Elizabeth Pierrepont, Duchess of Kingston-upon-Hull
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston (1720 – 26 August 1788), sometimes called Countess of Bristol, was the daughter of Colonel Thomas Chudleigh (died 1726), and was appointed maid of honour to Augusta, Princess of Wales
, in 1743, probably through the good offices of her friend, William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath
.
, and on 4 August 1744 she was privately married to Hervey at Lainston House
, a private stately home with its own Church and Parish (St Peters, now a ruin), near Winchester. Lainston is now a luxury hotel and one of its wings is called Chudleigh Court. The wedding was held at night to preserve the secrecy. Both husband and wife being poor, their union was kept secret to enable Elizabeth to retain her post at court, while Hervey, who was a naval officer, rejoined his ship, returning to England towards the close of 1746.
The marriage was a very unhappy one, and the pair soon ceased to live together, but, when it appeared probable that Hervey would succeed his brother as Earl of Bristol
, his wife took steps to obtain proof of her marriage. This did not, however, prevent her from becoming the mistress of Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
, and she was not only a very prominent figure in London society, but in 1765 in Berlin
she was honoured by the attentions of Frederick II "the Great"
.
By this time, Hervey wished for a divorce from his wife, but Elizabeth, although equally anxious to be free, was unwilling to face the publicity attendant upon this step. However, she began a suit of jactitation
against Hervey. This case was doubtless collusive, and after Elizabeth had sworn she was unmarried, the consistory court
in February 1769 pronounced her a spinster
. Within a month, she married Kingston, who died four years later, leaving her all his property on condition that she remained a widow
. She travelled abroad, and, visiting Rome
, the Duchess was received with honour by Pope Clement XIV
. Meanwhile, in March 1775, her first husband's brother died and Hervey became Earl of Bristol
. Elizabeth's marriage to Hervey was a legitimate one, despite her denials, and she was therefore legally Countess of Bristol.
The Duchess was forced to return to England to defend herself against a charge of bigamy
, which had been preferred against her by Kingston's nephew, Evelyn Medows (d. 1826). She attempted to have the charge set aside in December 1775 by reason of the previous judgment in her favour, but this failed and she was tried as a peer in Westminster Hall in 1776 and found guilty. Retaining her fortune, she hurriedly left England to avoid further proceedings on the part of the Medows family, who had a reversionary interest in the Kingston estates.
She lived for a time in Calais
, and then repaired to Saint Petersburg
, near which city she bought an estate which she named "Chudleigh". Hervey did eventually gain legal recognition in 1777 that his marriage to Elizabeth was legitimate, but he did not pursue divorce proceedings, probably because of his involvement with the suit of jactitation
. Elizabeth continued to style herself Duchess of Kingston, resided in Paris
, Rome, and elsewhere, and died in Paris on 26 August 1788, still legally Countess of Bristol.
The Duchess was said to be a coarse and licentious woman, and was ridiculed as Kitty Crocodile by the comedian Samuel Foote
in a play A Trip to Calais, which, however, he was not allowed to produce. She is reputed to have been the original of William Makepeace Thackeray
's characters, Beatrice and Baroness Bernstein.
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was Princess of Wales between 1736 and 1751, and Dowager Princess of Wales thereafter. She was one of only three Princesses of Wales who never became queen consort...
, in 1743, probably through the good offices of her friend, William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath
William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath
William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, PC was an English politician, a Whig, created the first Earl of Bath in 1742 by King George II; he is sometimes stated to have been Prime Minister, for the shortest term ever , though most modern sources reckon that he cannot be considered to have held the...
.
Life
Being a very beautiful woman, Miss Chudleigh did not lack admirers, among whom were James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton, and Augustus John Hervey, afterwards 3rd Earl of Bristol. Hamilton, however, left EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and on 4 August 1744 she was privately married to Hervey at Lainston House
Lainston House
Lainston House is a 17th century country house hotel in Winchester, Hampshire in the south of England.-History:Lainston House is noteworthy for several reasons throughout history. Commissioned by Charles II to build a palace at Winchester, renowned English architect Sir Christopher Wren started...
, a private stately home with its own Church and Parish (St Peters, now a ruin), near Winchester. Lainston is now a luxury hotel and one of its wings is called Chudleigh Court. The wedding was held at night to preserve the secrecy. Both husband and wife being poor, their union was kept secret to enable Elizabeth to retain her post at court, while Hervey, who was a naval officer, rejoined his ship, returning to England towards the close of 1746.
The marriage was a very unhappy one, and the pair soon ceased to live together, but, when it appeared probable that Hervey would succeed his brother as Earl of Bristol
Earl of Bristol
Earl of Bristol is a title that has been created twice in British history. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1622 in favour of the politician and diplomat John Digby who served for many years as Ambassador to Spain, and had already been created Baron Digby of Sherborne, in the...
, his wife took steps to obtain proof of her marriage. This did not, however, prevent her from becoming the mistress of Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
General Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull, KG was the only son of William Pierrepont, Earl of Kingston and his wife Rachel Bayntun ....
, and she was not only a very prominent figure in London society, but in 1765 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
she was honoured by the attentions of Frederick II "the Great"
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
.
By this time, Hervey wished for a divorce from his wife, but Elizabeth, although equally anxious to be free, was unwilling to face the publicity attendant upon this step. However, she began a suit of jactitation
Jactitation
-Legal jactitation:In English law, jactitation is the maliciously boasting or giving out by one party that he or she is married to the other.In such a case, in order to prevent the common reputation of their marriage that might ensue, the procedure is by suit of jactitation of marriage, in which...
against Hervey. This case was doubtless collusive, and after Elizabeth had sworn she was unmarried, the consistory court
Consistory court
The consistory court is a type of ecclesiastical court, especially within the Church of England. They were established by a charter of King William I of England, and still exist today, although since about the middle of the 19th century consistory courts have lost much of their subject-matter...
in February 1769 pronounced her a spinster
Spinster
A spinster, or old maid, is an older, childless woman who has never been married.For a woman to be identified as a spinster, age is critical...
. Within a month, she married Kingston, who died four years later, leaving her all his property on condition that she remained a widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
. She travelled abroad, and, visiting Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, the Duchess was received with honour by Pope Clement XIV
Pope Clement XIV
Pope Clement XIV , born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was Pope from 1769 to 1774. At the time of his election, he was the only Franciscan friar in the College of Cardinals.-Early life:...
. Meanwhile, in March 1775, her first husband's brother died and Hervey became Earl of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. Elizabeth's marriage to Hervey was a legitimate one, despite her denials, and she was therefore legally Countess of Bristol.
The Duchess was forced to return to England to defend herself against a charge of bigamy
Bigamy
In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
, which had been preferred against her by Kingston's nephew, Evelyn Medows (d. 1826). She attempted to have the charge set aside in December 1775 by reason of the previous judgment in her favour, but this failed and she was tried as a peer in Westminster Hall in 1776 and found guilty. Retaining her fortune, she hurriedly left England to avoid further proceedings on the part of the Medows family, who had a reversionary interest in the Kingston estates.
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, and then repaired to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, near which city she bought an estate which she named "Chudleigh". Hervey did eventually gain legal recognition in 1777 that his marriage to Elizabeth was legitimate, but he did not pursue divorce proceedings, probably because of his involvement with the suit of jactitation
Jactitation
-Legal jactitation:In English law, jactitation is the maliciously boasting or giving out by one party that he or she is married to the other.In such a case, in order to prevent the common reputation of their marriage that might ensue, the procedure is by suit of jactitation of marriage, in which...
. Elizabeth continued to style herself Duchess of Kingston, resided in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Rome, and elsewhere, and died in Paris on 26 August 1788, still legally Countess of Bristol.
The Duchess was said to be a coarse and licentious woman, and was ridiculed as Kitty Crocodile by the comedian Samuel Foote
Samuel Foote
Samuel Foote was a British dramatist, actor and theatre manager from Cornwall.-Early life:Born into a well-to-do family, Foote was baptized in Truro, Cornwall on 27 January 1720. His father, John Foote, held several public positions, including mayor of Truro, Member of Parliament representing...
in a play A Trip to Calais, which, however, he was not allowed to produce. She is reputed to have been the original of William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
's characters, Beatrice and Baroness Bernstein.