Jane Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans (nee Roberts; – 16 December 1778), formerly Jane Roberts, was the wife of
George Beauclerk, 3rd Duke of St Albans
George Beauclerk, 3rd Duke of St Albans (25 June 1730 – 1 February 1786), styled Earl of Burford until 1751, was a British peer.
Early life
He was the son of Charles Beauclerk, 2nd Duke of St Albans, and his wife, Lucy Werden. His paternal ...
.
Jane and her sister Elizabeth (who died young) were the daughters of
Sir Walter Roberts, 6th Baronet of Glassenbury (1691–1745), and his wife, the former Elizabeth Slaughter, who herself was the only daughter and heiress of William Slaughter (or Slatter),
of Rochester, Kent. Following the deaths of her parents, her guardians were Lord Romney and
Sir Philip Boteler.
Jane, whose inheritance was valued at £125,000,
married the Duke on 23 December 1752 at
St George's, Hanover Square
St George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London (the Queen Anne C ...
, London. Through this marriage he also acquired her parents' house at Glassenbury, Tunbridge Wells.
Having paid off his debts with her dowry, he treated her badly, and the couple separated after two years of marriage.
The duke went to live in France, where he kept mistresses and was for a time in debtors' prison. In 1760 the couple were briefly reconciled in
Brussels, but they soon separated again, and the duchess returned to her family home at Glassenbury.
The Duchess died on 16 December 1778, in her forties and childless. The Duke, who outlived his wife, had a number of illegitimate children. The Roberts baronetcy having become extinct on the death of Sir Walter, the dukedom passed to a distant cousin on the Duke's death.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Albans, Jane Beauclerk, Duchess of
1778 deaths
English duchesses by marriage
Year of birth uncertain