Catherine Osborne, Duchess of Leeds (21 January 1764 – 9 October 1837), formerly Catherine Anguish, was the second wife of

Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds Francis Godolphin Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds, (29 January 1751 – 31 January 1799), styled Marquess of Carmarthen until 1789, was a British politician. He notably served as Foreign Secretary under William Pitt the Younger from 1783 to 1791. H ...

. She was the daughter of Thomas Anguish, Esq., a lawyer from Great Yarmouth, whose son Thomas heir to the estates of Sir Thomas Allin, 4th Baronet, of Somerleyton. Her beauty was praised by Lord Sheffield in the "Auckland Correspondence". She married Osborne in 1788, while he was still Marquess of Carmarthen. He had divorced his first wife, Amelia, in 1779. However, his son from his first marriage,

George Osborne George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born Gideon Oliver Osborne; 23 May 1971) is a former British politician and newspaper editor who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016 in the ...

, would inherit the dukedom. The duke and his second wife had two children: *Lord Sidney Godolphin Osborne (1789-1861), who died unmarried. In 1843, following the death of both his mother's brothers, he inherited the Allin estates. *Lady Catherine Anne Sarah Osborne (1791-1878), who married Major John Whyte-Melville, and had children, including

George Whyte-Melville George John Whyte-Melville (19 June 1821 – 5 December 1878) was a Scottish novelist much concerned with field sports, and also a poet. He took a break in the mid-1850s to serve as an officer of Turkish irregular cavalry in the Crimean War. Li ...

. The duchess was fond of music and an accomplished singer, particularly known for her interpretations of works by

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

. She was a patron of the novelist

Ann Radcliffe Ann Radcliffe (née Ward; 9 July 1764 – 7 February 1823) was an English novelist and a pioneer of Gothic fiction. Her technique of explaining apparently supernatural elements in her novels has been credited with gaining respectability for G ...

, who dedicated an edition of '' The Romance of the Forest'' to her. In 1813, the duchess was appointed governess to

Princess Charlotte of Wales Princess Charlotte of Wales may refer to: * Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796–1817), the only child of George, Prince of Wales, later King George IV of the United Kingdom ** Princess Charlotte of Wales (1812 EIC ship), a ship named after the pri ...

, daughter of

the Prince Regent George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

and his wife,

Caroline of Brunswick Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Caroline Amelia Elizabeth; 17 May 1768 – 7 August 1821) was Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until her death in 1821, being the estranged wife of King George IV. She was Pr ...

. It was claimed by Lady

Charlotte Bury Lady Charlotte Susan Maria Bury (née Campbell; 28 January 1775 – 1 April 1861) was an English novelist, who is chiefly remembered in connection with a ''Diary illustrative of the Times of George IV'' (1838). Life Lady Charlotte Susan Maria ...

that Princess Charlotte despised the duchess. She was obliged to resign from her position, when the princess declined to marry the partner chosen for her,

William, Prince of Orange William, Prince of Orange (Willem Nicolaas Alexander Frederik Karel Hendrik; 4 September 1840 – 11 June 1879), was heir apparent to the Dutch throne as the eldest son of King William III from 17 March 1849 until his death. Early life Prince Wi ...

. Between 1830 and 1837, as Dowager Duchess, she was

Mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. Formerly responsible for the queen consort's/regnant's clothes and jewellery (as the name implies), the post had the responsibility for arranging the rota o ...

Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen , house = Saxe-Meiningen , father = Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen , mother = Princess Louise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg , birth_date = , birth_place = Meiningen, Saxe-Meiningen, Holy ...

, queen consort of King

William IV of the United Kingdom William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeds, Catherine Osborne, Duchess of 1764 births 1837 deaths English duchesses by marriage Mistresses of the Robes Wives of knights