Frances Scudamore, Duchess of Beaufort (1711–1750) was a noblewoman and heiress. The only child of

James Scudamore, 3rd Viscount Scudamore James Scudamore, 3rd Viscount Scudamore (1684 – 2 December 1716), was an English landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1716. Scudamore was baptised on 15 July 1684, the second, but eldest surviving son of ...

, she was his sole heir upon his death in 1716. Her mother, Frances ''née'' Digby, had introduced the family to

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

. Frances married, on 28 June 1729,

Henry Somerset, 3rd Duke of Beaufort Henry Somerset-Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort (23 March 1707 – 26 February 1745), born Henry Somerset, was an English nobleman and peer who supported Jacobitism. Life He was the elder son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort and his se ...

, who the following year took the surname Scudamore by

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliame ...

. The marriage was not a happy one, leading the Duchess to have an affair with William Talbot, 2nd Baron Talbot. In 1742, the Duke filed for divorce due to this affair; the Duchess countersued, claiming that the Duke was impotent. When the Duke disproved her claim before court-appointed examiners, the divorce was granted in March 1743, followed by the Duke suing Lord Talbot for damages. The year after her divorce, Frances remarried, her second husband being Colonel Charles FitzRoy, an illegitimate son of the 2nd Duke of Grafton. Colonel FitzRoy also adopted the surname Scudamore after his own.Charles FitzRoy Scudamore
at The Twickenham Museum. Retrieved 2 May 2015. They had one daughter, also named

Frances Frances is a French and English given name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'free one.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from the F ...

, born in 1750, the year of her mother's death. The daughter Frances would go on to marry

Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk (15 March 1746 – 16 December 1815), styled Earl of Surrey from 1777 to 1786, was a British nobleman, peer, and politician. He was the son of Charles Howard, 10th Duke of Norfolk and Catherine Brockho ...

, but became insane and was locked away for many years; after her death without children, the estate of

Holme Lacy Holme Lacy is a village in the English county of Herefordshire. The population of the civil parish was 466 at the 2011 Census. Category It is a primarily rural village. Etymology Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse ''holmr'' "island" like other pla ...

, formerly the property of the Viscounts Scudamore, fell into extensive litigation, eventually settling on Sir Edwin Stanhope, 3rd Baronet,Burke's Baronetage
/ref> who adopted the additional surname Scudamore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaufort, Frances Scudamore, Duchess of 1711 births 1750 deaths

English duchesses by marriage Daughters of viscounts 18th-century English women 18th-century English nobility Deaths in childbirth