Category Archives: Queen Victoria’s Household

Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times during the reign of Queen Victoria (February 1852 – December 1852, 1858 – 1859, and 1866 – 1868) but his total time as Prime Minister adds up to only three years and nine months. Born on March 29, 1799, at Knowsley Hall in Knowsley, Lancashire, England, Stanley was the eldest of the seven children of Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Margaret Hornby, daughter of Reverend Geoffrey Hornby. Stanley was educated at Eton College and at Christ Church, Oxford.

He had six younger siblings:

Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby; Credit – Wikipedia

The Stanley family has long-served kings. Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby (1435 – 1504) was a power player during the Wars of the Roses, the battle for the crown of England between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. During the early part of the 1st Earl’s career, Henry VI was king and head of the House of Lancaster. The 1st Earl then formed a powerful alliance with the House of York when he married Eleanor Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (a descendant of Edward III) and sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick and 6th Earl of Salisbury known as “The Kingmaker”. After Warwick was killed and the 1st Earl’s first wife died, the 1st Earl of Derby married Lady Margaret Beaufort, whose son Henry Tudor was the leading Lancastrian claimant. The 1st Earl’s brother Sir William Stanley famously switched sides at the Battle of Bosworth. Instead of supporting King Richard III and the Yorkists, Sir William attacked them, helping to secure a victory for Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII, and the Lancastrians. After the battle, Henry Tudor’s men were yelling, “God save King Henry!” Inspired by this, Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Debry found Richard’s battle crown and placed it on the head of his stepson, Henry Tudor, saying, “Sir, I make you King of England.”

In 1822, Stanley was elected as a Whig member of the House of Commons. He served as a member of the Cabinet in several positions: Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1827 – 1828), Chief Secretary for Ireland (1830 – 1833), and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1833 – 1834 and 1841 – 1845). In 1844, Stanley was created Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe, a subordinate title of his father by a special Royal Decree called a Writ of Acceleration and he became a member of the House of Lords during his father’s lifetime. When his father died on June 30, 1851, he inherited his title as the 14th Earl of Derby.

Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby by Thomas Henry Illidge, 1844; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1841, Stanley became a member of the Conservative Party and he served as Leader of the Conservative Party from 1846 – 1868. He formed a minority government and became Prime Minister in February 1852 following the collapse of Lord John Russell‘s Whig government. Ten months later, the minority government fell. Stanley was the Leader of the Opposition from the time his first government fell until 1858. In that year, Stanley formed another minority government upon the resignation of Lord Palmerston as Prime Minister. However, once again his government was short-lived, lasting only one year, having narrowly lost a vote of no-confidence. Stanley again served as Leader of the Opposition from 1859 – 1866.

The Derby Cabinet of 1867 by Henry Gales, 1868; Credit – Wikipedia

Stanley returned to power for the third and last time in 1866, following the collapse of Lord Russell’s second government. This term was most noted for the Reform Act 1867, an electoral reform by which the new industrial cities for the first time received a significant representation in the House of Commons. In 1868, Stanley resigned as Prime Minister on advice from his doctor but continued to serve in the House of Lords until his death.

Emma Bootle-Wilbraham, Stanley’s wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 31, 1825, Stanley married The Honorable Emma Bootle-Wilbraham, daughter of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale. The couple had two sons and one daughter:

Stanley’s younger son, Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby served as Governor-General of Canada from 1888 – 1893. While in Canada, Stanley’s sons played ice hockey and Lord and Lady Stanley became hockey fans. In 1892, Stanley gave Canada a treasured national icon, the Stanley Cup. Originally a trophy for Canada’s best amateur hockey team, it is now the championship trophy for the National Hockey League which has professional teams in Canada and the United States.

Twenty months after he resigned as Prime Minister, Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby died on October 23, 1869, aged 70, at Knowsley Hall in Knowsley, Lancashire, England. He was buried at St. Mary’s Church in Knowsley. In 1871–72 a memorial chapel to the 14th Earl of Derby was added to St. Mary’s Church.

St. Mary’s Church in Knowsley, Lancashire, England; Credit – By Sue Adair, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4754011

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Smith-Stanley,_14._Earl_of_Derby
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Edward Smithe-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby. [online] Available at:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Smith-Stanley,_14th_Earl_of_Derby[Accessed 27 Jul. 2018].
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

From an albumen carte-de-visite, 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, known as Lord John Russell before 1861, the courtesy title of a younger son of a duke, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice during the reign of Queen Victoria (1846 – 1862 and 1865 – 1866). Born August 18, 1792, in the Mayfair section of London, he was the younger of the three sons of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford and his first wife The Honorable Georgiana Byng, daughter of George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington. After the death of his first wife in 1801, the 6th Duke of Bedford married Lady Georgiana Gordon, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon.

Russell had two older brothers:

Russell had ten half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Lady Georgiana Gordon:

Russell had been born prematurely and was often ill during childhood. He started to attend Westminster School but his ill health caused him to withdraw. Thereafter, he was educated at home by tutors. From 1809 – 1812, Russell attended the University of Edinburgh.

In 1813, at the age of 21, Russell first entered the House of Commons as a Whig Member of Parliament for Tavistock. He had some help winning his first election. The 6th Duke of Bedford told the electors of Tavistock to vote for his son. Russell eventually acquired a prominent position in the Whig Party. When the Whigs came to power in 1835, Russell became Home Secretary (1835 – 1839). He also served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1839 – 1841), Lord President of the Council (1854 – 1855), Secretary of State for the Colonies (1855), and Foreign Secretary (1852 -1853 and 1859 – 1865). Russell was the Leader of the Opposition when the Conservative 14th Earl of Derby was Prime Minister (1852 and 1866 – 1868).

The Great Irish Potato Famine (1845 – 1852) had caused a disastrous fall in food supplies and so Conservative Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel decided to join with Whigs and Radicals to repeal the Corn Laws which imposed tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and grain. Peel’s Conservative Party failed to support the bill but it passed with Whig and Radical support and the Duke of Wellington persuaded the House of Lords to pass it. Following the repeal of the Corn Law, Peel resigned as Prime Minister on June 29, 1846, and Russell became Prime Minister.

Lord John Russell, 1853; Credit – Wikipedia

Russell’s solutions to the Potato Famine proved inadequate as the situation worsened. The Whigs believed that the market would provide the food needed and they refused to intervene against food exports to England. They stopped the previous government’s food and relief works, leaving many hundreds of thousands of people without any work, money, or food. Russell’s government introduced a new program of public works that by the end of December 1846 employed a half million Irish and was impossible to administer. During Russell’s first term as Prime Minister around one million Irish starved to death or died of diseases caused by malnutrition, and one million more were forced to immigrate, reducing the population of Ireland by 25%.

In the election of 1852, neither the Whigs nor the Conservatives had a majority. Queen Victoria asked the Conservative Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby to form a government that lasted only six months. From 1852 – 1853 and from 1859 – 1865, Russell served as Foreign Secretary in the governments of George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen and Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston. In 1861, Russell was created a peer, the 1st Earl Russell, and sat in the House of Lords for the remainder of his career in Parliament. When Palmerston died on October 18, 1865, Russell once again became Prime Minister. In 1866, Russell’s second government made a failed attempt at further electoral reform and he resigned on June 26, 1866. Russell never held another leadership position but he was active in the House of Lords until a few years before his death.

Adelaide Lister, Russell’s first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Russell married Adelaide Lister, widow of Thomas Lister, 2nd Baron Ribblesdale on April 11, 1835, but Adelaide died in childbirth delivering her daughter Victoria. The couple had two daughters:

  • Lady Georgiana Adelaide Russell (1836 – 1922), married Archibald Peel, had seven children
  • Lady Victoria Russell (1838 – 1880), married Henry Villiers, had ten children

Frances Anna Maria (‘Fanny’) (née Elliot), Countess Russell published by Mason & Co (Robert Hindry Mason), albumen carte-de-visite, early-mid 1860s, NPG Ax29968 © National Portrait Gallery, London

On July 20, 1841, Russell married Lady Frances Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, daughter of Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Earl of Minto. They had four children:

  • John Russell, Viscount Amberley (1842 – 1876), married The Honorable Katherine Stanley, daughter of Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley, had three children
  • The Honorable George Gilbert William Russell (1848 – 1933)
  • The Honorable Francis Albert Rollo Russell (1849 – 1914), married (1) Alice Godfrey, had one son (2) Gertrude Joachim, had one son and one daughter
  • Lady Mary Agatha Russell (1853 – 1933)

Russell and his second wife Frances took over the care of the surviving children of their eldest son John Russell, Viscount Amberley. In a similar situation to diphtheria going through the family of Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Alice (scroll down to Death of Princess Alice)  in 1878, Russell’s daughter-in-law Katherine nursed her elder son Frank and her daughter Rachel while they were ill with diphtheria. Katherine then became ill with diphtheria and died on June 28, 1874, and Rachel died five days later. Viscount Amberley died from bronchitis eighteen months later. The Viscount had unusual religious beliefs and did not want his children raised as Christians, so in his will, he had named two friends the guardians of his elder son Frank and his younger son Bertrand. However, Earl Russell and his wife successfully sued for custody of their grandchildren.

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell died May 28, 1878, aged 85, in Richmond Park, Surrey, England. He was buried in St. Michael’s Church in Chenies, Buckinghamshire, England in the Bedford Chapel, the private mausoleum of the Russell family and the Dukes of Bedford.

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell was succeeded by his grandson Frank Russell, 2nd Earl Russell (full name John Francis Stanley Russell). The 2nd Earl Russell had no children so he was succeeded by his younger brother Bertrand Russell as the 3rd Earl Russell. Bertrand Russell was a philosopher, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic, and political activist. In 1950, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought.”

St. Michael’s Church in Chenies, Buckinghamshire, England, with the Bedford Chapel on the side; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Russell,_1._Earl_Russell
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). John Russell, 1st Earl Russell. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Russell,_1st_Earl_Russell [Accessed 21 Jul. 2018].
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012

Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

by Henry William Pickersgill; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on February 5, 1788, in Bury, Lancashire, England, Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, once during the reign of King William IV (1834–35) and once during the reign of Queen Victoria (1841–46). He was the eldest son and the third of the eleven children of Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet, one of the early textile manufacturers of the Industrial Revolution and a Member of Parliament, and his first wife Ellen Yates.  Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet had high hopes for his children.  Peel accepted that he would not mingle with high society but intended to prepare his children to be able to do so.

Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet had ten siblings:

  • Mary Peel (1784 – 1848), married George Robert Dawson, had five sons
  • Elizabeth Peel (1786 – 1828), married Sir William Cockburn of Langton, 11th Baronet, had three sons
  • William Yates Peel, Member of Parliament and politician (1789 – 1858), Lady Jane Elizabeth Moore, daughter of Stephen Moore, 2nd Earl Mount Cashell, had 16 children
  • Edmund Peel, Member of Parliament and politician (1791 – 1850), married Emily Swinfen, had three sons
  • Eleanor Peel (1794 – ?)
  • Anne Peel (1796 – ?), married Charles Wickstead Ethelston
  • Very Rev. John Peel  (1798 – 1875), married Augusta Swinfen
  • General Jonathan Peel, soldier, Member of Parliament and politician (1799 – 1879), married Lady Alice Kennedy, daughter of Archibald Kennedy, 1st Marquess of Ailsa, had eight children
  • Laurence Peel, Member of Parliament and politician (1801 – 1888), married Lady Jane Lennox, daughter of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
  • Harriet Eleonora Peel (1803 – 1869), married Robert Henry Henley, 2nd Baron Henley of Chardstock, had two sons

Peel was educated at Bury Grammar School, Hipperholme Grammar School, and Harrow School.  He attended Christ Church, Oxford where he studied classics and mathematics. After Oxford, Peek studied law at Lincoln’s Inn.

The Duke of Wellington, Prime Minister 1828–1830, with Peel; Credit – Wikipedia

Peel was first elected to Parliament in 1809 at the age of 21. His mentor in Parliament was Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future 1st Duke of Wellington and victor at the Battle of Waterloo where Napoleon was defeated. Peel named one of his sons after the Duke of Wellington as did Queen Victoria. Quickly rising in power, Peel served as Chief Secretary for Ireland (1812 – 1818), Home Secretary (1822 – 1827 and 1828 – 1830), Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834 – 1835), Leader of the Opposition when Lord Melbourne was Prime Minister (1835 – 1841) and Prime Minister (1834 – 1835 and 1841 – 1846).

Julia, Lady Peel by Thomas Lawrence, 1807; Credit – Wikipedia

Peel married Julia Floyd, daughter of General Sir John Floyd, 1st Baronet on June 8, 1820. The couple had seven children:

In 1829, when he was Home Secretary, Peel established the Metropolitan Police Force in London based at Scotland Yard. The constables were nicknamed “bobbies” or “peelers” after Robert Peel. Peel is known as the father of modern policing and devised the Peelian Principles which defined the ethical requirements police officers must follow. The Peelian Principles have been used not only in the United Kingdom but in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and other countries.

In 1839, Lord Melbourne (Whig Party) announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister after a government bill passed by a very narrow margin of only five votes in the House of Commons. This led to the Bedchamber Crisis. The Conservative Peel, as Leader of the Opposition, was the prospective Prime Minister. He requested that Queen Victoria dismiss some of the wives and daughters of Whig Members of Parliament who made up her personal household, arguing that the monarch should avoid any hint of political favoritism to a party out of power. Queen Victoria refused to do so, saying her ladies were her friends. Peel refused to form a new government and Lord Melbourne was persuaded to stay on as Prime Minister. Eventually, Lord Melbourne’s support in Parliament declined and by 1840 it grew difficult to hold the Cabinet together. He resigned in August 1841 after a series of parliamentary defeats and Peel became Prime Minister for the second time.

Edward Drummond  (1792 – 1843) a British civil servant, was personal secretary to several British Prime Ministers including Sir Robert Peel. On January 20, 1843, Drummond was walking along Whitehall on his way back to Downing Street after visiting his brother at the Drummonds Bank in Charing Cross when Daniel McNaughton, a Scottish woodturner, approached him from behind and shot him at point-blank range in the back. McNaughton was under the impression that he had shot Prime Minister Robert Peel. Drummond, age 51, died five days later.

The House of Commons by Sir George Hayter oil on canvas, 1833-1843 NPG 54 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The most outstanding achievement of Peel’s second term as Prime Minister would eventually cause his downfall. The Great Irish Potato Famine had caused a disastrous fall in food supplies and so Peel decided to join with Whigs and Radicals to repeal the Corn Laws which imposed tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and grain. Peel’s Conservative Party failed to support the bill but it passed with Whig and Radical support and the Duke of Wellington persuaded the House of Lords to pass it. Following the repeal of the Corn Law, Peel resigned as Prime Minister on June 29, 1846.

Like Lord Melbourne, Peel also had been a mentor to Queen Victoria but as his term progressed, Victoria with the help of her husband Prince Albert became more self-sufficient.  Queen Victoria was still recovering from the difficult birth of her fifth child Princess Helena when she learned that Peel had resigned.  Her response was much calmer than her response when Lord Melbourne had resigned five years earlier.   Victoria wrote in her journal: “Really when one is so happy & blessed in one’s home life, as I am, Politics (provided that my country is safe) must take only a second place.”

After his resignation as Prime Minister, Peel remained an influential Member of Parliament and was the leader of the Peelites, a breakaway faction of the Conservative Party that eventually joined with the Whigs and Radicals to form the Liberal Party.

On June 29, 1850, Peel went out for his usual evening ride on a new horse that was not yet fully accustomed to its rider. He stopped at Buckingham Palace to write his name in the visitors’ book and then continued on Constitution Hill. During his ride, Peel met two girls he knew with a groom on a restless horse. Peel’s horse acted up, threw him off, and then fell on him. A woman offered to bring Peel home in her carriage. The doctors found that Peel had broken his left collarbone and probably several ribs. They also suspected severe internal bleeding. Peel’s condition worsened and he died at his London home Whitehall Gardens on July 2, 1850, at the age of 62. Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was buried at St. Peter Church in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, England near his now-demolished country home Drayton Manor.

The plaque inside St. Peter’s Church where Sir Robert Peel is buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com/memorial/10192/robert-peel#view-photo=157861196

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Robert Peel. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Peel [Accessed 20 Jul. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Robert Peel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Peel [Accessed 20 Jul. 2018].
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Historytoday.com. (2018). Death of Sir Robert Peel | History Today. [online] Available at: https://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-sir-robert-peel [Accessed 20 Jul. 2018].
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (Lord Melbourne), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne; Credit – Wikipedia

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom July 16, 1834 – November 14, 1834 and 1835 – 1841. He was Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister 1837 – 1841.

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, known as Lord Melbourne, was born March 15, 1779, in London, England. Legally he was the second son and the second child of Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne and his wife Elizabeth Milbanke, daughter of Sir Ralph Milbanke, 5th Baronet. Lady Melbourne had many affairs and it is believed that George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont was the father of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, his sister Emily and possibly his brother Frederick. The Prince of Wales, later King George IV, is thought to be the father of the other brother George. The 1st Viscount Melbourne had affairs of his own and was not greatly troubled by his wife’s affairs.

William had five siblings but only his eldest brother can decidedly be named as the child of Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne:

  • The Honorable Peniston Lamb (1770 – 1805), unmarried, died from tuberculosis
  • Frederick Lamb, 3rd Viscount Melbourne (1782 – 1853), married Alexandrina, Gräfin von Maltzan, no children, the family titles became extinct upon his death
  • The Honorable George Lamb (1784 – 1834), married Caroline Rosalie Adelaide St. Jules, the illegitimate daughter of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire and his mistress and eventual second wife Lady Elizabeth Foster, no children
  • The Honorable Emily Lamb (1787–1869), married (1) Peter Clavering-Cowper, 5th Earl Cowper, had five children although one may have been fathered by her lover and second husband (2) Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Prime Minister 1859 – 1865, no legitimate children, Lady Emily Cowper may be Palmerston’s child
  • The Honorable Harriet Lamb (1789-1803), died young from tuberculosis

Lord Melbourne’s “Eton Leaving Portrait” by John Hoppner, Lord Melbourne gave the portrait to Queen Victoria in 1841; Credit – www.royalcollection.org.uk

Melbourne was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, Melbourne became acquainted with a group of romantic radicals including the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron. After his studies at Cambridge, Melbourne went to Lincoln’s Inn in London to study law. From 1803 – 1804, Melbourne served as captain and then commander in the Hertfordshire Volunteer Infantry. Melbourne’s elder brother died of tuberculosis in 1805 so Melbourne became his father’s heir.

Lady Caroline Lamb by Eliza H. Trotter, oil on canvas, exhibited 1811, NPG 3312 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In June 1805, Melbourne married 19-year-old Lady Caroline Ponsonby, the only daughter of Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough and Lady Henrietta Frances Spencer, daughter of  John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer. Caroline is known to history as Lady Caroline Lamb because her husband did not become Viscount Melbourne until after her death. Lady Caroline’s nephew Henry Ponsonby served as Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary 1870 – 1895.

Melbourne and Lady Caroline had two children:

  • George Augustus Frederick Lamb (1807 – 1836)
  • Premature daughter (born and died 1809)

Their son was called Augustus and was the godchild of The Prince of Wales, the future King George IV whose names were George Augustus Frederick. Unfortunately, Augustus was epileptic and probably autistic and needed constant care. Most aristocratic families sent their mentally disabled relatives to institutions but Augustus was cared for at home for his entire life. Caroline had suffered two miscarriages before giving birth to Augustus and had long periods of recovery after her two miscarriages and two births. That Caroline could not have any more children caused Melbourne great grief and contributed to a marriage that was becoming unstable.

In 1806, Melbourne was elected to the House of Commons. However, he did not first become a household name on his own accord. In 1812, Lady Caroline started a well-publicized affair with the poet George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, known as Lord Byron, that shocked the British public and became one of the legendary affairs of the nineteenth century. For four months, Caroline and Byron flaunted their affair publicly and shamelessly until Byron suddenly broke it off.

Brocket Hall, the family country estate, 1829; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline fell apart mentally. At a ball, she slashed her arms with a broken glass and was then banished to the family’s country estate Brocket Hall near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. There she smashed furniture and other household objects and was often drunk or high on opium. In 1816, Lady Caroline wrote a novel Glenarvon which portrayed both her marriage and her affair with Byron in a graphic manner. This caused Melbourne great embarrassment and yet the couple remained married.

Finally, Melbourne’s mother, who had introduced the couple, had enough. She asked her husband to arrange a formal separation between their son and Lady Caroline in 1825. By that time, both Melbourne and Lady Caroline had numerous affairs. Lady Caroline remained at Brocket Hall but her mental instability became worse and was complicated by her use of alcohol and laudanum. By 1827, she was under the care of a full-time physician. Her body began to shut down and she retained fluids, a condition then known as dropsy but now known as edema. When Lady Caroline died on January 25, 1828, at the age of 42, Melbourne was at her bedside.

Melbourne’s political career had floundered due to his wife’s notoriety. In 1827, he accepted the position of Chief Secretary of Ireland in a Conservative (Tory) government even though he was a member of the Whig Party. When his father died 1828, Melbourne became the 2nd Viscount Melbourne and he moved from the House of Commons to the House of Lords. He had spent twenty-two years in the House of Commons and was not well known politically.

In 1830, the Whig Party came to power and Melbourne became Home Secretary under Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey. In July 1834, Lord Grey resigned as Prime Minister and King William IV was forced to appoint another Whig to replace him because the Conservatives were not strong enough to support a government. Melbourne was the one most likely to be acceptable to King William IV and to hold the Whig party together. He was hesitant at first but did not want to let his party down and accepted the offer to become Prime Minister.

King William IV was opposed to the reforming policies of the Whig Party and dismissed Melbourne in November 1834. He then gave the Conservatives under Sir Robert Peel an opportunity to form a government. However, the Conservatives failed to win a majority in the January 1835 general elections and the Whigs Party returned to power in April 1835 with Melbourne as Prime Minister.

Embed from Getty Images 
Lord Melbourne instructing a young Queen Victoria

In 1836, Melbourne’s 29-year-old mentally disabled son Augustus died. Melbourne was greatly affected by his son’s death. It reminded him of the deceased wife he once loved, the family he really never had, and that he was alone. In June 1837, King William IV died and was succeeded by his 18-year-old niece Queen Victoria. Victoria never knew her father Prince Edward, Duke of Kent as he died when she was eight months old. Melbourne was her first Prime Minister. In Queen Victoria, Melbourne had the child, the companion, and the affection he craved. In Melbourne, Queen Victoria had the father figure she never had. Their close relationship was founded in Melbourne’s responsibility for tutoring the young queen in the world of politics and instructing her in her role but the relationship was much deeper. Queen Victoria came to regard Lord Melbourne as a mentor and personal friend and he was given a private apartment at Windsor Castle.

In 1839, Lord Melbourne announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister after a government bill passed by a very narrow margin of only five votes in the House of Commons. This led to the Bedchamber Crisis.   Sir Robert Peel, as Leader of the Opposition, was the prospective Prime Minister.  He requested that Queen Victoria dismiss some of the wives and daughters of Whig Members of Parliament who made up her personal household, arguing that the monarch should avoid any hint of political favoritism to a party out of power. Queen Victoria refused to comply. Peel refused to form a new government, and Lord Melbourne was persuaded to stay on as Prime Minister.

Eventually, Melbourne’s support in Parliament declined and by 1840 it grew difficult to hold the Cabinet together. He resigned in August 1841 after a series of parliamentary defeats. Melbourne and Queen Victoria said a private goodbye on the terrace at Windsor Castle. Victoria cried and Melbourne told her, “For four years I have seen you daily and liked it better each day.” Queen Victoria continued to write to Melbourne but eventually had to stop as it was considered inappropriate. With Melbourne gone from her life, Victoria increasingly relied on her husband Prince Albert.

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne by John Partridge, 1844, NPG 941 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In October 1842, Melbourne suffered a stroke which considerably weakened him. He lived out his life at Brocket Hall, his country home near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. It was there that William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne died at the age of 69 on November 24, 1848. He was buried near his wife Lady Caroline Lamb at St. Etheldreda Church in Old Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. His brother Frederick Lamb succeeded him as the 3rd Viscount Melbourne but Frederick had no children and upon his death, the title became extinct.

A plaque marking the burial of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne at St Etheldreda, Old Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Works Cited

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • “History Of William Lamb, 2Nd Viscount Melbourne – GOV.UK”. Gov.Uk, 2018, https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/william-lamb-2nd-viscount-melbourne. Accessed 12 June 2018.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012
  • “William Lamb, 2Nd Viscount Melbourne”. En.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne. Accessed 12 June 2018.
  • “William Lamb”. Es.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lamb. Accessed 12 June 2018.

Julia Abercromby, Baroness Abercromby, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Julia Abercromby, Baroness Abercromby; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Julia Abercromby, Baroness Abercromby was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and a noted artist. Ladies of the Bedchamber were always wives of peers. Only one Lady of the Bedchamber was in waiting at a time. She was always ready to attend to the Queen. The Lady-in-Waiting attended all State occasions and presided over the Household table when the Mistress of the Robes was not in residence. A Lady of the Bedchamber had two to three waits a year from twelve to thirty days at a time.

Born The Honorable Julia Janet Georgiana Haldane-Duncan on January 24, 1840, in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy, she was the eldest child of Adam Haldane-Duncan, Viscount Duncan (later 2nd Earl of Camperdown) and Juliana Cavendish Philips. Julia had two younger brothers:

At Camperdown House in Dundee, Scotland, Julia married George Abercromby, 4th Baron Abercromby on October 6, 1858. He was the son of George Abercromby, 3rd Baron Abercromby and Louisa Forbes. The couple had no children.

Queen Victoria, painted by Lady Julia Abercromby, after Heinrich von Angeli. Watercolour, 1883, based on a work of 1875. source: National Portrait Gallery NPG 708

In April 1874, Julia was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and served until March 1885. She was an accomplished painter and had taken lessons from Mrs. Clarendon Smith of the Institute of Watercolours. During her service, Julia was asked to paint the first official portrait of Queen Victoria for the National Portrait Gallery, fulfilling a request made by the gallery in 1867. She painted a watercolor portrait, based on an original painting by von Angeli. It was reported to be one of Queen Victoria’s favorite portraits of herself. In later years, Julia exhibited some of her work at the Royal Academy in 1898. Today, her paintings are included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, Balliol College, Oxford, and the Britannia Royal Naval College.  Lady Abercromby died at Camperdown House on December 8, 1915.

Camperdown House, photo: by Ydam – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=845325

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Susanna Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Susannah, Duchess of Roxburghe, painted by Henry Wyndham Phillips. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 403853. The painting was presented by The Duchess to Queen Victoria on her birthday, May 24, 1868. It hangs in the Queen’s Lift Corridor at Osborne House.

Susanna Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1865 until her death thirty years later. Ladies of the Bedchamber were always wives of peers. Only one Lady of the Bedchamber was in waiting at a time.  She was always ready to attend to the Queen. The Lady-in-Waiting attended all State occasions and presided over the Household table when the Mistress of the Robes was not in residence.  A Lady of the Bedchamber had two to three waits a year from twelve to thirty days at a time.

Born Susanna Stephania Dalbiac in Heningford, Yorkshire on August 28, 1814, she was the only child of Sir James Dalbiac and Susanna Dalton.

The year after Susanna’s birth, her father purchased Moulton Hall, a manor house in Moulton, near Richmond, North Yorkshire. The previous owner was Sir Ralph Milbanke, 6th Baronet, who sold it to pay the dowry for the marriage of his daughter, Anne, to Lord Byron. The Dalbiac family lived at Moulton Hall for the next 21 years.

James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe. by Thomas Richard Williams, albumen carte-de-visite, 1860s. source: National Portrait Gallery, NPG Ax77158

On December 29, 1836, at the age of 21, Susanna married James Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe. He was the son of James Innes-Ker, 5th Duke of Roxburghe and Harriet Charlewood. Just like his predecessor, Susanna’s father sold Moulton Hall to pay the dowry for his daughter’s marriage. Susanna and James had four children:

  • Lady Susan Innes-Ker (1837) – married Sir George Grant-Suttie of Balgone, 5th Baronet, had issue
  • James Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe (1839) – married Anne Spencer-Churchill, had issue
  • Lady Charlotte Innes-Ker (1841) – married George Russell, had issue
  • Lord Charles Innes-Ker (1842) – married Blanche Williams, had issue

Susanna Stephania Innes-Ker (née Dalbiac), Duchess of Roxburghe. by Camille Silvy, albumen print, 26 June 1861. source: National Portrait Gallery, NPG Ax54617

Susanna became a friend of Queen Victoria – who described her in her journals as “a dear and valued friend” – and in 1861 many believed that she would be appointed Mistress of the Robes. While this did not happen, four years later on January 13, 1865, she was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to The Queen, replacing the Dowager Countess of Mount-Edgecumbe who had resigned. Susanna would serve until her own death in 1895. When William Gladstone became Prime Minister for the third time, no one would accept the position of Mistress of the Robes due to Gladstone’s policy of Home Rule in Ireland. So during his brief tenure – from February to July 1886, Susanna served as Acting Mistress of the Robes, taking on the duties without accepting the formal title.

Princess Louis of Hesse (Princess Alice) and the Duchess of Roxburge, Floors Castle, 1865. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2901313

In August 1867, The Duchess and her husband hosted Queen Victoria and several of her children at Floors Castle in Roxburghshire, the seat of the Dukes of Roxburghe.  The Queen spent three days at Floors, on her way to Balmoral for her summer holiday.

Bowden Kirk

Having survived her husband by sixteen years, The Dowager Duchess of Roxburghe died on May 7, 1895 at her home in Hereford Gardens, London. She is buried in the Innes-Ker family crypt at the Bowden Kirk, in Bowden, Roxburghshire.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill, photographed in Darmstadt, 1862. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2906937

Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill, a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1854 until 1900, was the longest-serving member of Queen Victoria’s household. Ladies of the Bedchamber were always wives of peers. Only one Lady of the Bedchamber was in waiting at a time. She was always ready to attend to the Queen. The Lady-in-Waiting attended all State occasions and presided over the Household table when the Mistress of the Robes was not in residence. A Lady of the Bedchamber had two to three waits a year from twelve to thirty days at a time.

Born Lady Jane Conyngham on June 1, 1826, she was the eldest daughter of Francis Conyngham, Earl of Mount Charles (later 2nd Marquess Conyngham) and Lady Jane Paget, and had five siblings:

Lord Conyngham (left) paying homage to the new Queen Victoria, with the Archbishop of Canterbury. source: Wikipedia

Royal service was quite common in Jane’s family. Her father, Francis, had served as a Page of Honour to the future King George IV and later served as Groom of the Bedchamber and Master of the Robes to King George IV between 1820 and 1830. He later served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household to King William IV and Queen Victoria from 1835 until 1839. It was Francis, accompanied by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who arrived at Kensington Palace in the early morning of June 20, 1837 to inform Victoria that she was now Queen. He was the first person to address the young Victoria as “Your Majesty”.

Elizabeth, Countess Conyngham, 1801 portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence. source: Wikipedia

Jane’s paternal grandmother, The Marchioness of Conyngham (born Elizabeth Denison), was the longtime mistress of King George IV and wielded a great amount of power in the royal court. Upon the King’s death in 1830, he bequeathed all of his plate and jewellery to Elizabeth, but she refused it. Elizabeth was banned from court during the reigns of King William IV and Queen Victoria. Her husband, the 1st Marquess of Conyngham was made a member of the Privy Council and served as Lord Steward of the Household from 1821 until 1830. He was also appointed Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle in 1829, serving until his death three years later.

Lord Alfred Henry Paget by Southwell Brothers, albumen carte-de-visite, 1860s. source: National Portrait Gallery NPG x46527

On her maternal side, her mother’s half-brother was Lord Alfred Paget, who served as Chief Equerry and Clerk Marshal to Queen Victoria from July 1846 to March 1852, December 1852 to March 1858, and June 1859 to August 1874. At that time he retired as Chief Equerry but remained Clerk Marshal until he died in 1888.

Alfred’s daughter, Evelyn Cecilia Paget (Jane’s cousin), served as a Maid of Honour to Queen Victoria from 1874 until 1894. Another of Jane’s cousins, The Hon. Ethel Cadogan, also served as an Extra Maid of Honour from 1876-1880, Maid of Honour from 1880-1897, and Woman of the Bedchamber from 1897 until 1901.

Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey by Camille Silvy, albumen carte-de-visite, 23 July 1861. source: National Portrait Gallery, NPG Ax7420

Another of her mother’s brothers was Henry Paget, Earl of Uxbridge (later 2nd Marquess of Anglesey), who served as a Lord in Waiting to The Queen from 1837 to 1839, and then as Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1839 to 1841 (succeeding Jane’s father).

Lady Adelaide Cadogan (née Paget) by Camille Silvy. albumen print, 22 June 1863. source: National Portrait Gallery, NP Ax63220

Her mother’s half-sister, Lady Adelaide Paget, served as one of the train bearers at Queen Victoria’s Coronation in 1838. One of her mother’s first cousins, Lady Matilda Paget, was a Maid of Honour to The Queen from 1837 until 1855.

Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, attributed to George Dawe, oil on canvas, c1817. source: National Portrait Gallery, NPG 1581

Her maternal grandfather, Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, served as Lord High Steward of England at the coronation of King George IV in 1821; Master-General of the Ordnance from 1827-1828 and 1846-1852; and twice served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, from 18281-1829 and 1830-1833.

Francis George Spencer, 2nd Baron Churchill by Southwell Brothers albumen carte-de-visite, 1862-1863. source: National Portrait Gallery, NPG Ax7435

On May 19, 1849, Jane married Francis Spencer, 2nd Baron Churchill, at Bifrons Park in Patrixbourne, Kent. He was the son of Francis Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill and Lady Frances FitzRoy. The couple had one son:

Jane was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber in 1854. She quickly became one of Queen Victoria’s most trusted confidantes. She was so trusted that in 1858, Queen Victoria asked Jane to accompany The Princess Royal to Berlin following her marriage to Prince Friedrich of Prussia (later Emperor Friedrich III), to help the Princess acclimate to her new home and also to provide Queen Victoria with detailed observations about life in the Prussian court. Lady Jane spent several weeks there before returning to Britain.

Jane’s influence with Queen Victoria became stronger following the death of Prince Albert in 1861. Queen Victoria no longer wanting to deal directly with many in her household, often used Jane to pass notes and requests to her staff and courtiers. Her devotion to the Queen was without question, and she was deemed by many as being the most influential and powerful people in Queen Victoria’s inner circle. While this occasionally ruffled feathers with some members of the household, most found her to be a very kind and caring person who put the needs and wishes of The Queen above all others.

Osborne House. photo: by WyrdLight.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12766661

Widowed in 1886, Jane remained at The Queen’s side for the rest of her life. On Christmas Eve 1900, The Dowager Baroness Churchill died in her sleep in her room at Osborne House, after over 45 years of service, companionship, and friendship to Queen Victoria. She was buried several days later in Finstock, Oxfordshire. The Queen was not told of her death immediately, as her doctors felt the news would be devastating to her already weakened health. Once told, she was heartbroken, and sent a wreath for Jane’s funeral with a handwritten note – “A mark of most loving affection and grateful remembrance from her devoted friend, Victoria, R.I.” Less than a month later, The Queen also passed away at Osborne House.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Jane Loftus, Marchioness of Ely, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Jane Loftus, Marchioness of Ely; painting by Charles-Lucien-Louis Muller, 1856. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 404891

Jane Loftus, Marchioness of Ely was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1851 until 1889. She then served as an Extra Lady of the Bedchamber until she died in 1890. Ladies of the Bedchamber were always wives of peers. Only one Lady of the Bedchamber was in waiting at a time. She was always ready to attend to the Queen. The Lady-in-Waiting attended all State occasions and presided over the Household table when the Mistress of the Robes was not in residence. A Lady of the Bedchamber had two to three waits a year from twelve to thirty days at a time.

Born Jane Hope-Vere on December 3, 1821 to James Hope-Vere and Lady Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of the 7th Marquess of Tweeddale. Jane had seven siblings:

  • Hannah Hope-Vere – married Keith Stewart-Mackenzie, had issue
  • Sophia Hope-Vere – unmarried
  • Henrietta Hope-Vere – unmarried
  • Harriet Hope-Vere – married (1) Sir Edward Gooch, 6th Baronet, had issue; (2) Major John St. Leger, no issue
  • William Hope-Vere – married Lady Mary Boyle, had issue
  • Charles Hope-Vere – married Julia Craigie-Halkett, no issue
  • Georgina Hope-Vere – married (1855) Charles Wilson, had issue

Through her mother, Jane was a first cousin of Elizabeth (Hay) Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, who served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1843-1858, and as Mistress of the Robes from 1861-1868, and again from 1874-1880.

Her maternal grandparents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Tweeddale had traveled to Europe in 1802 when the Marquess’s health began to decline. In France in 1803, when war began again between France and Britain, the couple were taken into custody with other British subjects and were imprisoned in the Fortress of Verdun. Both the Marchioness and the Marquess died there in May and August 1804, respectively.

On October 29, 1844, Jane married John Loftus, 3rd Marquess of Ely. He was the son of John Loftus, 2nd Marquess of Ely and Anna Maria Dashwood. They had two children:

  • Lady Marion Loftus (c1847) – married (1) George Springfield; (2) Sir James Bourne; (3) James Buchanan; (4) Rev. James Weller
  • John Loftus, 4th Marquess of Ely (1849) – married Caroline Caithness, no issue

While neither of her children served in the royal household, her niece, Adeline Loftus (daughter of her husband’s sister), was a Maid of Honour to Queen Victoria from 1889 until 1892.

The Marchioness of Ely with her son, c1860. photo by John & Charles Watkins. source: National Portrait Gallery NPG x134191

After her marriage, the family spent much of their time at Loftus Hall in County Wexford, Ireland, and traveled extensively throughout Europe. It was on these travels that Jane developed friendships with Queen Sophie of the Netherlands and the Empress Eugenie of France. Some years later, in 1856, she represented Queen Victoria at the christening of Eugenie’s son, Napoleon, Prince Imperial.

The Marchioness of Ely (right) with Queen Victoria (center), Prince Arthur, and the Hon. Flora MacDonald, on the terrace at Osborne House, August 1854. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2906148

In 1851, Jane was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and quickly became one of the Queen’s most trusted confidantes.  Despite her misgivings about her suitability for the role, Jane threw herself fully into her responsibilities, often at the expense of her health and well-being.  After being widowed in 1857, she became even more devoted to The Queen.  Following the death of Prince Albert in 1861, she found herself one of the “gatekeepers” for Victoria, often stepping in to handle issues within the household that The Queen had previously handled in person.  While she often alienated some members of the royal household, others found her useful in getting issues or requests through to The Queen.

After Princess Louise married John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne in 1871, Jane became a more permanent resident of the royal household, living primarily with The Queen in her various residences, and spending less time at her own homes, or with her family.

The Dowager Marchioness of Ely, photographed c1885. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2912532

Following the death of her only son in April 1889, Jane resigned her position as Lady of the Bedchamber and was appointed an Extra Lady of the Bedchamber. The Dowager Marchioness of Ely died on June 1, 1890, at her home at 22 Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London. She is buried beside her husband at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1842 until 1855. Ladies of the Bedchamber were always wives of peers. Only one Lady of the Bedchamber was in waiting at a time.  She was always ready to attend to the Queen. The Lady-in-Waiting attended all State occasions and presided over the Household table when the Mistress of the Robes was not in residence.  A Lady of the Bedchamber had two to three waits a year from twelve to thirty days at a time.

Charlotte was born The Honorable Charlotte Stuart on March 31, 1817 at the British Embassy in Paris, where her father, Sir Charles Stuart (later 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay) was serving as the Ambassador to France. Her mother was Lady Elizabeth Margaret Yorke, a daughter of the 3rd Earl of Hardwicke. Charlotte was named for Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom, who was one of her godparents. She had one younger sister:

Charlotte was raised primarily in France, where her father served as Ambassador to France from 1815-1824 and again from 1828-1830. (He would later serve as Ambassador to Russia from 1841-1844.) The family returned to London in 1831, taking up residence in a newly built home in Carlton House Terrace, along The Mall.

Charles Canning, c1840. source: Wikipedia

Soon after making her debut into society in 1834, Charlotte met The Honorable Charles Canning, son of the late former Prime Minister George Canning and Joan Scott (Viscountess Canning in her own right). When Charles proposed, Charlotte’s father at first refused the proposal, due to his political differences with the late Prime Minister. He soon relented after pressure from Charlotte and the rest of the family. Charlotte and Charles were married on September 5, 1835 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. They had no children.

The Viscountess Canning (standing) and The Hon. Mary Bulteel, Balmoral, October 1853. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2906502

In 1837, her mother-in-law died, and Charlotte’s husband succeeded her as the 2nd Viscount Canning. Several years later, on May 30, 1842, the new Viscountess was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria. She quickly accepted and relished her position at court. While many other ladies worried that the position would keep them from their children and families, this was not the case for Charlotte. Having no children, she was free to enjoy her position and took great pride in serving the Sovereign.

Old Balmoral Castle from the east, dated September 1848. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 919459

The Viscountess accompanied Queen Victoria on many of her travels during her years in waiting, including The Queen’s first visit to Balmoral in September 1848. While there, Charlotte – who shared a love of painting with Queen Victoria, painted the watercolor seen above. It shows the old castle Victoria and Albert leased in 1848 and later purchased in 1852. This building was taken down in 1856, after the construction of the new, larger castle that exists today. Over the years, Charlotte painted many scenes of Balmoral and the surrounding Highlands, as well as the Queen’s other residences and other places she visited. One of Queen Victoria’s favorite paintings was a watercolor of Schloss Rosenau in Coburg, the birthplace of The Prince Consort, which Charlotte painted while accompanying Victoria and Albert there on a visit in 1845.

Government House, Calcutta. photo: By Rangan Datta Wiki – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18107717

After 13 years, Charlotte stepped down when her husband was appointed Governor-General of India. Charlotte and her husband moved to India in 1856, taking up residence Government House in Calcutta. She soon found that she did not enjoy it there, and preferred to spend her time at Government House in nearby Barrackpore, which the Governors-General used as a summer residence. Three years later, following the India Mutiny, her husband was created the first Viceroy of India. At the same time, he was created 1st Earl Canning, with Charlotte becoming Vicereine and Countess Canning.

Unlike her role as Lady of the Bedchamber, Charlotte found little pleasure in her role as the wife of the Governor-General, and later Vicereine. She found herself very isolated, with few friends and social activities. However, at Barrackpore, she found some comfort and enjoyment – relishing in the lush surroundings. There, she pursued her interests in botany and art, creating a large collection of her own paintings of the flora and landscape. Today, her artwork is in numerous museums and collections, including 19 volumes of her drawings – “Drawings of English and Indian Flowers By Lady Canning” – held at Harewood House in England, and two portfolios of her work at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Charlotte Canning (née Stuart) Countess Canning, by Henry Hering, c1860. source: National Portrait Gallery NPG x45082

After serving in India for five years, the Earl and Countess of Canning made plans to return to Britain in January 1862. With Charlotte’s impending return, Queen Victoria appointed her Ranger of Greenwich Park and was greatly looking forward to seeing her dear friend once again. Sadly it was not to happen. Having left Barrackpore, Charlotte made a trip to see Darjeeling one last time before returning to Calcutta to prepare for her trip home. Sadly, having contracted malaria during her trip, the Countess died at Government House in Calcutta on November 18, 1861. She is buried in a small garden on the grounds of Government House in Barrackpore. An elaborate memorial was also constructed in the graveyard of St. John’s Church in Calcutta.

Memorial to Lady Canning, St. John’s Church, Calcutta. photo: By Pdr123 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17414599

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Books
Charlotte Canning: Lady in Waiting to Queen Victoria and Wife of the First Viceroy of India, 1817-1861 by Virginia Surtees
Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Emma Portman, Baroness Portman, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Emma Portman, Baroness Portman, circa 1842; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Emma Portman, Baroness Portman

Emma Portman, Baroness Portman, served as Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1851, and then as an Extra Lady between 1851 and 1865. Ladies of the Bedchamber were always wives of peers. Only one Lady of the Bedchamber was in waiting at a time. She was always ready to attend to the Queen. The Lady-in-Waiting attended all State occasions and presided over the Household table when the Mistress of the Robes was not in residence. A Lady of the Bedchamber had two to three waits a year from twelve to thirty days at a time.

Born Emma Lascelles on March 16, 1809, she was the daughter of Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood and Henrietta Sebright. Emma had ten siblings:

  • Hon. Edward Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles (1796) – married (1) Ann Elizabeth Rosser, no issue; (2) Philippine Munster, no issue
  • Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood (1797) – married Lady Louisa Thynne, had issue
  • William Lascelles (1798) – married Lady Caroline Howard, had issue
  • Hon. Edwin Lascelles (1799) – unmarried
  • Hon. Francis Lascelles (1801) – unmarried
  • Lady Harriet Lascelles (1802) – married George Holroyd, 2nd Earl of Sheffield, had issue
  • Hon. Frederick Lascelles (1803) – unmarried
  • Lady Frances Lascelles (1804) – married John Hope, had issue
  • Hon. Arthur Lascelles (1807) – married Caroline Brooke, had issue
  • Lady Louisa Lascelles (1812) – married Lord George Cavendish, had issue

Emma’s brother William served as Comptroller of the Household from 1847 until 1851. He was married to a sister of Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland. And her brother Henry was married to a sister of Charlotte, Duchess of Buccleuch. Both Duchesses served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria.

Edward Berkeley Portman, 1st Viscount Portman, by Samuel William Reynolds Jr, published by Thomas Agnew, and published by Ackermann & Co, after Richard Ansdell stipple engraving, published 6 July 1846. source: National Portrait Gallery, NPG D40381

On June 16, 1827, Emma married Edward Portman, the son of Edward Berkeley Portman and Lucy Whitby. He was created Baron Portman of Orchard Portman in January 1837, and would later become 1st Viscount Portman several years after Emma’s death. Their children included:

Emma first met Queen Victoria in 1835 when the young Princess visited Harewood House, the home of Lascelles family. Despite their ten-year age difference, the two began a friendship that would last until Emma’s death. So it was very fitting that shortly after her accession, in June 1837, Victoria wrote to Emma asking her to become one of her Ladies in Waiting. Emma accepted the same day and served from 1837 until 1851. Emma is mentioned often in Queen Victoria’s journals, with the Queen observing that she ‘could be more intimate with her than with any of the others’ – a sign of the close relationship the two held.

Like several of the other ladies at court, Emma became involved in the Flora Hastings scandal, spreading the gossip that Lady Flora was pregnant by Sir John Conroy. After it was discovered to be untrue, and in fact Lady Flora was suffering from cancer, Emma and the others saw their reputations tarnished greatly. But they weathered the storm, and Emma remained a close confidante to The Queen. She stepped down from service in 1851, but was appointed an Extra Lady of the Bedchamber, and held that role until her death.

Emma Portman, Baroness Portman died on February 8, 1865. The Queen recorded the death in her journal, expressing her shock and sadness at the loss of her friend.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard