Harriette Wilson
Encyclopedia
Harriette Wilson was a celebrated British Regency courtesan
, whose clients included the Prince of Wales, the Lord Chancellor and four future Prime Ministers.
John James Dubouchet (or De Bouchet), who kept a small shop in Mayfair
, England
, and his wife Amelia, née Cook. Her father is said to have assumed the surname of Wilson about 1801. She began her career
at the age of fifteen, becoming the mistress
of William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, 7th Baron Craven
. Among her other lovers with whom she had a business arrangement was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
, who commented "publish, and be damned" when informed of her plans to write her memoirs. Her decision to publish was partly based on the broken promises of her lovers to provide her with an income in her older age. The memoirs are still in print.
Her sisters Amy, Fanny and Sophia also became courtesans
. Sophia married respectably into the aristocracy
, when she wed Lord Berwick
, at 17.
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
, whose clients included the Prince of Wales, the Lord Chancellor and four future Prime Ministers.
Life
Harriette Dubouchet was one of the fifteen children of SwissSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
John James Dubouchet (or De Bouchet), who kept a small shop in Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, England
England
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 his wife Amelia, née Cook. Her father is said to have assumed the surname of Wilson about 1801. She began her career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
at the age of fifteen, becoming the mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, 7th Baron Craven
William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven (1770-1825)
Major-General William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven was a British soldier.Craven was the eldest son of William Craven, 6th Baron Craven, and succeeded his father as seventh Baron Craven in 1791. He served in the Army and achieved the rank of major-general...
. Among her other lovers with whom she had a business arrangement was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, who commented "publish, and be damned" when informed of her plans to write her memoirs. Her decision to publish was partly based on the broken promises of her lovers to provide her with an income in her older age. The memoirs are still in print.
Her sisters Amy, Fanny and Sophia also became courtesans
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
. Sophia married respectably into the aristocracy
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
, when she wed Lord Berwick
Thomas Noel Hill, 2nd Baron Berwick
Thomas Noel Hill, 2nd Baron Berwick of Attingham, FSA was a British peer and art patron.The first son of Noel Hill, 1st Baron Berwick and his wife Anna Vernon, he was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he was in the same year as Edward Daniel Clarke...
, at 17.
Fictional portrayal
- Harriette Wilson appears in the Jane AustenJane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
mystery novel, Jane and the Barque of Frailty, by Stephanie Barron. (She and Jane Austen were contemporaries.)