Caroline Stanhope, Countess of Harrington (née Lady Caroline FitzRoy; 8 April 1722 – 26 June 1784) was a British socialite and ''

demimondaine is French for "half-world". The term derives from a play called , by Alexandre Dumas , published in 1855. The play dealt with the way that prostitution at that time threatened the institution of marriage. The was the world occupied by elite me ...

''. After being blackballed by the English social group The Female Coterie, she founded

The New Female Coterie The New Female Coterie was an 18th-century London social club. The exact founding date is unknown, though it is assumed to be circa 1770, when Caroline Stanhope, Countess of Harrington was blackballed from joining the Female Coterie, a club fo ...

, a social club of

courtesans Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or oth ...

and " fallen women" that met in a brothel. Known for her infidelity and bisexuality, she was nicknamed the "Stable Yard

Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputatio ...

" due to her adulterous lifestyle. Her "colourful" life is often contrasted with that of her daughter-in-law,

Jane Stanhope, Countess of Harrington Jane Stanhope, Countess of Harrington (née Fleming; 23 May 1755 – 3 February 1824), was a society hostess and heiress who served as a lady of the Bedchamber to the British queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Early life Jane Fleming wa ...

, who was viewed as a respectable member of British

high society High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...

Family

Lady Caroline was born on 8 April 1722, the fifth child of

Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, (25 October 1683 – 6 May 1757) was an Irish and English politician. Early life He was the only child and heir of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton (1663–1690) (an illegitimate son of King Charles ...

and Lady Henrietta Somerset, the daughter of

Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester (25 December 1660 – 13 July 1698) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the eldest surviving son of Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort and Mary Capell, and was styled Lord Herbert of Raglan ...

. Lady Caroline married

William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington General William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington (18 December 1719 – 1 April 1779) was a British politician and soldier. The son of William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, he took up a military career and joined the Foot Guards in 1741, and ...

on 11 August 1746. Together they had seven children, including Isabella Molyneux, Countess of Sefton and

Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington General Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington (17 March 17535 September 1829), styled Viscount Petersham until 1779, was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1779 when he succeeded to the pe ...

. Lady Caroline and her husband were both notorious for their extramarital affairs, but they chose to stay married to prevent the scandal of divorce. Lady Caroline was reportedly bisexual and had male and female lovers.

The New Female Coterie

Due to her rather scandalous reputation in society, Lady Caroline was blackballed from the Female Coterie, an elite social group, affiliated with

Almack's Almack's was the name of a number of establishments and social clubs in London between the 18th and 20th centuries. Two of the social clubs would go on to fame as Brooks's and Boodle's. Almack's most famous establishment was based in assembly roo ...

, for members of London's

. Lady Caroline instead founded her own group,

, which included other members of the British upper class who were shunned by high society due to their reputations, particularly for women who had been guilty of committing adultery. The meetings were held in a brothel owned by Sarah Prendergast. Seymour Fleming, Lady Worsley, the sister of Lady Caroline's daughter-in-law, was among the members of the new club. Lady Caroline was nicknamed "Stable Yard Messalina" by the press. The nickname was a reference to Empress

, the controversial wife of Roman Emperor Claudius, and to the Harrington home in

St James's Park St James's Park is a park in the City of Westminster, central London. It is at the southernmost tip of the St James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St James the Less. It is the most easterly of a near-continuous ch ...

, located near the stable yard. '' Town & Country'' published a story accusing her of having affairs with all echelons of society "from a monarch down to a hairdresser."

Legacy

Lady Caroline is a subject in the books ''In Bed with the Georgians: Sex, Scandal & Satire in the 18th Century'' by Mike Rendell, ''The Lady in Red: An Eighteenth-Century Tale of Sex, Scandal, and Divorce'' by Hallie Rubenhold, and ''Through the Keyhole: Sex, Scandal and the Secret Life of the Country House'' by Susan Law.

References

{{Authority control 1722 births 1784 deaths 18th-century English women 18th-century English nobility Bisexual women Harrington Daughters of English dukes English courtesans English socialites FitzRoy family LGBT nobility English LGBT people Sex scandals Stanhope family