Devonshire House and the Grand Whiggery

To understand the social and political atmosphere during the Regency, one needs to understand the workings of society in the Georgian era. In fact, since much of what follows on in the Regency period extends from the Georgian era, there is a very fine line of demarcation between the two. Traditionally, the late eighteenth century is included in the Regency.

It was during this border period that the great minds of the Tories and the Whigs went head to head, Pitt vs. Fox. Other notables of the time included Castlereagh, Canning, Wellington, Palmerston, Grey, etc. Major international crises included the American Revolution and the French Revolution. On the social scene, the libertine morals and decadence of the aristocracy were not only prevalent, but well-accepted, giving way to discretion in the early 1800s.

It was in such a background that the Grand Whiggery existed. Though the Tories may have had many prominent members, the Whigs had a tight-knit, inbred community, whose members were well-known for excesses in food, drink, gambling and philandering. They were an exclusive set and outsiders sometimes found it difficult to penetrate into their society. In addition, they tended to favour certain names, such that it was sometimes difficult to ascertain exactly who was whom. And it was to Devonshire House that these members congregated.

At the center of the Devonshire circle was Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Her popularity stemmed not only from her renowned beauty, but also her inexplicable charm. Yet, her sun did not overshadow her husband’s own standing. Despite the fact that he was a lethargic figure, the Duke of Devonshire was well-respected in his time. Though the political elite could never spur him into a more active political life, he was still central to their plans.

The Prince of Wales was a member of this political elite and conspired with them against Pitt, the prevailing Tory of George III’s reign. As King George declined into madness, the Whigs discussed the possibility of a regency, which the Prince fully endorsed. However, when the regency came about, the Prince turned his back on his friends and they never forgave him. To be fair, the Prince had very little choice given the political situation and international tensions at the time. But, because the Whigs showed antagonism to him, the Prince became even more hostile to their cause.

Charles Fox was the Whig leader at the time. There were rumours that he and Georgiana had a liaison, but this was never confirmed. He shocked society when it was revealed that he had married his mistress, Mrs. Armistead. Mrs. Armistead had been a well sought-after courtesan at the time she met Fox. They were married for eight years before they revealed it to their closest friends in 1802.

Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the famous dramatist, was a member of the Devonshire Circle. He was one of the few who belonged, not because of birth, but because of talent. He personified the Devonshire set with his dissolute life.

Charles, Earl Grey, the future PM, was also prominent. Georgiana had campaigned for both Fox and Grey, and it was during her campaigning for Grey that she had an affair. As a result of the affair, she gave birth to a daughter, who was given up to Grey’s parents to be raised as his own sister.

Perhaps the most famous families in the Whiggery were the Lambs, the Cavendish, and the Spencers. Though the Herveys were not in the most elite circles of the Whiggery, they also played a part.

Little is mentioned of Sir Peniston Lamb, 1^st Viscount Melbourne, who was rather shy and dull. This characteristic may help explain how the Melbourne Miscellany, a nickname given to his supposed progeny, came about. Lady Melbourne was attributed with the advice to young brides to produce a legitimate heir for their husbands, then take their pleasures where they found them. She lived by this motto, and it was presumed that after producing her legitimate heir, she had four more, each supposedly by a different father. There are some who suggested that her youngest may have been legitimate; however, it is interesting to note that it was the second child, William, who inherited the title and became an important political figure. William married Lady Caroline Ponsonby, who had a scandalous affair with Lord Byron. Byron was suspected of carrying on an affair with Lady Melbourne as well. He eventually married Lady Melbourne’s niece, Annabella Milbanke, whom he had dubbed the “Princess of Parallelograms“ due to her passion for mathematics. William became Lord Melbourne and Prime Minister after Caroline’s death. Another son, George, married Caroline St. Jules (known as Caro). Emily Lamb married Lord Cowper and was one of the leading patronesses of Almack’s. She later married Lord Palmerston.

The Cavendish family was led by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. The duke, William, had inherited his title at the age of 16. Contrary to what was shown in the movie, the duke was not a “much older” husband for Georgiana. She was 17 at the time of the wedding and he was 25. That is not a huge age discrepancy, even by today’s standards. There is much debate about the relationship between these two characters, especially when taken into account with Lady Elizabeth Foster; however, there is evidence to indicate they were fond of each other, despite their troubles. As with most Whig families, they were unfaithful to each other. It is not too much to wonder at how the trio could have existed given the laxity of morals during that period.

The duke had an illegitimate daughter from his mistress, Charlotte Spencer (no relation to Georgiana), also named Charlotte, who was born shortly after his marriage to Georgiana. She was raised as an adopted daughter in the Devonshire household. After many years of miscarriages, the couple were making the rounds of watering holes to treat their infertility when they made friends with Lady Elizabeth Foster (Bess). Elizabeth and Georgiana became inseparable. It is unclear when Elizabeth began her affair with the duke. But evidence suggests that Georgiana did not become aware of this until sometime after their two illegitimate children became incorporated into the household. Whether Georgiana chose to ignore their growing attraction to one another or whether she refused to believe what was happening or even whether she was truly and naively innocent to the entire menage a trois is unclear, but to those outside the trio, the situation was fairly obvious.

Georgiana and William’s first daughter, Georgiana (known as Little G), was born about a year after the fateful meeting with Bess. The second daughter, Harriet (known as Harry-O), was born within a few weeks of Bess and William’s first daughter, Caroline St. Jules (Caro). Bess’ pregnancy went undetected by her closest friends and she went to Europe to have the child, having recruited her older brother’s help at the last minute. Caro was left to French parents and after several years was taken into the Devonshire circle as an “adopted” child of Bess’. She did not discover her parentage until after the duke’s death. A second child, August Clifford (known as Clifford and later made a baronet) was born to Bess three years later. Again, her pregnancy was undetected and her son was left with surrogate parents, but eventually he was incorporated into Devonshire House at the age of nine. The duke’s legitimate heir, William, known as Hart, was born two years after Clifford. At the time, the duke and his entourage were touring Europe and there was speculation amongst the ton that it was Bess, and not Georgiana, who was pregnant.

It was after the birth of Hart that Georgiana indulged in an affair with Lord Grey, whom she had met after Bess was installed at Devonshire House. The movie seemed to suggest that Lord Grey and Georgiana had met before she was married. When the duke discovered that Georgiana was pregnant with Grey’s child, he forced her into exile in Europe. Bess accompanied her. Georgiana and Grey’s daughter, Eliza Courtney, was handed over to foster parents and eventually made her way to Grey’s parents. (At some point, Eliza may have been aware of her parentage because she named her daughter Georgiana, although this may have just been a Whig practice.) The duke did not allow them to return immediately after the birth. In fact, he kept them in Europe for another two years. Yet, when they returned, he arranged an elaborate homecoming.

The relationship between the trio altered and it is possible that the affair between Bess and the duke was cooling off. There is a suggestion that the duke embarked on other affairs. However, Georgiana became more submissive, and her health began to deteriorate. Georgiana was a compulsive gambler and her debts had always been an issue between her and the duke. Dissolute living began to take their toll. She had an eye infection that scarred her beautiful features, forcing her to remove herself from society. Eventually, she suffered a series of gallbladder attacks, the last resulting in her demise.

The Cavendish children were initially very accepting of Bess, but as they grew up, they began to question her presence. Harry-O became the most antagonistic and attempted to influence her brother and sister as well. She resented Bess’ presence, especially after Georgiana died, when Bess acted as mistress of the house, yet had no such authority to do so. Yet, Bess continued to try and do her best for them. It was she who encouraged Harry-O in her attraction to Lord Granville, who was having an affair with Harriet, Harry-O’s aunt. When the duke finally married Bess, two years after Georgiana’s death, there was much opposition within the Cavendish and Spencer family, but Harriet sided with Bess, out of friendship and loyalty. Bess’ relationship with the children improved, especially when the duke suddenly passed away two years later. However, Harry-O never became friendly.

The Spencer family was also another important family. Georgiana, the eldest, married the Duke of Devonshire. The second child, a son, became Earl of Spencer, an ancestor to Princess Diana (and comparisons can be made between Georgiana and Diana). Harriet, the youngest, was extremely close to her sister and a good friend to the duke and to Bess. She, like Georgiana, had an eventful life. She was married to Frederick Ponsonby (Viscount Duncannon, then Earl of Bessborough) and had four children by him, the most famous being Caroline Ponsonby, who married William Lamb and had an affair with Byron. There are suggestions that he was an abusive husband and she, in turn, had numerous affairs, most notably with Sheridan, and later, Lord Granville. Lord Granville proved to be the love of her life, and she bore him two children. He was also much younger than her. She had to give up her illegitimate children and eventually, she knew she also had to give up her lover. In the end, she was gracious enough to give him up to her niece, Harry-O. Harry-O and Granville eventually adopted Harriet’s two illegitimate children. Harriet suffered several strokes at a very early age, yet she managed to outlive her sister. The Dowager Lady Spencer, as well as her son and daughter-in-law, were very antagonistic towards Bess at Devonshire House and never attempted to conceal their dislike. Yet, Harriet and Georgiana remained Bess’ closest female friends.

The Herveys were another matter altogether. They were not associated with Devonshire House until Bess became a member. However, the Herveys were well-known for Whig ties as well as eccentricities. Bess’ father married into a Tory family and initially appeared quite normal. However, he later proved to be quite unreliable and eccentric. Despite all this, he was made a bishop, and became known as the Earl-Bishop, when he unexpectedly became Earl of Bristol (he was a third son). After 30 years of marriage, the Herveys suddenly separated and the earl’s eccentricities intensified.

The first daughter, Mary, married the Earl of Erne (who was much older). After the birth of their daughter, Mary and Erne separated. Mary and Bess were living together when they received the fateful visit from the Devonshires. The first son, George, died at the age of nine while the family was touring Europe. The third child, John, was Bess’ favourite sibling. It was he who helped cover-up the birth of her first illegitimate child. He was rather a rake.

Bess was the fourth child. She married John Foster and had two sons. She was very unhappy in her marriage, which seems to have been forced upon her by her father. Bess and John separated and she lost her children. She was living with Mary and her infant son, preparing to lose him, when the Devonshires arrived. She did not see her children again until her husband died, sixteen years later. The eldest, Frederick, was idle and made Devonshire House his home; while Augustus was more industrious, becoming a diplomat. He was never very comfortable at Devonshire House and because of his upbringing, he never developed a good sense of self-confidence, even after his achievements. He eventually committed suicide.

Bess’ younger sister, Louisa, married Robert Banks Jenkinson (Lord Hawkesbury, Earl of Liverpool). Lord Liverpool was a Tory MP and minister who later became Prime Minister. As such, Louisa did not approve of the Devonshire set. The last child, Frederick, succeeded his father as Earl of Bristol, and later 1^st Marquess of Bristol.

It is interesting to note that even though emphasis was placed on only four families out of the 100 that made up the Grand Whiggery, one can see that it was quite inbred. They interacted with each other in such a way that it was nearly impossible for someone outside to step in. They married, had affairs with, promoted each other as an exclusive set. And at the heart of it all was Devonshire House. Anyone who wanted to be anybody had to be a member of that circle.

The Prince of Wales figured in the lives of the members of this set, but it is the younger generation (the Cavendish children as well as the Lambs) who are frequently mentioned in Regency romances, especially Lady Caroline Lamb and Lord Byron.

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