Frances Scudamore, Duchess of Norfolk

Frances Scudamore (* 1750; † 1820) was the second wife of Charles Howard, who in 1786 became the 11th Duke of Norfolk . She lived her married life, which was limited to the village of Holme Lacy in Herefordshire , in a mentally disturbed state.

She was born the only daughter and heiress of Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore of Holme Lacy in Herefordshire , illegitimate son of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, and his wife, Frances, divorced wife of the Duke of Beaufort .

Frances Scudamore married Charles Howard, the only son and heir to the 10th Duke of Norfolk, on April 6, 1771 in London . She inherited the Holme Lacy estate after her father's death in 1782 . Her husband succeeded his father as the 11th Duke of Norfolk on August 31, 1786 and inherited a number of great estates, including Arundel Castle , Worksop Manor , Greystoke Castle and Sheffield Manor .

Unfortunately, Frances has shown signs of mental instability since getting married and spent the rest of her life on Holme Lacy. They didn't have any children. Her husband spent his time elsewhere with a number of mistresses who died in 1815.

In 1820 she died a widow and was buried in St. Cuthberts Church, Holme Lacy. After Charles Howard had no legitimate heirs from any of his marriages, the duke's lands and titles had passed to his cousin Bernard. However, Holme Lacy became the subject of a lengthy legal battle that was eventually settled in favor of Sir Edwin Stanhope, 2nd Baronet, who took the additional surname Scudamore.

Individual evidence

↑ Sylvanus Urban: THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE: AND HISTORICAL CHRONICLE. VOL. XXXV. S. 631 .
^ Scudamore family (per. 1500–1820), gentry | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved November 20, 2019 .
^ John Burke, Bernard Burke: A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland, and Scotland . JR Smith, 1844 ( google.ca [accessed November 20, 2019]).

personal data
SURNAME	Scudamore, Frances, Duchess of Norfolk
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Scudamore, Frances
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Duchess of Norfolk
DATE OF BIRTH	1750
DATE OF DEATH	1820

[1] Sylvanus Urban: THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE: AND HISTORICAL CHRONICLE. VOL. XXXV. S. 631 .

[2] Scudamore family (per. 1500–1820), gentry | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved November 20, 2019 .

[3] John Burke, Bernard Burke: A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland, and Scotland . JR Smith, 1844 ( google.ca [accessed November 20, 2019]).