Quotables

'Ly. Eliz. [Bess] came, the first time I have seen her since her marriage with [the] Duke of Devonshire; I could not utter a congratulation upon the occasion.'

-Elizabeth Lady Holland

Depicting the Duke of Devonshire

When it comes to images of Canis, otherwise known as William Duke of Devonshire, there is generally one that floats around on the web by Batoni showing the Duke on his grand tour adventure. And let's all be honest, most of you probably looked at it and went, "How did he get all that eighteenth-century tail?!"  Which is a totally legitimate question being that the Duke lacked social skills to be smooth with the ladies.  He just looks a bit plain and awkward.  When Anton von Maron painted him at the age of 20 the result was also pretty bad.

Hart would write almost 80 years later that the painting of his father was "so very bad" that Bess "had it altered by (I believe) Mr Rising, the cleaner of pictures..."  I'm sure it surprises none of you that Bess took charge on that!

But my favorite images of the Duke are the lesser-known ones which, ironically, are by one of the two most famous artists of the time, Joshua Reynolds.  One shows how handsome the Duke was around the time that he married Georgiana.  I believe the painting is in bad condition now, but you get a good idea from the print (love that coat!):

However my favorite of the two is rarely seen due to it being hidden away in a private collection.  It shows the Duke at age 19 or 20 although he looks much older and more sophisticated

Bess: More of a Hervey than a Foster

It was two hundred and twenty years ago that Fanny Burney met Georgiana and her family for the first time, despite the two women being in the celebrity spotlight for over a decade. 

The truth of the matter is that Fanny had no interest in Georgiana and her group.  To her, it would be like the modern equivalent of having the opportunity to meet a tabloid celebrity who was famous for no good reason (ie: Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian), Fanny was disgusted and just not interested.  However, no one was as surprised as herself when, with little effort, Georgiana won Fanny over, "it is impossible to view...this celebrated woman without feeling the strongest disposition to admire and like her."  Fanny found that Georgiana's sister, Harriet, whom her pre-conceived notions were even harsher on, was surprisingly equally likable.  However, she found Lady Spencer to be a bore, the Devonshire nanny (Selina Trimmer) to be full of herself, and Bess and the Duke's daughter, Caroline to be a brat.  As for Bess herself, Fanny reserved her harshest criticisms.  "To the tales told about her, scandal is nothing - INFAMY enwraps them."  Fanny found herself smothered by the sycophantic Bess, whose efforts made it almost impossible to socialize with anyone else. 

In the end Fanny decided that after talking to Bess, "Lady Elizabeth has the general character of inheriting all the wit, all the subtlety, all les agréments [charms], and all the wickedness of the Herveys.  While I can't imagine Bess would be too pleased with this assessment, I have a feeling her relative John Hervey, would have found it quite flattering.

Oh No She Didn't! Offending the Italians

Bess had a great fondness for Italy, especially late in life when she chose it as her place of retirement.  However the same cannot be same of Italy's feelings toward Bess in 1785.  Much in the tradition of her visit to France, Bess sowed offense wherever she went.  First of all, whenever she whisked by she left the Italians gagging on her perfume.  Wearing perfume in Italy was a big no-no.  Not knowing your cross-culture etiquette could easily be societal suicide, especially for a determined social climber such as Lady Foster. So it didn't help her ambition any when she caused further offense by freely speaking her broken Italian to everyone.  I would give her points for trying the immersion method of learning a language but at the time it only came off as pompous. 

Next time Bess, try Rosetta Stone and a dab of vanilla behind the ears!

Racky and Madame "Right Now"

In the November following Georgiana's death, her daughter, Harryo, wrote to her married sister to tell her how quality family was going without her or her mother.

"Caroline began last night before the Bessboroughs and all of us assembled, reading out loud a letter of Madame de Maintenon..."

Madame de Maintenon, or Françoise d'Aubigné was a simple widow whom the great Sun King, Louis XIV fell in love with later in his life.  She was very pious Catholic so when the king set his eyes on her, she made it known she would not become a royal mistress.  Her allure was so great that Louis resorted to marrying Madame de Maintenon, but in secret.  She was never recognized as queen but there was an unspoken knowing among all at Versailles that she was to be regarded with the same respect a queen would have.  Although she was not always popular with those close to Louis such as his family, Françoise and her simplicity kept the king grounded and their relationship was that of two friends who respected each other.*

Harryo continues her account,

"...in which she excuses her conduct toward Louis and says, ['If I did not go to his room, to whom would he be able to confide his secrets'] or words to that effect, and describing in short scenes too what we are so often witnessing.  This was to lead to every sort of question to Lady E.,whether Madame de Maintenon was right in her conduct, whether she was ambitions or only making generous sacrifices, etc.  I fancied Lady E. was embarrassed."

Three years later Bess married the Duke of Devonshire, in a marriage that was not so secret.

*For further reading, a new biography on Madame de Maintenon has just hit shelves this summer.

Oh No She Didn't! The Silent Treatment

The end of 1786 was a rough time for Georgiana.  In Autumn she suffered from spasms, which may of had something to do with her bad health later in life.  Lady Spencer arrived to nurse her daughter and Bess took it upon herself to take Georgiana's place and order around the servants who raised eyebrows at her.  When Lady Spencer reported Bess' behavior Georgiana refused to believe her mother.

After Georgiana's health returned she confessed some of her debts to her husband who flew into a rage (I would be upset too if I found out my spouse had the modern equivalent of a $6 million gambling debt) and screamed for a separation. Georgiana was reasonably upset and turned to her best friend for support.

For whatever reason, though, Bess gave Georgiana no shoulder to cry on.  In fact she refused to talk to her altogether!

Teen Mom: Bess

If Bess Hervey was born into a normal middle-class family, she may have had the luxury of marrying in her twenties.  The average age for a woman to marry was about 25, but many well-to-do families rushed their daughters into marriage.  Bess was one of the unlucky girls who found herself married with a lack of maturity to handle her new life changes.  The new Mrs. Foster was also especially fertile and found herself at the age of 17 already with a baby.  Reading her notes from the period makes one feel as if they are watching an episode of MTV's Teen Mom, there is such an abundance of whining one has to wonder where the cheese is!

First, she whimpered about her new home in Dunleer being a "Dungeon."
Momma Hervey (Lady Bristol) wrote back to tell her to appreciate what she had and if it was so bad to do something about it! She recommended picking out some new wallpaper.

When Frederick was born Bess wrote again to her mother describing the horrors of labor.
Lady Bristol, having gone through the ordeal of labor seven times over, once again had little sympathy for the over-dramatization of the process and asked Bess to reflect more on the joys of motherhood rather than complain about the toils of the labor.

After a month of laying in, Bess was re-released to the world and all she could do was roll her eyes at it.  First she remarked on how she found all babies "much alike" and then bemoaned how her son was "dependent" on her.  Not being a mother myself, I noticed two-month-olds tend to do that.  One has to wonder how much mothering Bess was actually doing seeing as she had a wet nurse. 

It wasn't only Bess' son which bored her but now Dublin seemed just as odious as Dunleer.  While many contemporary accounts rave about Dublin's ability to be a thoroughly diverting metropolis Bess wrote, "je m'ennuie à la mort" [I am bored to death].  Besides finding the city "dirty" and "dull" she found the women "ill educated & indelicate."  But perhaps Bess' real beef with Dublin was the fact that her flirting wasn't reciprocated.  According to Bess the men were "too much engrossed by Politicks to engage much in society..."

Season 2

Lady Bristol was quick to tell Bess to stop complaining

When Bess was three months pregnant with her son, Augustus she had enough of her boring life and ran away.  She then met up with a Mr. Churchill and attempted absconding to Scotland with him.  One has to wonder if Bess was so bored by Dublin if Scotland would have been much better? In any case she never would reach the amusements of Scotland for her husband caught her in York.

The year was now 1782 and Bess was staying in Bath with her sister, Mary.  Both ladies were poor, separated from their husbands, and ostracized from public (I bet Dunleer wasn't looking too bad anymore!).  It was here where Bess was to be introduced to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire who befriended the two fallen women.  However, Bess only too easily left her sister in the dust when the Devonshires invited her to accompany them out of Bath. Bess' sob story of her lost children had pulled on their heartstrings more than Mary's, whose child had been allowed to stay with her after the separation.

The truth of the matter is, Bess only really experienced being a "teen mom," for by the time she was in her twenties her husband had custody of her two sons, whom she wouldn't see for another fourteen years.  Her other children (Caroline and Clifford) were illegitimate offspring of the Duke and were also raised more by others than by Bess.  Bess would find that she appreciated being a mother only when the ability was taken away from her.

Country Homes: Ickworth

Location: Suffolk
Famous Inhabitants: Bess Foster, John Hervey
Website: National Trust

Georgiana's Death

March 30 marks the anniversary of Georgiana's death. After battling with various health issues for years the Duchess of Devonshire succumbed and faded from the world at 3:30 the morning of March 30, 1806. If anyone had any doubts as to how beloved Georgiana was in her lifetime, the many reactions to her death speak for themselves.

"For no less than 33 years have we seen [The Duchess of Devonshire] regarded as the glass and model of fashion , and amidst the homage which was paid to her, she moved with a simplicity that proved her to be unconscious of the charm which bound the world to her attraction."

Morning Chronicle, March 31, 1806

"I am no longer calm, no longer soothed. I cannot describe my own feelings."

Lady Bess Foster

"You have never known what it was to loose a friend to whom your whole heart was open, to whom you loved with all the strong ties of natural affection and choice, habit, similarity of character added to it."

Harriet, Countess of Bessborough

"The best natured and best bred woman in England is gone."

The Prince of Wales

Georgiana's body lay in state in the Great Hall of Devonshire House for five days. The same room which held many balls and grand social events now held her open casket among dismal black drapes adorning the walls. Thousands lined Piccadilly in order to pay respects, many of which had never known Georgiana, but still wanted one last glimpse of their favourite celebrity. On Easter Day the coffin lid was closed and people such as Harriet and Bess were overcome with emotion. The funeral procession would go through the throngs of onlookers of Piccadilly on its way to Derby Cathedral. Bess wrote her observations of Hart at his mother's funeral procession which bring back memories of the John F. Kennedy and Princess Diana funerals,

Never shall I forget Hartington's look & figure as I saw him in the Great Hall as if to attend on her poor Mother there & then on the steps, fixed without his hat, his innocent interesting countenance & looks bent to the last on the Coffin as it was carried slowly down the steps & on the Hearse as it was placed within. He did not appear to weep, but his whole soul seemed absorbed by what was passing. The morning just began to dawn, all was reviving to light & life, but her, her! who was our light & life.

Georgiana on Count Fersen

Axel von Fersen, the Swedish soldier and count, is not known for any great victories on the battlefield or in politics. His celebrity came from the attention he received from a certain queen of France. Although there is no solid evidence of Marie Antoinette and Count Fersen's relationship being more than platonic, it was still a hot topic among the various European courts. In other words: Ladies, he is off limits.

Of course that didn't stop Bess from making out with him and then feigning guilt as she wrote to Georgiana about the dalliance. Georgiana, herself, couldn't really see what all the fuss was about when she met him in 1786:

"He is reckoned ugly here, because from the idea of Mrs. B's liking him, a great beauty was expected. He has delightful eyes, the finest countenance that can be, the most gentleman like air. Thank God I an't in love with him."

Mother Knows Best

"I see you on the edge of a thousand precipices, in danger of losing the confidence of those who are dearest to you...I see you running with eagerness to those -must I miscall them friends?- Who tho' their intentions might not be wrong, are by constantly talking to you on subjects which are always better avoided imperceptibly your most hurtful enemies, all these and more keep me on the rack."

Lady Spencer
28 June 1782

Oh No She Didn't! Poor Bess

Bess, being Georgiana's confidant, was very well aware of the Duchess' mounting debts. By the time Georgiana successfully delivered a healthy child, Bess was living in Turin, Italy. She was both jealous and fearful that this child would bring husband and wife closer together and she would soon be forgotten. At the time Bess was being supported by the Devonshires, but strangely enough would find herself running out of money. Is Turin a pricey place? Either way, her letters to Georgiana begged for money and contained a lot of 'I owe ya one!' which was slightly suspicious because she used to only reluctantly accept gifts of money. Georgiana's letters to Bess talk of how she would of course give Bess the money she needed, and then would consist of her thinking out-loud (via letter) about how she would manage to sneak the money to Bess with all the debts she was already worrying about. Not only was Bess well-aware of Georgiana's debts, she was not in need of extra money. She threw what money Georgiana spared to her in the bank. So much for IOUs.

On Georgiana

"I regret the Duchess's departure very much. As for Lady Elisabeth, she is nice enough but one can do without her, but the Duchess has a thousand good qualities and an excellent heart."

Lady Sutherland

The Death of a Duchess

Today marks the 203rd anniversary of Georgiana's death. Much of Georgiana's 48 years of life were marked with health issues and in the second week of March 1806 it appeared that she had contracted jaundice. Rather than her health improving over the next few days, Georgiana grew worse and everyone became more and more concerned. The yellow/orange colour of skin was not due to jaundice but another liver ailment. Unbeknownst to the doctors an abscess had formed on her liver and was killing her. Harriet moved into Devonshire House to tend to her sister and "crowds" of people came to inquire daily after the state of Georgiana's health. Doctors felt that the sickness would pass but her friends and family were gravely concerned.

By the 26th, Georgiana was seizing for eight hours. The doctors shaved off all her lovely hair and put blister plasters on her skin which did nothing but cause her more pain. Amanda Foreman writes that,

"By the twenty-seventh everyone in Devonshire House knew that Georgiana was dying. The family, friends, and servants waited for the end to come. The crowd outside the gates grew in size."

Harriet watched as her sister struggled to speak and constantly seized for days, feeling as though she was dying with her. At 3:30 in the morning of 30 March Georgiana died surround by some of the most important people in her life, her husband, mother, sister, Bess, and Little G.

Reactions
The loss of Georgiana shook everyone. The crowds continued to visit Devonshire House to pay their respects, but those closest to Georgiana were the most effected. Charles Fox sat by himself at his former canvasser's home with big, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. Little G wrote that she wished she could strew violets over her dying bed as Georgiana had strewn sweets over her life. The Prince of Wales was in a state of shock, almost not believing that she was gone. Lady Spencer had to deal with watching her favourite child die. Bess was devastated as well and also concerned that her friends' death meant that she had no valid reason to be living with the Cavendishes. She and Harriet bonded to each other in a means of support for the devastating loss

But perhaps the most affected person may be the most shocking. The Duke of Devonshire was inconsolable. In the final years of Georgiana's life the two had finally become close, and dare I say, even loving. Of course they would have their typical married-people bickering but it was if the calmer, more matronly Georgiana was the wife that Canis had always wanted. Her loss was a blow that the Duke, with his famous countenance, never really recovered from and put him in a sort of numb state until his own death. Guilt as well as the realization that Georgiana would not be holding his hand on his deathbed ate away at him. He locked himself in his room and then one night snapped. Bess stayed up all night with him and described the Duke as "hysterical." He never truly recovered from the blow.

"A woman more exalted in every accomplishment of rapturous beauty, of elevated genius, and of angelic temper, has not adorned the present age..."

The Morning Chronicle, 31 March 1806

He's Not Such A Bad Guy!

Ya know, poor Canis gets a bad rep. And while I'm not saying he wasn't a big jerk, I can say he wasn't constantly one. Many of Georgiana's letters make the Duke of Devonshire out to be a normal guy. Although you do sense a bit of an awkwardness in his letters he doesn't come off as the Ice King all the time. In a letter to Georgiana in 1775 he scolds her for not writing to him enough, "What a naughty little wretch you are..." While this shows his need for doting female attention, as Foreman talks about in the biography, it also is kind of cute at the same time!

I really like this letter Georgiana wrote to her mother in 1784 because it shows the Duke's sense of humour:

"The Duke made us laugh very much by teazing Cl Crawfurd, who is very lazy, in trying to make him run up the hill. Cl Crawfurd is, you know, very gallant and had been saying all matter of fine things to Ly Eliz [Bess], so the Duke threw her whip down the steepest part of the hill that he might fetch it, but his gallantry did not reach so far for he would not go..."

I hope Bess had to pick up her whip herself.

Mother Knows Best

"I am sorry Ly E. Foster's cough is worse, indeed she should not stay in such a climate as this, every hour may be of the utmost consequence to her."

Lady Spencer
26 August 1784

Mother Knows Best

"I hope Lady Eliz does not loose sight of going abroad."

Lady Spencer
8 December 1782

On the Tenth Day of Christmas Lady Bess Foster Gave to Me...

Ten sob stories...

Now I know Bess may not have many fans here on the Guide, but her presence as a tart of Christmas should be expected considering her many tartly ways. I also suspect not many people will be leaving comments in order to win her ornament! But maybe Bess' sob stories will win you over as they did the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire who immediately empathized with her plight and took the delicate lady into their care. Sob stories were Bess' weapon of choice in her many manipulations which led to her survival. With them, this tiny tart was able to cahoot with many above her station and sleep with many, many rich and famous men...even if those men happened to be the husband and boyfriend of her best friend or Marie Antoinette's boyfriend, or a cardinal, or...well you know, the list goes on and on.

Devonshire Progeny: Caroline St Jules

It was 1785 and Bess was in Paris, romping around with the Duke of Dorset, whom she knew very well was the object of Georgiana's affection. She was also a bit stressed: Bess was three months pregnant with the Duke of Devonshire's child. A letter had just arrived from her best friend. The Duchess of Devonshire wrote that she was happily expecting her child; she was also three months pregnant. Bess did the math, the children had been conceived within days of each other, possibly even hours.

On 16 August 1785 in a brothel/hostel in Italy the Duke and Bess' first child was born and named Caroline Rosalie. Not long afterward, Georgiana gave birth to her second daughter, Harriet, in a much more suitable setting. Caroline spent her first weeks with poor people her mother didn't even know before getting shipped off to a more middle-class family. Bess promptly went back to partying (guiltily). Somehow, she convinced the elderly Comte St Jules to adopt Caroline. It is unknown how the two knew each other but by convincing the comte to do this that meant that Caroline was being raised as the comte's illegitimate daughter, Bess always did have a way with convincing others to do things they normally wouldn't. It also meant that Caroline St Jules would be brought up with foster parents not the old comte.

As time went on Bess also schemed sneaking the girl into England to be raised with Georgiana's two daughters but that was not to be. Instead, she was sent away to Paris to be educated with Charlotte, the Duke's other illegitimate daughter. This didn't deter Bess from making many attempts to bring her daughter back to England to be with her. Her relief came in the form of a very unexpected person, the formidable Lady Spencer, who never made it a secret that she despised Bess. When Georgiana and her family were in Paris during the birth of Hart, Lady Spencer was eager to get out of revolutionary France ASAP, this meant taking her grandchildren with her. She was in such a rush she allowed for Charlotte and Caroline to be included in her escape party. Caroline, the little french girl, had made it into her parent's home-country and soon, their home.

Personality-wise Caroline took after her mother. Perhaps this is why she was her father's favourite child. Fanny Burney found her to be "fat and full of mincing little affections and airs." Hmmm, sounds familiar doesn't it? Burney was no fool, and also very suspicious. She found Georgiana's daughters much more agreeable (despite being biased against Georgiana). Strangely enough, Caroline still managed to win Lady Spencer's approval. Lady Spencer was torn by her hate for Bess but seemed to like that Caroline was obedient, especially in comparison to her grand-daughter, Caroline (later Lamb) who she found to be "very naughty."

Despite the setback of being an illegitimate child Caroline managed to nab herself a very good husband. George Lamb was the son of Lady Melbourne and the younger brother of William Lamb, later Lord Melbourne (Caroline Lamb's husband). Because the two Carolines married the Lamb brothers they were often referred to as Caro William and Caro George. At the time of her marriage, the Duke's favourtism shined through when he blessed Caroline with a whopping £30,000 for her dowery, more than he gave to his other daughters. Despite their dislike of Bess, the Cavendish children accepted Caroline and were very close to her. When writing her memoirs years later, Caroline gives a very poignant account of her childhood as Devonshire progeny that would probably have broken Bess' heart,

"I became reserved myself; the strangeness of my situation in that house, the not knowing who I was, the not having a human being to whom I could speak, made me so. Everything seemed full of secrets. I did not know the natural ties that bound me to my M[other], but I loved her as my protectress, my adopted mother, yet with a mixture of fear."

Devonshire Progeny: Charlotte

Charlotte was not the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire but she was raised by both of them. She was actually the Duke's first (known) child and was born of the commoner Charlotte Spencer (no relation of Georgiana or her Spencer family). Charlotte was born in 1774, the same year that Georgiana married William so he technically hadn't committed adultery in Charlotte's conception. However, he did keep Charlotte's mother as his mistress after her birth, so we can't totally clear him of those early adultery charges.

Charlotte's early life was likely comfortably lived with her mother by the grace (and wallet) of the Duke. He likely provided them with a decent home and even paid for Charlotte to have a nurse. By 1778 he had tired of his mistress, and unfortunately for the the tot, Charlotte Spencer died not too long after the breakup. Now Charlotte was both motherless and a bastard-child. Most children in this situation were doomed a horrible and short existence unless they were charitably recognized by their father. Despite his coldness, and awkwardness with human affection, William was no monster and took his illegitimate daughter, and her nurse, into his home.

By the time the four or five-year-old came into the Devonshires' home, Georgiana and the Duke had been married at least four years and still had no children of their own. You may think that having the illegitimate daughter of her husband in her home would send Georgiana into a rage, but it did not. She immediately doted on the child and gushed about her as if she were her own, much to her mother's horror. Georgiana seemed impertinently ignorant of the whispers about welcoming the little girl into her family. At the time little Charlotte had no surname so the last name of Williams was created for her to distinct her as her father's child-though not legetimate child.

Charlotte grew up dearly loved by both Georgiana and William but with the arrival of Bess she became a neccessary tool in order to keep Bess close to the Devonshires without causing too much scandal. Lady Bess Foster was given the position of Charlotte's governess when the girl was about nine years old. As soon as this arrangement was settled the two set off for France to further Charlotte's education and refine her as a proper little lady (with Bess!? Dear lord, they should recheck her papers...). When Bess got bored with her task at hand and went partying in Europe poor, introverted Charlotte was dragged with her. Georgiana was horrified when word got to her that Bess and Charlotte were living in Naples with two of Bess' lovers. Eventually it was decided that Bess might not be the best fit for Charlotte, who seemed traumatised by her experiances abroad with Bess rather than "much improved." She was left in Paris to continue her education, even through the Revolution.

In 1794 the Devonshires were happy (and relieved) when their agent's nephew asked for Charlotte's hand in marriage. He was no aristocrat, but it was a good and secure marriage, especially considering Charlotte's unfortunate background. Nothing else can really be known of her after that, but Charlotte was likely relieved to settle down to the quiet life of a wife after her circus-like life as a Devonshire.