Gordon, Augustus

Augusta Fitzclarence was born November 17, 1803 at the , , London . She became the fourth illegitimate daughter of William, Duke of Clarence, the future king of Great Britain, William IV and his long-time mistress, actress Dorothy Jordan ^{[1] [2]} . Augusta had four sisters and five brothers, bearing the surname Fitzclarence ^{[3] [4]} . Wilhelm could not marry Dorothy Jordan, so they lived with their children for twenty years ^{[3] [5]} . In 1797, they moved from Clarence Lodge to the Bushy House, where they lived until 1807. Augustus was born there ^[3] .

Augusta Wilhelmina’s daughter later writes in her memoirs that the Bush House was “the happy and beloved home of me and my mother, until in 1818 the king had to marry Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen ” ^[6] . William broke up with Dorothy in 1811, but continued to provide for her and their common children ^[3] . She received £ 4,400 in childcare. ^[7] In January 1812, Dorothy moved from Bush House, as there was not enough money to support him. She continued to perform on stage. In 1815, the actress moved to Boulogne in France, running away from creditors ^{[3] [7]} . July 5, 1816 she died, leaving behind a small amount of money ^[8] .

Wilhelm’s new wife, Princess Adelaide, became a caring mother for Dorothy’s children, as William and Adelaide did not have their children (two girls died in childhood) ^{[8] [9]} . In 1818, Augusta, her brothers and sisters was assigned a maintenance fee of 500 pounds. In 1830, William ascended the English throne ^[10] . The following year he gave his eldest son from a marriage with Dorothy the title of 1st Earl of Munster ^[2] . Children often visited their father in the palace ^[11] . This was very disliked by the Duchess of Kenstka , who believed that the illegitimate children of the king badly affect the upbringing of her daughter Victoria ^[12] . King William loved his children and did not like the Duchess of Kent, who fenced off her daughter from communicating with the king and his children ^[12] .

On July 5, 1827, Augusta married the Hon. John F. Kennedy-Erskine, the youngest son of the . The groom was a captain and served in the 16th Royal Lancers Regiment, as well as as the stalmaster of King William IV from 1830 ^[13] . Three children were born in the marriage:

• William Henry Kennedy-Erskine (1828-1870) - married Katherine Jones in 1862, had children, among whom was a Scottish writer, ;
• Wilhelmina Kennedy-Erskine (1830–1906) - the wife of her cousin , 2nd Earl of Munster (1824–1901), had nine children with him ^[14] ;
• Augusta Anna Milissenta Kennedy-Erskine (1831–1895) - the wife of , had five children.

Augusta loved botany, was engaged in needlework ^[2] . John inherited the estate of his maternal grandfather, located in the region of Angus , Scotland , where Augusta became the mistress. The name of Augusta is mentioned in the book of Great Houses of Scotland by ^[2] . John died on March 6, 1831. The youngest daughter of the August couple, Anna Milissenta, was born after the death of her father, a few months later. The historian Flora Fraser writes that “the king mourned his son-in-law very early” ^[15] .

After the death of her husband Augustus, together with her three children, she began to live in a Brickhouse on the River Thames . The king often visited his daughter and grandchildren, and they, in turn, often visited Windsor Castle. Augusta had a home in Brighton ^[16] .

August 24, 1836 Augusta married a second time. Her husband was , the third son of the . Gordon was a naval officer, in 1868 he became an admiral of the Navy, there were no children in marriage ^[2] .

The second marriage did not suit the parents of Augusta's first husband, and they asked her to free their house, where she lived with John. ^[17] . Augusta turned to the king-father for help, and he gave the spouses several rooms in the Kensington Palace in London , and made his daughter William the main housewife of the palace after the death of the sister of Augusta Sofia, Baroness de L'Ail and Dudley on April 10, 1837 ^{[13] [ 18]} . Spouses lived here for many years ^[19] . In 1847, they made a long journey to the continent. Visited Germany, France and Italy ^[20] . In 1850, they returned back and the daughters of Augusta were withdrawn to high society. Both of them married in 1855. ^[21]

The illegitimate daughter of the king died in 1865. The second husband survived her for twelve years ^[2] .

• Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter; Powell, Roger. Royal Bastards : [ eng. ] . - London: History Press Limited, 2008 .-- 228 p. - ISBN 9780752473154 .
• Campbell Denlinger, Elizabeth. Before Victoria: Extraordinary Women of the British Romantic Era : [ eng. ] . - New York: Columbia University Press, 2005 .-- P. 81.
• FitzClarence, Wilhelmina. My Memories and Miscellanies : [ eng. ] . - London: Eveleigh Nash, 1904. - P. 3-50, 129-152. - 287 p. - ISBN 978-1117654379 .
• Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III : [ eng. ] . - London: John Murray, 2004 .-- P. 352. - 476 p. - ISBN 0300117329 .
• Vallone, Lynne. Becoming Victoria : [ eng. ] . - Yale University Press, 2001 .-- P. 49, 72. - 256 p. - ISBN 978-0-300-08950-9 .
• Williams, Kate. Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch : [ eng. ] . - Ballatine Books, 2010 .-- P. 146, 218. - 448 p. - ISBN 0-345-46195-9 .
• Wright, GN The Life and Reign of William the Fourth : [ eng. ] . - Fisher son & Company, 1837. - P. 429, 851-867. - 868 p.

• lady Augusta Fitzclarence (Spanish) . - Profile on Geneall.net.
• Lady Augusta Fitz-Clarence . - Profile on Thepeerage.com.