happy marriage, which bears no record of there ever having been any extramarital affairs – a rarity in the era. [6] Meanwhile, Georgiana grew to be close to her mother, who was said to favour Georgiana over her other children. [5] Lady Henrietta Elizabeth Cavendish was born at Devonshire House on 29 August 1785, the younger daughter of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire and his wife Lady Georgiana Spencer. Known as "Harriet" or "Harryo" to her family, the baby was named after Georgiana's sister Henrietta Ponsonby and her friend Lady Elizabeth Foster. Her parents' marriage had been unhappy from the start; the Duchess had difficulty bringing her pregnancies to term, suffering miscarriages during their first nine years together. Her mother distracted herself by becoming immersed in society, and was soon known as a political hostess and leader of fashion. Georgiana's children were discontented with the marriage as they never liked Lady Elizabeth at all (something that caused dismay with their mother when she was alive). When William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, died on 29 July 1811, the Marquess of Hartington became 6th Duke of Devonshire. He sought to liquidate his late mother's entire debts. Meanwhile, Lady Elizabeth fought to keep the Cavendish properties to which she wasn't entitled; the 6th Duke denied her demand that her illegitimate son, Clifford, bear the Cavendish crest along with the 5th Duke of Devonshire. Infuriated, Lady Elizabeth brought up her affair with the 5th Duke of Devonshire by publicly announcing that he had sired her illegitimate children. The 6th Duke of Devonshire finally made an end to it all by paying off Lady Elizabeth and getting rid of her. Nevertheless, Georgiana's children had mutually positive relations with Lady Elizabeth Foster's children for the rest of their lives, having grown up together. [6] Lady Caroline Georgiana Howard (24 June 1803 – 27 November 1881) she married William Lascelles on 14 May 1823. They have nine children.

1. She Fell Far From The Tree

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] While there is no evidence of when Georgiana began her affair with Charles Grey (later Earl Grey), she did become pregnant by him in 1791. Sent off to France, Georgiana believed she would die in childbirth. Despondent, she wrote a letter to her recently born son stating, "As soon as you are old enough to understand this letter, it will be given to you. It contains the only present I can make you—my blessing, written in my blood...Alas, I am gone before you could know me, but I lov'd you, I nurs'd you nine months at my breast. I love you dearly." On 20 February 1792, Eliza Courtney was born without complications. Georgiana's heart was broken yet again when she was forced to give away her illegitimate daughter Eliza to Grey's family. [3] [6] Georgiana would later be allowed to pay visits to her daughter, providing her with presents and affection, [6] and Eliza would grow up to marry Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Ellice and bear a daughter named Georgiana. [ citation needed] Unexpectedly, one of Harriet Spencer's former flames reappeared in her life—and turned it upside down. Sheridan, perhaps emboldened by his old age and driven mad by love, began stalking and harassing Harriet. Despite the fact that they had two children together, Harriet knew that her affair with Granville couldn’t go on forever. She knew that, eventually, Granville would have to marry for the sake of his reputation and career—and he couldn’t very well marry her. She just didn’t think that he would marry the younger version of her. De Beer, Gavin (1948). "Rowley Lascelles". Notes & Queries. 193 (5): 97–99. doi: 10.1093/nq/193.5.97a.

Jones, Raymond (1983). The British Diplomatic Service, 1815-1914. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 978-088-920124-8.Apparently, Harriet thought that Duncannon wasn't much of a looker. In a letter to her cousin, she confessed that she selected her beau because she prioritized a man's inner qualities over his outer qualities. This sounds quite moral and sound, but her letter also revealed a huge red flag. Leveson-Gower, Harriet (1894). Leveson-Gower, F. (ed.). Letters of Harriet, Countess Granville, 1810–1845, Volume 1. London: Longmans, Green, and Co.

Lady Henrietta Elizabeth Cavendish was born on 29 August 1785 at Devonshire House, Piccadilly, London. Her parents were William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, and his first wife, Lady Georgiana Spencer. [1] [2] As major landowners, the Spencer family controlled one of the largest fortunes in England. The Duke of Devonshire possessed even more wealth, with an annual income that was twice as much as that of Georgiana's father; in addition to Devonshire House, he owned Chatsworth House and four other estates of similar opulence. [3] Known as "Harriet" or "Harryo" to her family, the new baby was named after the Duchess's sister Henrietta, Countess of Bessborough and her friend Lady Elizabeth Foster. [2] [4] During one of their many “encounters," Duncannon actually walked in on the adulterous couple. And that’s when the drama and scandal really erupted. Lady Blanche Georgiana Howard (11 January 1812 – 27 April 1840) she married William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire on 6 August 1829. They have five children.Memorandums of the Face of the Country in Switzerland (1799) is often wrongly attributed to Georgiana. It was in fact written by Rowley Lascelles, based on a Swiss tour in 1794. [28] Gleeson, Janet (2008). Privilege and Scandal: The Remarkable Life of Harriet Spencer, Sister of Georgiana. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-38197-2. At first, Harriet and Sheridan managed to carry on their affair in secret. But it became public knowledge in the most dramatic (but simultaneously predictable) way imaginable. The Irish writer sent her anonymous letters with an ominous tone. Of course, Harriet immediately recognized the handwriting behind these passionate threats.

Harriet’s parents had a loving and lasting marriage. Her mother thought that her father was “handsomer than an angel,” and even wrote to her friend, “I will own it, and never deny it that I do love Spencer above all men on Earth”. But despite all the love in the house, Harriet received very little of it. In fact, she received basically none of it. The Duchess (2008), portrayed by Keira Knightley and directed by Saul Dibb, based on the biography Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman As the Duchess of Devonshire, she garnered much attention and fame in society during her lifetime. [1] [2] With a preeminent position in the peerage of England, the Duchess was famous for her charisma, political influence, beauty, unusual marital arrangement, love affairs, socializing, and notorious for her gambling addiction, leading to an immense debt. Lewis, Judith (2003). Sacred to Female Patriotism: Gender, Class, and Politics in Late Georgian Britain. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415944113. She was called a "phenomenon" [7] by Horace Walpole who proclaimed, "[she] effaces all without being a beauty; but her youthful figure, flowing good nature, sense and lively modesty, and modest familiarity make her a phenomenon". [21] Madame d'Arblay, who had a preference for acquaintances of talent, found that her appeal was not generally for her beauty but for far more, which included her fine "manner, politeness, and gentle quiet." [21] Sir Nathaniel Wraxall stated that her success as an individual lay "in the amenity and graces of her deportment, in her irresistible manners, and the seduction of her society." [21]The Honorable Charles Wentworth George Howard (27 March 1814 – 11 April 1879) he married Mary Parke (daughter of James Parke, Baron Wensleydale) on 8 August 1842. They only had one son: George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle. Much like Harriet's parents, Duncannon had a bad gambling habit that he couldn’t control. He only seemed to love Harriet when the cards were running in his favor—but, when they weren’t, Harriet suffered the worst of his maltreatment. Despite the state of her parents' marriage, Cavendish had a happy childhood. She was devoted to her mother, and was fond of, but rarely saw, her aloof father. Her governess Selina Trimmer was a daughter of the famous children's writer Sarah Trimmer, and encouraged her charge to be morally principled. In May 1799, Cavendish was confirmed in Westminster Abbey alongside her cousin, the future Lady Caroline Lamb. The historian Janet Gleeson describes Cavendish as slightly plump in appearance, in possession of a clever, funny, and perceptive personality. Her biographer, Virginia Surtees, writes that although Cavendish was "no beauty, she had wit, intelligence, and shrewdness; her sharp eye missed little but in high croak and spirits viewed with tolerance the world of drums, dandies, gossip, and matchmaking in which she moved". At first Harriet viewed many of the French elite with dislike, believing they were superficial and vacuous. [94] [95] They possessed "not as much mind as would fill a pea-shell", she wrote in one letter. [96] [97] "It is odd that their effect on me is to crush me with the sense of my inferiority whilst I am absolutely gasping with the sense of my superiority", she wrote in another. [98] [99] But she was determined to earn their approval, especially as the British government's foreign policy was producing some resentment among the French. [100] During a visit in March 1825, the Duke of Devonshire provided his sister with advice on French culture as well as her deportment and appearance. [101] [102] She invested in the latest fashions and became effective at managing the French elite, having come to the conclusion that they were like "children" whose "object is to be amused and received". [103] After six months in Paris the new ambassadress had reached a point of amused acceptance with her social surroundings. [103] She was successful in her efforts and soon became very popular. [90]