HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Frances Anne Vane, Viscountess Vane (formerly Hamilton, ''née'' Hawes; c. January 1715 – 31 March 1788), was a British
memoirist A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...
known for her highly public
adulterous Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
relationships.


Early life and first marriage

Frances Anne Hawes was the daughter of Susanna and Francis Hawes, and probably born in Winchester Street, London. She was baptised on 14 January 1715 at St Peter le Poer. Her father, a stockbroker and clerk to the Treasurer of the Navy, became quite wealthy, and was appointed director of the
South Sea Company The South Sea Company (officially The Governor and Company of the merchants of Great Britain, trading to the South Seas and other parts of America, and for the encouragement of the Fishery) was a British joint-stock company founded in Ja ...
in February 1715. However, he lost most of his fortune as a result of the Sufferer's Act of 1721, following the failed attempt to inflate the price of the South Sea Company's stock. Thus, the future Viscountess Vane grew up in a family plagued by financial problems and could expect little or no dowry. Described as the best
minuet A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form that accompa ...
dancer in England, she was good-looking and vivacious enough to attract the attention of the 4th Duke of Hamilton's second son,
Lord William Hamilton Lord William Hamilton (c. 1706 – 11 July 1734) was a member of Parliament for Lanarkshire. Early life Lord William was the second oldest child of James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton, and his second wife Elizabeth (née Gerard). When the ...
. Her father tried to prevent their relationship, but the couple eloped in May 1733, and Frances Hawes became known as Lady William Hamilton. The couple hurried to
consummate In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage to ...
the marriage to make it legally binding, fearing that her father might try to have it annulled. Lord William served as Vice-Chamberlain to
Caroline of Ansbach , father = John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach , mother = Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach , birth_date = , birth_place = Ansbach, Principality of Ansbach, Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , death_place = St James's Pal ...
but, as the second son, was himself poor enough for the queen to refer to the couple as "handsome beggars". The marriage was short-lived; Lady William was widowed on 11 July next year, shortly after delivering a stillborn child.


Second marriage

Lady William was soon pressured by her family, in-laws, and friends to accept the marriage proposal from
William Vane, 2nd Viscount Vane William Holles Vane, 2nd Viscount Vane (14 February 1714 – 5 April 1789), was a British Whig politician. He is best remembered for his devotion to his openly unfaithful wife Frances, who despised him. Early life William Holles Vane was ...
. The couple married on 19 May 1735 in Marylebone, and Lady William thus became Viscountess Vane. The union became notoriously unhappy. Lady Vane openly despised the man who adored her, frequently ran away and tried to procure a legal separation. During the couple's visit to Paris in 1736, she fled with the 1st Earl Ferrers's sixth surviving son,
Sewallis Shirley Sewallis Shirley may refer to: * Sewallis Edward Shirley, 10th Earl Ferrers (1847–1912), British peer *Sewallis Shirley (MP) (1844–1904), British politician *Sewallis Shirley (1709–1765) Sewallis Shirley (19 October 1709 – 31 October 1765 ...
. Shirley and Lady Vane lived together in Brussels from 1736 until 1738. Her husband desperately tried to persuade her to return, paying people to search for her and promising a reward in the newspapers for any information about her location in January 1737. Lady Vane was not amused by his efforts. When Shirley left her, she embarked on a liaison with
Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley, KT (18 February 1715 – 9 January 1755) was the son of Vice-Admiral James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley, and the former Lady Louisa Lennox. Biography He was made an ensign in the ...
. The relationship with Lord Berkeley ended in 1741, when she accepted her husband's offer of an income and a separate household. Lord Vane and the society believed that her other lovers included Walpole's rival
Sir Thomas Aston, 4th Baronet Sir Thomas Aston, 4th Baronet (c. 1704–1744), of Aston-by-Sutton, Cheshire, was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1729 to 1741. Aston was the only son of Sir Thomas Aston, 3rd Baronet and his wife Cat ...
, and
Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Fortescue Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Fortescue (12 March 1753 – 16 June 1841) was a British peer, created Earl Fortescue in 1789. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Beaumaris from 1784 to 1785. Origins He was the son of Matthew Fortescue, 2nd ...
, but Lady Vane denied the allegations and insisted they were her friends.


''Memoirs of a Lady of Quality''

In 1751, Tobias Smollett included the ''Memoirs of a Lady of Quality'' in his novel '' The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle''. Though the memoirs, written in
amatory fiction Amatory fiction is a genre of British literature that became popular during the late 17th century and early 18th century, approximately 1660–1730. It was often spread throughout coteries, published while trying to remain true to the writer's vis ...
, were published anonymously and revised for publication by John Shebbeare, it was clear from the beginning that the "lady of quality" was Lady Vane.
Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whig politician. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twi ...
wrote in a letter the same year: In her memoirs, the Viscountess Vane mocks contemporary social and moral conventions, and describes her emotional devastation following the death of her first husband. Walpole gossiped in the same letter: Lady Vane shocked society not only by refusing to portray herself as
chaste Chaste refers to practicing chastity. Chaste may also refer to: * Aymar Chaste (1514–1603), Catholic French admiral * Chaste (Marvel Comics) The Chaste is a fictional heroic mystical martial arts enclave appearing in American comic books ...
, but also by unrepentantly advertising her adulterous relationships. In 1751, Samuel Richardson referred to her and other scandalous memoirists as "a Set of Wretches, wishing to perpetuate their Infamy". Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's reaction to the memoirs was more careful and restrained. In a 1752 letter to her daughter, the Countess of Bute, she wrote: " ady Vane'sHistory, rightly considered, would be more instructive to young Women than any Sermon I know. They may see there the mortifications and variety of misery are the unavoidable consequences of Galantrys."


Later life and death

After the publication of her memoirs, Lady Vane spent most of her time in
Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...
. Her erratic lifestyle soon ruined her husband's finances. Struck by an illness, she was bedridden for the last 20 years of her life. During that time, she contemplated converting to Roman Catholicism. She died childless on 31 March 1788 at her home in Hill Street,
Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...
, London, and was buried in the Vane family vault in Shipborne, Kent. Lord Vane, who had remained faithful to her despite the social humiliation caused by her sexual adventures, died the next year.


References


External links


Frances Hawes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vane, Frances Vane, Viscountess 1715 births 1788 deaths 18th-century English women 18th-century English people
Vane Vane may refer to: People * Vane (surname) * Vane Featherston (1864–1948), English stage actress * Ivan Vane Ivanović (1913–1999), Yugoslav-British athlete, shipowner, political activist, and philanthropist * Vane Pennell (1876–1938), ...
English memoirists British women memoirists Writers from London Frances Vane 18th-century women writers