Frances Villiers

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Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey. Picture in mezzotint by Thomas Watson (1743-1781), published in 1774 after the original painting by Daniel Gardner .

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey (born February 25, 1753 in Raphoe , † July 23, 1821 in Cheltenham ) was a mistress of the British King George IV.

Life

Frances was the daughter of Philip Twysden, Bishop of Raphoe (1746–1752), and his wife, Frances Carter. On March 26, 1770, she married in St. Martin-in-the-Fields George Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey (1735-1805), only son of William Villiers , 3rd Earl of Jersey, and Lady Anne Egerton. A grandson of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough . Her husband was the stable master of the Prince of Wales and later a member of the political advisory body of the British monarch, George IV. The marriage had ten children.

In 1782 Frances went into a liaison with the future king, George, Prince of Wales (1762-1830). In addition, she maintained relationships with members of the English aristocracy, including Frederick Howard, 5th  Earl of Carlisle (1748-1825) and George Bryan Brummell (1778-1840). Due to the lavish lifestyle, the Prince of Wales accumulated debts and his father, King George III. , refused to support him. It is also said to have been Lady Frances who proposed a marriage between the heir to the throne and his cousin (first degree) Princess Caroline of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1768-1821). The marriage of the Crown Prince couple was not a happy one; and a few months after the birth of the only legitimate daughter, Princess Charlotte Augusta (1796-1817), Georg separated from Caroline. In 1799 the prince resumed his left-hand marriage with Maria Fitzherbert (1756-1837) until he finally left her in 1807 for his new favorite, Marquise Isabella Anne Seymour-Conway, Marquise of Herford . Since Frances enjoyed the trust of the Crown Princess, which Prince George disapproved of, she continued to run his household. After the death of her husband in 1805, Frances slowly withdrew from the royal court and lived in her country estate near Cheltenham. There she died on July 23, 1821 and was buried at Middleton Stoney.

Worth mentioning

In the Aubrey Maturin series - marine history novels - by the British author Patrick O'Brian (1914–2000) Lady Frances Villiers is often described.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Villiers, Frances
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Villiers, Frances, Countess of Jersey; Twysden, Frances
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Mistress of King George IV.
DATE OF BIRTH February 25, 1753
PLACE OF BIRTH Raphoe
DATE OF DEATH July 23, 1821
Place of death Cheltenham