Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Encyclopedia
Louisa Frederica Augusta Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, formerly Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester, née Luise Fredericke Auguste Gräfin von Alten (born 15 June 1832, Hannover – died 15 July 1911), daughter of Karl Franz Viktor, Graf von Alten (1800-1879) and his wife, Hermine de Schminke (1806-February 11, 1868).
On 22 July 1852 she was married at Hannover to Viscount Mandeville, eldest son of the 6th Duke of Manchester
. He succeeded his father as 7th Duke of Manchester
on the 8 August 1855, and Louisa became Duchess of Manchester.
They had five children:
She was appointed Mistress of the Robes
to the Queen
on the 26 February 1858, and remained in that office until the fall of Lord Derby's
government
on 11 June 1859.
The Duke of Manchester died at Naples
on the 22 March 1890, and on the 16 August 1892 at Christ Church, Mayfair
, the sixty-year-old Dowager Duchess of Manchester married the 8th Duke of Devonshire
, who had been in love with her for years. She thereby became Duchess of Devonshire; sometimes she is given the nickname "The Double Duchess".
Widowed for the second time on the 24 March 1908, she died after a seizure
at the Sandown Races in Esher Park, Surrey
on 15 July 1911, aged 79, and was interred at Edensor
, Derbyshire
.
On 22 July 1852 she was married at Hannover to Viscount Mandeville, eldest son of the 6th Duke of Manchester
George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester
George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester, etc. , known as Viscount Mandeville from 1799 to 1843, was a British peer and Tory Member of Parliament....
. He succeeded his father as 7th Duke of Manchester
William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester
William Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester, KP , known as Lord Kimbolton from 1823 to 1843 and as Viscount Mandeville from 1843 to 1855, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.William Montagu was the eldest son of George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester...
on the 8 August 1855, and Louisa became Duchess of Manchester.
They had five children:
- George Victor Drogo Montagu, 8th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 8th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Victor Drogo Montagu, 8th Duke of Manchester, etc. , known as Lord Kimbolton from 1853 to 1855 and as Viscount Mandeville from 1855 to 1890, was a British peer and Member of Parliament.-Biography:George Montagu was the son of William Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester, and...
(1853–1892) - Lady Mary Louisa Elizabeth Montagu (Kimbolton CastleKimbolton CastleKimbolton Castle in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, is best known as the final home of King Henry VIII's first queen, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of the Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950...
, 27 December 1854 – 10 February 1934), married firstly at Kimbolton CastleKimbolton CastleKimbolton Castle in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, is best known as the final home of King Henry VIII's first queen, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of the Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950...
, 10 December 1873 William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of HamiltonWilliam Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of HamiltonWilliam Alexander Louis Stephen Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton, 9th Duke of Brandon, 2nd Duke of Châtellerault KT was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:...
and had issue, and secondly 20 July 1897 to Robert Carnaby Forster of Easton Park, Wickham MarketWickham MarketWickham Market is a large village situated in the River Deben valley of Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coastal heritage area.It is on the A12 trunk road thirteen miles north-east of the county town of Ipswich, five miles north-east of Woodbridge. Its railway station is located approximately...
, SuffolkSuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
(d. 23 June 1925), without issue. - Lady Louisa Augusta Beatrice Montagu (Kimbolton CastleKimbolton CastleKimbolton Castle in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, is best known as the final home of King Henry VIII's first queen, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of the Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950...
, 17 January 1856 – LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 3 March 1944), married LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 10 August 1876 Archibald Acheson, 4th Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 4th Earl of GosfordArchibald Brabazon Sparrow Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford KP was a British Peer. The son of Archibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of Gosford, he succeeded to the earldom upon the death of his father in 1864. Since there are two United Kingdom peerages subsumed in that Irish Earldom, he was entitled to an...
and had issue. - Lord Charles William Augustus Montagu (Kimbolton CastleKimbolton CastleKimbolton Castle in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, is best known as the final home of King Henry VIII's first queen, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of the Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950...
, 23 November 1860 – 10 November 1939), married at Kimbolton CastleKimbolton CastleKimbolton Castle in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, is best known as the final home of King Henry VIII's first queen, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of the Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950...
, 4 December 1930 Hon. Mildred Cecilia Harriet Sturt (27 February 1869 – LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 17 September 1942), daughter of Henry Sturt, 1st Baron AlingtonHenry Sturt, 1st Baron AlingtonHenry Gerard Sturt, 1st Baron Alington was a British peer and Conservative Party politician. The son of Henry Sturt, he was created 1st Baron Alington of Crichel on 15 January 1876....
, without issue. - Lady Alice Maude Olivia MontaguAlice Stanley, Countess of DerbyAlice Stanley was born as Lady Alice Maud Olivia Montagu, the daughter of the 7th Duke of Manchester and his wife, Countess Louise von Alten....
(LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 15 August 1862 – Coworth Park, 23 July 1957), married at LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 5 January 1889 Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of DerbyEdward Stanley, 17th Earl of DerbyEdward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, TD, PC, KGStJ, JP , known as Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, diplomat and racehorse owner. He was twice Secretary of State for War and also served as British Ambassador to...
and had issue.
She was appointed Mistress of the Robes
Mistress of the Robes
The Mistress of the Robes is the senior lady of the British Royal Household. Formerly responsible for the Queen's clothes and jewellery, the post now has the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the Ladies in Waiting on the Queen, along with various duties at State ceremonies...
to the Queen
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
on the 26 February 1858, and remained in that office until the fall of Lord Derby's
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party. He was known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley...
government
Conservative Government 1858-1859
After the collapse of Lord Palmerston's first government, the Tory leader Lord Derby again formed a minority government, with Benjamin Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The government oversaw the establishment of Crown rule in India, but was still not strong enough to retain power, falling...
on 11 June 1859.
The Duke of Manchester died at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on the 22 March 1890, and on the 16 August 1892 at Christ Church, Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, the sixty-year-old Dowager Duchess of Manchester married the 8th Duke of Devonshire
Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire
Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire KG, GCVO, PC, PC , styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman...
, who had been in love with her for years. She thereby became Duchess of Devonshire; sometimes she is given the nickname "The Double Duchess".
Widowed for the second time on the 24 March 1908, she died after a seizure
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
at the Sandown Races in Esher Park, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
on 15 July 1911, aged 79, and was interred at Edensor
Edensor
Edensor is a village in Derbyshire, England. It is the closest village to Chatsworth House and much of it belongs to the Dukes of Devonshire. Originally the village was close to the River Derwent immediately below Chatsworth, but the Dukes had it moved out of sight over a hill, apart from one...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
.
Literature
- Henry Vane Affair of State A biography of the 8th Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, Peter Owen Verlag London 2004, ISBN 0-7206-1233-0
- A.L. Kennedy My Dear Duchess Social and Political Letters to the Duchess of Manchester 1858-1869, John Murray Verlag London 1956