Howard, Georgiana

Family and Early Life

Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish was born July 12, 1783 in , London . She became the firstborn in the family of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire and Georgiana Spencer ^{[1] [2]} . Her family belonged to the highest British aristocracy and was considered one of the richest in the kingdom. The girl's mother was a famous beauty and politically ambitious woman. Georgiana was born after nine years of married life of her parents and nine days after the birth of her cousin Frederick , future Governor of Malta ^{[3] [4]} .

Mother called her "Little G". She received her first name in honor of her mother, and the second in honor of Aunt , who, along with Lord and Prince of Wales George (future King George IV ), were the godparents of the girl ^[5] . The mother decided to breastfeed the child herself and not to resort to the help of the nurse, which was very unusual for a woman of her class. The birth of the girl was perceived negatively from the side of the father’s family, as they hoped for the appearance of the heir ^[6] . A month later, Little G and her cousin were baptized in , where nine years ago her parents played a wedding. ^[7]

The duke was disappointed with the appearance of his daughter ^[5] . The next child of the spouses, daughter Harriet , was born two years later ^[8] . Two sisters were friendly throughout life ^[9] . In 1790, the long-awaited heir, William , the future 6th Duke of Devonshire, was born to the duke and duchess ^[2] . In the early 1790s, cooling began between the Cavendish spouses after the duchess gave birth to a child from her lover Charles Gray . She left the family and left for Europe, returning only at the end of 1793. Mother did not see children for two years. She wrote that “Georgiana is a very beautiful child” , and “Harriet is also very large for her age” ^[10] . Together with her eldest daughter, the Duchess read a lot, was engaged in other matters ^[11] . Amanda Forman , biographer of the Duchess of Devonshire, wrote that “she really liked her daughter’s company and she couldn’t say a single rude word about her” ^[12] .

In 1800, Georgiana was first introduced to high society in the early days of the beginning of the London season for the aristocracy. They said in society that the daughter did not inherit the beauty and ease of movement from her mother, she did not know how to hold her head correctly. However, her dresses along with the family diamonds of the family made a good impression ^[13] . Soon, a ball was organized in honor of her at the Cavendish estate ^[14] . , who was present at this event, wrote about Georgiana that she was “the most charming girl, pleasant and sensitive, without any pretense, and if she marries an equal man, she will become a beautiful wife” ^[15] .

Marriage

Candidates for marriage with the eldest daughter of the Duke of Devonshire were and George Howard, Viscount Morphet . The candidacy of the first was immediately rejected due to the large age difference (twenty years). George Howard was eleven years older than Georgiana. The Duchess of Devonshire agreed to her daughter’s marriage to Howard, who was the son and heir ^[16] . Viscount Morpet was invited to a ball in honor of the release of Georgiana, where the future couple first met. After that, he visited Chatsworth House . The Duke of Devonshire offered for his daughter 30,000 pounds of dowry, and also handed over the London residence of the Cavendish to the Lawrenceborough House for the pair to use if she agreed to marry him. At first, Georgiana did not want to get married, but soon yielded to the will of her parents ^[17] . March 21, 1801 they played a wedding ^{[18] [19]} . wrote in her diaries that this is “a suitable marriage in every way, the bride, not possessing great beauty, has many charms” ^[20] .

The marriage was happy ^[17] . The young wife moved to Castle Howard's estate in North Yorkshire . She was surprised by the patriarchal order in her husband's family, where the children practically did not communicate with their parents, but were in the care of the nannies and governesses ^[21] . Over time, six sons and six daughters were born in the family ^[18] . Due to the birth in 1809 of son, the wedding of Georgiana’s younger sister, who married Grenville Leveson-Gower, was postponed. ^[22] Georgiana was present at the first birth of a sister in 1810 ^[23] .

At the beginning of 1803, the couple were in Paris with Aunt . There, Henrietta, along with her niece, were frequent guests at the balls of the Paris aristocracy ^[24] . In 1806, the Duchess of Devonshire died of the disease. All children attended the funeral ^{[2] [8] [25]} . The Duke of Devonshire was never close with his children ^[9] . During the life of his wife, he had an affair with Elizabeth Foster . The sisters hated her, and the younger Harriet often remained in her sister's house. The youngest son Harriet later wrote that it “only strengthened the love between sisters who had not parted their whole lives” ^[26] . From 1801 until the death of Georgiana in 1858, the sisters wrote letters to each other daily ^[9] . In 1809, despite the indignation of the children, their father married Elizabeth Foster, they had two children. Two years later he died ^{[8] [27]} .

Subsequent Life

In 1825, the Viscount Morpeth succeeded his father as the 6th Earl of Carlisle, which made Georgiana the Countess ^[18] .

Georgiana's nephew once said that she only thinks about politics and nothing more ^[9] . In 1838, she spoke negatively of the growing writer Charles Dickens , saying: “I know that there are unhappy people like pickpockets and prostitutes. I am very sorry for this, but I am shocked by their lifestyle and do not want to hear what they are talking about with each other ” ^[28] . The historian Judith Lewis cites this opinion as evidence of the prevalence of class consciousness during the 19th century, and Lady Carlisle, in her opinion, was one of the most harmless among the great ladies of that time ^[28] .

Earl Carlisle died in 1848 at Howard Castle ^[18] . The 6th Duke of Devonshire, the brother of Georgiana, died in 1858. In his will, he left his sister Cheesic House , which was the favorite home of their parents, to his sister. Lady Carlisle passed away seven months later in the house of her younger sister Harriet ^[29] .

From a marriage with George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle, twelve children were born ^{[30] [31]} :

• (1802-1864) - 7th Earl of Carlisle, was not married, had no children;
• Carolina Georgiana (1803–1881), the wife of , had nine children;
• Georgiana (1804-1860) - the wife of , had four children;
• Frederick George (1805-1834) - not married;
• Harriet (1806-1868) - wife of , had eleven children;
• 1808–1889] - 8th Earl of Carlyle, was not married, had no children;
• (1809-1880) - 1st Baron Lanerton, was married to Diane Ponsonby , had no children;
• The Blanche of Georgiana (1812–1840), the wife of , had five children;
• (1814-1879) - married Mary Park , had one son;
• Elizabeth (1816–1891) - wife of the Rev. Francis Richard Gray ;
• Henry (1818-1879) - married Mary McTevish , daughter of a British consul in Baltimore;
• Maria Matilda (1823-1892) - the wife of Henry Labusher, 1st Baron Taunton , there were no children.

• Lady Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish - Profile on Geneall.net.
• Lady Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish - Profile on Thepeerage.com.