Louisa Frederica Augusta Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, formerly Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester (born Countess Luise Friederike Auguste 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 ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
in what was then the
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...
. 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''; ) is a prominent Bohemian noble family originating in the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the Thirty Years' War, the Kinsky fam ...
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, 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, who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In ...
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 January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
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". However, allegedly Victoria disapproved of 'her tone, her love of admiration and "fast style."' She pointedly declined to invite the Duchess to the wedding of
Edward, Prince of Wales and
Alexandra, Princess of Wales in 1863. The Duchess soon developed close friendships with both.
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. The ball was considered the most important event of the London social season, and was spoken of for many years afterwards. At the ball, the Duchess dressed as
Queen Zenobia of Palmyra.
Marriages and issue
On 22 July 1852, the twenty-year-old Louisa was married in
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
to
Viscount Mandeville, 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 and married, firstly, to
William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton, at Kimbolton Castle on 10 December 1873, and had issue. She secondly married on 20 July 1897 to Robert Carnaby Forster of Easton Park,
Wickham Market,
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
(d. 1925), without issue.
#
Lady Louisa Augusta Beatrice Montagu (1856–1944), born at Kimbolton Castle. She married
Archibald Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford, 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, 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 The Hon. Edward Stanley from 1886–93 and Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British peer, soldier, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politic ...
, 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 ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
on 22 March 1890.
On 16 August 1892, at Christ Church,
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
, 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 b ...
. She thereby became Duchess of Devonshire, with a nickname of the "Double Duchess".
With the Duke of Devonshire's death on 24 March 1908, she was widowed for the second time, becoming the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire. On 14 July 1911, she suffered a
seizure
A seizure is a sudden, brief disruption of brain activity caused by abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal firing. Depending on the regions of the brain involved, seizures can lead to changes in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, o ...
at the
Sandown Races. She was taken to nearby Esher Park,
[Sometimes referred as Esher Place.] and died there on 15 July, 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 dec ...
, near Chatsworth, in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
.
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 (18 March 1834 – 2 February 1910) was a French photographer, primarily active in London.
Life and career
Silvy learned photography from his friend, Count Olympe Aguado, in 1857, and became a member of the Société ...
, 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 (Greek: Ζηνοβία, Palmyrene Aramaic: , ; 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 ...
, Queen of Palmyra, 1897
References
;Notes
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External links
The Cavendish Story: The Double Duchess
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devonshire, Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of
1832 births
1911 deaths
Countesses in Germany
Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
English duchesses by marriage
Mistresses of the Robes to Queen Victoria
Nobility from Hanover
Immigrants to the United Kingdom