Caroline Maria Graham (née Montagu), Duchess of Montrose (10 August 1770 – 24 March 1847) was the second wife of James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose. She was a daughter of George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester, by his wife Elizabeth Dashwood. She married Montrose on 24 July 1790, at

Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence situated within Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has served as a residence for the British royal family since the 17th century and is currently the ...

.He was fifteen years her senior, and had previously been married to Lady Jemima Elizabeth, daughter of John Ashburnham, 2nd Earl of Ashburnham; their only child had died in infancy. The duke and duchess had six children: * Lady Georgiana Charlotte Graham (died 1835), who married George William Finch, 10th Earl of Winchilsea, and had children * Lady Emily Graham (died 1900), who married Edward Thomas Foley and had no children *Lady Caroline Graham (died 1875), who died unmarried * Lady Lucy Graham (1793–1875), who married

Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis, Knight of the Garter, KG (22 March 1785 – 17 January 1848), styled Viscount Clive between 1804 and 1839, was a British peer and Tory (British political party), Tory politician. He was the grandson of Cliv ...

, and had children * James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose (1799–1874), who succeeded his father in the dukedom *Lord Montagu William Graham (1807–1878), who married Hon. Harriet Anne Bateman-Hanbury and had no children. The duke, prior to his second marriage, had been a lover of the notorious

Seymour Fleming Seymour Dorothy Fleming (5 October 1758 – 9 September 1818), styled Lady Worsley from 1775 to 1805, was a member of the British gentry, notable for her involvement in a high-profile criminal conversation trial. Early life and family Flemin ...

, Lady Worsley, who, in February 1782, was the subject of a

criminal conversation At common law, criminal conversation, often abbreviated as ''crim. con.'', is a tort arising from adultery. "Conversation" is an old euphemism for sexual intercourse that is obsolete except as part of this term. It is similar to breach of pr ...

case for £20,000 (2015: £), brought by her husband against Maurice George Bisset. Lady Worsley retaliated with scandalous revelations, and her doctor, William Osborn, testified that she had suffered from a

venereal disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

which she had contracted from the Marquess of Graham. The case was presided by

Lord Mansfield William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, (2 March 1705 – 20 March 1793), was a British judge, politician, lawyer, and peer best known for his reforms to English law. Born in Scone Palace, Perthshire, to a family of Peerage of Scotland, Scott ...

(great uncle of George William, 10th Earl of Winchilsea) The duchess was allegedly one of the titled ladies who hissed at

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

in the royal enclosure at

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Grade ...

in 1839, following the scandal over the queen's treatment of Lady Flora Hastings. The duke died in 1836. The duchess died, aged 76, at Petersham, Surrey.

Fictional portrayals

In the 2009 film ''

The Young Victoria ''The Young Victoria'' is a 2009 British period drama, period drama film directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and written by Julian Fellowes, based on the early life and reign of Queen Victoria, and her marriage to Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert ...

'', the duchess is played by Alice Glover.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montrose, Caroline Graham, Duchess of 1770 births 1847 deaths British duchesses by marriage Daughters of British dukes Caroline Caroline