Frances Scudamore (1750–1820) was the second wife of Charles Howard, who became the 11th

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...

in 1786. She spent her married life confined to

Holme Lacy Holme Lacy is a village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 466 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. Etymology The name of Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse language, Old No ...

in a mentally deranged condition.

Life

She was born the only daughter and heiress of

Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore ( 1713 – 22 August 1782) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons for 49 years from 1733 to 1782. Born Charles FitzRoy, he was the illegitimate son of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, and was ed ...

of Holme Lacy in Herefordshire, an illegitimate son of

Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton (25 October 1683 – 6 May 1757) was a British peer and politician. Early life He was the only child and heir of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton (1663–1690) (an illegitimate son of King Charles II ...

, and his wife

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

, the divorced wife of the

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd D ...

. She married Charles Howard, the only son and heir of the 10th Duke of Norfolk on 6 April 1771 in London. She inherited the Holme Lacy estate on the death of her father in 1782. Her husband succeeded his father as the 11th Duke of Norfolk on 31 August 1786, inheriting a number of large estates, including

Arundel Castle Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery in the 11th century. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and earl ...

Worksop Manor Worksop Manor is an 18th-century country house in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire. It stands in one of the four contiguous estates in the Dukeries area of Nottinghamshire. Traditionally, the Lord of the Manor of Worksop may assist a British mona ...

Greystoke Castle Greystoke Castle is in the village of Greystoke, Cumbria, Greystoke west of Penrith, Cumbria, Penrith in the county of Cumbria in northern England. (). It is owned by the Howard family and is a private residence including a castle and family est ...

and

Sheffield Manor Sheffield Manor Lodge, also known as Sheffield Manor or locally as Manor Castle, is a lodge built about 1516 in what then was a large deer park southeast of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, to provide a country retreat and further accommoda ...

. Unfortunately, Frances exhibited signs of mental instability from the time of her marriage and spent the rest of her life confined to Holme Lacy. They had no children. Her husband spent his time elsewhere with a series of mistresses, dying in 1815. She died a widow in 1820 and was buried at St Cuthberts church, Holme Lacy. Having had no legitimate heirs from either of his marriages the Duke's lands and titles had passed to his cousin

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''be ...

. Holme Lacy, however, became the subject of a prolonged legal battle, which was finally decided in favour of Sir Edwin Stanhope, 2nd Baronet, who adopted the additional surname of Scudamore.Burke's Baronetage
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norfolk, Frances Scudamore, Duchess of 1750 births 1820 deaths Frances Scudamore Frances Scudamore, Duchess of Norfolk