Albertha Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough

Her Grace

The Duchess of Marlborough

VA
BornAlbertha Frances Anne Hamilton
29 July 1847
Died7 January 1932(1932-01-07) (aged 84)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1869; div. 1883)​
Issue
ParentsJames Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn
Lady Louisa Russell

Albertha Frances Anne Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (née Hamilton; 29 July 1847 – 7 January 1932), was an English aristocrat and the 8th Duchess of Marlborough.

Early life

She was born the sixth daughter and tenth child of James Hamilton, Earl of Abercorn, and Lady Louisa Russell, daughter of the Duke of Bedford and a close friend of Queen Victoria. She was known to her friends and family as "Goosie",[1] and had a reputation for being highly respectable[2] and fond of practical jokes.[1] As a young woman, aged 18, Lady Albertha was one of eight train bearers at the wedding of The Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein on 5 July 1866 at Windsor Castle.[3]

Marriage and issue

On 8 November 1869, Albertha married George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford, familiarly known as 'Blandford', eldest son of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough.[2] This was in defiance of the wishes of George's mother, Frances Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, who disliked Albertha and described her as "stupid, pious and dull".

The wedding was held at the Westminster Abbey[4] and was a double ceremony for the Hamilton family, where her sister Maud married Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne.[5] The wedding was attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales,[6] and Albertha received a wedding gift of a "valuable Indian shawl" from Queen Victoria.[7]

The couple had four children:

The Aylesford Affair

Blandford was a member of the Marlborough House set, a group of aristocrats who, at the behest of Edward, the Prince of Wales regularly gathered at Marlborough House for raucous parties. It was at one of these parties that Blandford met Edith Finch, Countess of Aylesford; their affair began in 1874. In 1875, while she was pregnant with their fourth child, Albertha confronted her husband about the affair. During the ensuing argument, Blandford slapped her. The couple separated, with Albertha not allowing Blandford to see his children. In 1876, Heneage Finch, 7th Earl of Aylesford, cited Blandford as co-respondent in his divorce petition, which was eventually dropped. Queen Victoria prevailed on Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli to help with the matter; he asked Albertha's father, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to resign his post. The post was given to Blandford, who was thus removed from English society; Albertha's father was elevated to 1st Duke of Abercorn.

A formal deed of separation was signed in 1878.[9] But when Albertha learned that Edith was living alone in France, she assumed that the affair was over and contacted Blandford. They reunited, until Albertha discovered that, in 1881, under the name 'Mrs. Spencer', Edith had given birth to a son, who was eventually christened under the name Guy Bertram Finch. Albertha petitioned for divorce; it was granted in November 1883.[10][11]

Later life

In July 1883, upon the death of his father, Blandford became the 8th Duke of Marlborough. The divorce was not yet final but Albertha had been granted custody of their children. Now that their 12 year-old son Charles was heir, the court ruled that he be raised by Blandford's mother, the Dowager Duchess, at Blenheim Palace. Albertha retained visitation rights, and custody of the couple's daughters. Albertha was permitted to use the title Duchess of Marlborough but, thereafter referred to herself as Marchioness of Blandford. She did not re-marry, and died in London in 1932, age 84.[12]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Albertha Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
8. John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn
4. James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton
9. Catherine Copley
2. James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn
10. The Hon. John Douglas
5. Harriet Douglas
11. Lady Frances Lascelles
1. Albertha Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
12. Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock
6. John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford
13. Lady Elizabeth Keppel
3. Lady Louisa Jane Russell
14. Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon
7. Lady Georgina Gordon
15. Jane Maxwell

References

  1. ^ a b Pearson, John (1 December 2011). The Private Lives of Winston Churchill. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-4482-0783-1.
  2. ^ a b Schutte, Kimberly (2014), Schutte, Kimberly (ed.), "An Open Aristocracy?", Women, Rank, and Marriage in the British Aristocracy, 1485–2000: An Open Elite?, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 69–83, doi:10.1057/9781137327802_5, ISBN 978-1-137-32780-2, retrieved 16 September 2024{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  3. ^ "No. 23140". The London Gazette. 17 July 1866. p. 4092.
  4. ^ "Marriages at Westminster Abbey". Lady's Own Paper. 13 November 1869. p. 11. Retrieved 15 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ Debrett's peerage, and titles of courtesy, in which is included full information respecting the collateral branches of Peers, Privy Councillors, Lords of Session, etc. Wellesley College Library. London, Dean. 1921. p. 539.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ^ Hall, Matthew (5 March 2023). The Royal Princesses of England. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-382-12750-3.
  7. ^ "The Sun, London, Tuesday Evening November 9 1869". The Sun (London). 9 November 1869. p. 2. Retrieved 15 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1985). Blenheim Revisited: The Spencer-Churchills and Their Palace. Bodley Head. ISBN 978-0-370-30848-7.
  9. ^ Dismore, Jane (20 October 2014). "The Duchess of Marlborough and the Aylesford Affair". Royal Central. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  10. ^ Dinsmore, Jane. "The Duchess of Marlborough and the Aylesford Affair". royalcentral.co.uk. Royal Central. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  11. ^ Horstman, Allen (1 July 2016). Victorian Divorce. Routledge. pp. 135–136. ISBN 978-1-317-26796-6.
  12. ^ Spencer-Churchill, Henrietta (3 September 2024). Blenheim: 300 Years of Life in a Palace. Rizzoli International Publications. ISBN 978-0-8478-3350-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.