Louisa Frederica Augusta Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, formerly Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester (born Luise Friederike Auguste, Countess von Alten; 15 June 1832 – 15 July 1911), was a German-born British aristocrat sometimes referred to as the "Double Duchess" due to her marriages, firstly to the
7th Duke of Manchester and then to the
8th Duke of Devonshire.
Early life
Luise Friederike Auguste, Countess von Alten, was born 15 June 1832 at
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
in what was then the
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...
. She was a daughter of
Karl Franz Viktor, Count von Alten (1800–1879), and his wife, Hermine von Schminke (1806–1868).
Her siblings included: Helene Charlotte Auguste, Countess of Alten, who married Andrei Bludov, Carl Friedrich Franz Victor, Count of Alten, who married Carolina Frederica Groeninx van Zoelen, and Guidobaldine, Countess of Alten, who married Graf August Grote and
''Don'' Luigi Maria Colonna, Prince of Stigliano, and Detlof von Bülow.
Her paternal grandparents were Adolf Viktor Christian Jobst, Count von Alten (1755–1820), and Charlotte Louise Wilhelmine
Kinsky
The House of Kinsky (formerly Vchynští, sg. ''Vchynský'' in Czech; later (in modern Czech) Kinští, sg. ''Kinský''; german: Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau) is a prominent Czech noble family originating from the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the ...
von Wchinitz und Tettau.
Mistress of the Robes
"A social climber with a nose for power", the 26-year-old Duchess (through her friendship with
Lord Derby
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869, known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley) was a British statesman, three-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ...
, the then prime minister) was appointed
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 ...
to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
in February 1858, resigning in June 1859, when
Lord Derby's government fell. Victoria regretted her departure, calling her "a very pleasant, nice, sensible person". The Duchess soon developed close friendships with
Edward, Prince of Wales and
Alexandra, Princess of Wales
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 t ...
.
Lady Eleanor Stanley recorded in her diary in 1859 that during a
"paper chase", the Duchess caught her hoop while climbing over a
stile
A stile is a structure or opening that provides people passage over or through a boundary via steps, ladders, or narrow gaps. Stiles are often built in rural areas along footpaths, fences, walls, or hedges that enclose animals, allowing people ...
and was left with the entirety of her
crinoline
A crinoline is a stiff or structured petticoat designed to hold out a woman's skirt, popular at various times since the mid-19th century. Originally, crinoline described a stiff fabric made of horsehair ("crin") and cotton or linen which was ...
and skirts thrown over her head, revealing her scarlet
drawers to the assembled company. The
Duc de Malakoff, the French ambassador, is said to have exclaimed ''"C'était diabolique!"'' at the sight.
Devonshire House Ball of 1897
In July 1897, the Duchess hosted the
Devonshire House Fancy Dress Ball at
Devonshire House
Devonshire House in Piccadilly, was the London townhouse of the Dukes of Devonshire during the 18th and 19th centuries. Following a fire in 1733 it was rebuilt by William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, in the Palladian style, to designs ...
, the London residence of the Dukes of Devonshire during the 18th and 19th centuries. The party was a costume ball thrown to celebrate Queen Victoria's
diamond jubilee
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...
.
The Queen's Private Secretary,
Francis Knollys, wrote to the Duchess that the Prince of Wales (who dressed as the
Grand Master of the Knights of Malta) thought the party a success. At the ball, the Duchess dressed as
Queen Zenobia of Palmyra
Septimia Zenobia (Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city, ...
.
Marriages and issue
On 22 July 1852, the twenty-year-old Louisa was married in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
to
Viscount Mandeville
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
, eldest son and heir of the
6th Duke of Manchester. Upon his father's death on 8 August 1855, he succeeded his father as 7th Duke of Manchester, and Louisa became Duchess of Manchester.
They had five children:
#
George Victor Drogo Montagu, 8th Duke of Manchester (1853–1892), who married
Consuelo Yznaga (1853–1909), and had issue.
# Lady Mary Louisa Elizabeth Montagu (1854–1934), who was born at
Kimbolton Castle
Kimbolton Castle is a country house in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. It was the final home of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of t ...
and married, firstly, to
William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton
William is a male given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norm ...
, at Kimbolton Castle on 10 December 1873, and had issue. She secondly married on 20 July 1897 to Robert Carnaby Forster of
Easton Park
Easton Park, also referred to as the Pilot Knob planned unit development, is a Planned unit development (PUD) in the southeast portion of the city of Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the sea ...
,
Wickham Market
Wickham Market is a large village and electoral ward situated in the River Deben valley of Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coastal heritage area.
It is on the A12 trunk road north-east of the county town of Ipswich, north-east of Wood ...
,
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
(d. 1925), without issue.
#
Lady Louisa Augusta Beatrice Montagu (1856–1944), born at Kimbolton Castle. She married
Archibald Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford
Archibald Brabazon Sparrow Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford, (19 August 1841 – 11 April 1922) was a British peer.
The son of Archibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of Gosford, he was born at Worlingham Hall, Suffolk, in 1841, and educated at Harrow School; ...
, on 10 August 1876 in London, and had issue.
# Lord Charles William Augustus Montagu (1860–1939), who married the Hon. Mildred Cecilia Harriet Sturt (1869–1942), daughter of
Henry Sturt, 1st Baron Alington
Henry Gerard Sturt, 1st Baron Alington (16 May 1825 – 17 February 1904), was a British peer, Conservative Party politician, and notorious slum landlord in the East End of London.
Early life
He was the son of Henry Sturt, a landowner and poli ...
, at Kimbolton Castle on 4 December 1930. He had no issue.
#
Lady Alice Maude Olivia Montagu (1862–1957), born in London. She married
Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby
Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, (4 April 1865 – 4 February 1948), styled Mr Edward Stanley until 1886, then The Hon Edward Stanley and then Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, d ...
, on 5 January 1889 in London, and had issue.
Louisa became estranged from the Duke, and they lived apart for many years. Louisa became the companion of
Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, and a notable political hostess. The Duke died in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
on 22 March 1890.
On 16 August 1892, at Christ Church,
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. ...
, the sixty-year-old Dowager Duchess of Manchester married Lord Hartington, by then the 8th
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...
. She thereby became Duchess of Devonshire, with a nickname of the "Double Duchess".
After the Duke of Devonshire's death on 24 March 1908, she was widowed for the second time, becoming the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire. On 15 July 1911, at the
Sandown Races in Esher Park,
[Sometimes referred as Esher Place.] the Duchess died after a
seizure
An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...
, aged 79; she was interred at
Edensor
Edensor (pronounced ) is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 145.
Much of the village is privately owned, by the Dukes of Devonshire, the Cavendish family. Most of the decea ...
in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
.
Gallery
File:Louisa, Duchess of Manchester.jpg, Painting of the then Duchess of Manchester, 1859
File:Louise Frederica Augusta Cavendish (née von Alten), Duchess of Devonshire.jpg, Photograph of the then Duchess of Manchester by Camille Silvy
Camille-Léon-Louis Silvy (1834–1910) was a French photographer, primarily active in London.
He learned photography from his friend, Count Olympe Aguado, in 1857, and became a member of the Société française de photographie in 1858. He th ...
, 1860
File:Louise Frederica Augusta Cavendish (née von Alten), Duchess of Devonshire (formerly Duchess of Manchester).jpg, Photograph of the then Duchess of Manchester, Le Jeune, c. 1867
File:Louise Frederica Augusta Cavendish (née von Alten), Duchess of Devonshire (formerly Duchess of Manchester) as Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra.jpg, The Duchess of Devonshire as Zenobia
Septimia Zenobia (Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city, ...
, Queen of Palmyra, 1897
References
;Notes
;Sources
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External links
The Cavendish Story: The Double Duchess
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devonshire, Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of
1832 births
1911 deaths
German countesses
Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Louisa Frederica Augusta Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, formerly Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester (born Luise Friederike Auguste, Countess von Alten; 15 June 1832 – 15 July 1911), was a German-born British aristocrat sometimes referred ...
Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Louisa Frederica Augusta Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, formerly Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester (born Luise Friederike Auguste, Countess von Alten; 15 June 1832 – 15 July 1911), was a German-born British aristocrat sometimes referred ...
English duchesses by marriage
Mistresses of the Robes to Queen Victoria
Nobility from Hanover
Wives of knights