Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire


The Duchess of Devonshire
Portrait by Thomas Gainsborough
(18th century)
BornGeorgiana Spencer
(1757-06-07)7 June 1757
Althorp, Northamptonshire, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
Died30 March 1806(1806-03-30) (aged 48)
Devonshire House, Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
BuriedDerby Cathedral, Derbyshire
Noble familySpencer (by birth)
Cavendish (by marriage)
Spouse(s)
Issue
FatherJohn Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer
MotherMargaret Georgiana Poyntz
Occupation

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer; /ɔːrˈnə/ jor-JAY-nə; 7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806), was an English aristocrat, socialite, political organiser, author, and activist. Born into the Spencer family, married into the Cavendish family, she was the first wife of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, and the mother of the 6th Duke of Devonshire.[1][2]

The Duchess was famous for her charisma, political influence, beauty, unusual marital arrangement, love affairs, socializing, and notoriety for her gambling addiction, leading to an immense debt. She was the great-great-great-grandaunt of Diana, Princess of Wales. Their lives, two centuries apart, have been compared in tragedy.[3]

  1. ^ Foreman, Amanda (2001). Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire. Modern Library. ISBN 0375753834. Retrieved 25 June 2014.[page needed]
  2. ^ Blasberg, Derek (2011). Very Classy: Even More Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady. Penguin. ISBN 978-1101563069. Retrieved 26 June 2014.[page needed]
  3. ^ Hastings, Chris (9 August 2008). "Princess Diana and the Duchess of Devonshire: Striking similarities". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2014.