LadyWilhelminaStanhope 1838 afterAlfredEdwardChalon

Catherine Lucy Wilhelmina Powlett, Duchess of Cleveland (''née'' Stanhope; 1 June 1819 – 18 May 1901), also known as Lady Dalmeny and Lady Harry Vane, was an English courtier, historian and genealogist, best known for her 1889 work ''The

Battle Abbey Roll The Battle Abbey Roll is a commemorative list, lost since at least the 16th century, of the companions of William the Conqueror, which had been erected or affixed as a memorial within Battle Abbey, Battle of Hastings, Hastings, founded ''ex-voto' ...

with some Account of the Norman Lineages''. By her first marriage to Lord Dalmeny, she was the mother of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of h ...

Biography

Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope was born in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

, the third child and only daughter of

Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (7 December 1781 – 2 March 1855), was an English aristocracy, aristocrat, chiefly remembered for his role in the Kaspar Hauser case during the 1830s. Origins He was the ...

(1781-1855), FRS, and his wife, Hon. Catherine Lucy Smith, daughter of

Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington (22 January 1752 – 18 September 1838), was a British banker, slave owner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1779 to 1797 when he was raised to the peerage. Early life Smith was the third so ...

. She was known as Wilhelmina to distinguish her from her mother. At the time of

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 ...

's accession, the 18-year-old Lady Wilhelmina was regarded as one of the most beautiful woman at

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

. She was a train-bearer at the queen's coronation in 1838, and served as a bridesmaid at her wedding to

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

in 1840.

Marriages and progeny

Wilhelmina married twice, firstly in October 1843 to

Archibald Primrose, Lord Dalmeny Archibald Primrose, Lord Dalmeny (2 October 1809 – 23 January 1851), was a British Whig politician. Early life He was the eldest son and heir apparent of Archibald Primrose, 4th Earl of Rosebery (1783–1868), whom he predeceased, by his wife ...

(1809-1851), eldest son of

Archibald Primrose, 4th Earl of Rosebery Archibald John Primrose, 4th Earl of Rosebery, (14 October 1783 – 4 March 1868), styled Viscount Primrose until 1814, was a British politician. Early life Primrose was born on 14 October 1783. He was the eldest son of Neil Primrose, 3rd Earl ...

(1783-1868), whom she met three months before at a ball at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

.Biography, BBC yourpaintings They had two sons and two daughters before Dalmeny's early death to heart failure. Their eldest son, also named Archibald, inherited the earldom and went on to become prime minister. * Lady Constance Evelyn Primrose (died 27 June 1939); married

Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield (31 July 1830 – 6 January 1901), was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament. Early life and education A direct descendant of Sir John Wyndham, Leconfield was the eldest surviving son of Geo ...

, and had issue. * Lady Mary Catherine Constance Primrose (circa 1845 – 3 September 1935); married Henry Walter Hope and had issue. *

Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of h ...

(7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) * Everard Henry Primrose (8 September 1848 – 9 April 1885); died unmarried. She was married secondly in 1854 to Lord Harry Vane (1803–1891), youngest son of

William Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland William Henry Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland (27 July 1766 – 29 January 1842), styled Viscount Barnard until 1792 and known as The Earl of Darlington between 1792 and 1827 and as The Marquess of Cleveland between 1827 and 1833, was a British la ...

(1766-1842); he succeeded his brother in the dukedom in 1864, and changed his surname to Powlett. They had no children, and on Cleveland's death all his titles became extinct, with the exception of the barony of Barnard. Shortly before her 88th birthday, Lady Cleveland unexpectedly died of a cardiac arrest in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

, Hesse, a week after undergoing successful eye surgery. "In spite of her advanced age the Duchess of Cleveland was an indefatigable traveller, and her faculties and interests remained undimmed," reported ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' in her obituary.

List of works

Her historical works included: *''The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages'', 3 volumes, London, 1889. It consists of short histories concerning the origins of several hundred English families of Norman origin, based on names supposedly contained in the legendary

:
Vol.1, London, 1889

Vol.2, London, 1889

Vol.3, London, 1889
***See online text of all three volumes, with index, at

''The True Story of Kaspar Hauser from Official Documents''
London, 1893. Concerns her father's patronage of the "foundling" or "feral child"

Kaspar Hauser Kaspar Hauser (30 April 1812 – 17 December 1833) was a German youth who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell. His claims, and his subsequent death from a stab wound, sparked much debate and controversy both in Nur ...

, a youth who had appeared in Nuremberg in 1828 and had become famous through his claim to have been raised in total isolation in a dark room and could tell nothing about his identity.
''The Life and Letters of Lady Hester Stanhope''
1914. Concerns her father's half-sister

Lady Hester Stanhope Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope (12 March 1776 – 23 June 1839) was a British adventurer, writer, antiquarian, and one of the most famous travellers of her age. Her excavation of Ascalon in 1815 is considered the first to use modern Archaeology ...

(1776–1839), a traveler and Arabist who died unmarried at the age of 63 in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, Wilhelmina Powlett, Duchess of 1819 births 1901 deaths English courtiers 19th-century English historians 20th-century English historians 19th-century English women writers 20th-century English women writers English women historians English genealogists Daughters of British earls British duchesses by marriage

Dalmeny Dalmeny () is a village and civil parish in Scotland. It is located on the south side of the Firth of Forth, southeast of South Queensferry and west of Edinburgh city centre. It lies within the traditional boundaries of West Lothian, and ...

Parents of prime ministers of the United Kingdom Wilhelmina Wilhelmina