Mary Bertie, Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven (died 19 October 1793), formerly Mary Panton, was the second wife of

Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven General Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven (171412 August 1778), styled Lord Willoughby de Eresby from 1715 to 1723 and Marquess of Lindsey from 1735 to 1742, was the son of Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven. ...

. She was the daughter of Thomas Panton of Newmarket (1697-1782), who was an equerry to King

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...

and master of the Thurlow Hunt, and his wife Priscilla (though she may have been illegitimate). The duke's first wife, Elizabeth Blundell, died in 1743. Mary Panton married the duke on 27 November 1750. They had six children: *Lady Mary Catherine Bertie (14 April 1754 – 12 April 1767) *Peregrine Thomas Bertie, Marquess of Lindsey (21 May 1755 – 12 December 1758) *An unnamed son, who was born and died on 14 September 1759 *

Robert Bertie, 4th Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven Robert Bertie, 4th Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, PC (17 October 1756 – 8 July 1779), styled Lord Robert Bertie until 1758 and Marquess of Lindsey between 1758 and 1778, was a British peer. He was born in Grimsthorpe, the second son ...

(1756–1779) * Priscilla Barbara Elizabeth Bertie, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby (16 February 1761 – 29 December 1828) * Lady Georgina Charlotte Bertie (7 August 1761 – 1838), married

George Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley George James Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley, (; 11 May 1749 – 10 April 1827), styled Viscount Malpas between 1764 and 1770 and known as The Earl of Cholmondeley between 1770 and 1815, was a British peer and politician. Background ...

and had children. Following her marriage to the duke, Mary Panton's father Thomas obtained the post of Master of the King's Running Horses,G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume I, page 128. and his son, also Thomas, later inherited this position. In 1757, Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

painted the couple, and another portrait by Reynolds of the duchess was painted between 1765 and 1771. A watercolour miniature, by

John Smart John Smart (1 May 1741 – 1 May 1811), was an English painter of portrait miniatures. He was a contemporary of Richard Cosway, George Engleheart, William Wood and Richard Crosse. Biography Smart was born in Norfolk, but not much is known ...

, dating to 1763, is held by the

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of Asian art. In 2007, ''Time'' magaz ...

. From 1761 to 1793, the duchess held the position of

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 ...

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

, Queen Charlotte. On the birth of the future King

William IV of the United Kingdom William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

, the duchess recommended as wet-nurse a woman called Sarah Tuting, who was later acknowledged as her father's mistress. The duchess died in Italy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertie, Mary, Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven 1793 deaths Ancaster and Kesteven Mistresses of the Robes Court of George III of the United Kingdom Household of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz