Charlotte Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey

Charlotte Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey (11 July 1781 – 8 July 1853), formerly Lady Charlotte Wellesley, formerly Lady Charlotte Cadogan, was the second wife of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey. She was the daughter of Charles Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan, and his wife, the former Mary Churchill, a niece of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.

Charlotte's first husband, Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley, was the brother of the Duke of Wellington.[1] They were married on 20 September 1803, and had four children:

  • Hon. Charlotte Arbuthnot Wellesley (d. 21 Nov 1891)
  • Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley (17 June 1804 – 15 July 1884)
  • Captain Hon. William Henry George Wellesley (2 February 1806 – 21 Dec 1875)
  • Very Rev. Hon. Gerald Wellesley (1809 – 17 September 1882)

In 1810, Lord Cowley divorced Charlotte on the grounds of her adultery with the Marquess of Anglesey, then Lord Paget. It was claimed that Paget had pursued her ruthlessly and that she had asked her husband to stay close to her in public "for the express purpose of avoiding Lord P's importunities".[2]

At the divorce trial, several witnesses stated that the couple had an affectionate relationship.[3] Charlotte's brother Henry Cadogan challenged Paget to a duel; honour was satisfied, though neither was injured.[4] Following the divorce, Wellesley was awarded £24,000 in damages against Paget.[3] Referring to the incident in later years, when Paget, now Lord Uxbridge, was assigned to Wellington as his second-in-command at the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington is said to have commented: "Lord Uxbridge has the reputation of running away with everybody he can. I’ll take good care he don’t run away with me.”[5]

In 1810, following Paget's divorce by his wife Caroline, Charlotte and Paget were married.[6] When he was raised to the peerage on 13 March 1812, she became Countess of Uxbridge. She was styled as Marchioness of Anglesey from 4 July 1815.

Charlotte and her second husband had ten children, including:

References

  1. ↑ Darren Devine (29 June 2015). "How Heny Paget's bravery in the Battle of Waterloo took him from earl to Marquess of Anglesey". WalesOnline. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  2. ↑ George III (King of Great Britain); Arthur Aspinall. The Later Correspondence of George Iii. CUP Archive. pp. 293–. GGKEY:EC96DJGF7WL.
  3. 1 2 Henry WELLESLEY (Baron Cowley.); John Hill BLANCHARD; Henry William PAGET (1st Marquis of Anglesey.) (1809). The Trial of the Right Honorable Lord Paget, for Criminal Conversation with Lady Charlotte Wellesley. Taken in Short Hand by Messrs. Ramsey and Blanchard. Sherwood, Neely, & James; J. Stratford. pp. 14–.
  4. ↑ The Marquess of Anglesey (1990). One Leg: The Life and Letters of Henry William Paget, First Marquess of Anglesey, K.G. 1768-1854. Pen and Sword. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-4738-1689-3.
  5. ↑ Paul Kendall (18 June 2015). "The Battle of Waterloo: is this the most British conversation ever to be held on a battlefield?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  6. ↑ George Holbert Tucker (15 September 1995). Jane Austen the Woman: Some Biographical Insights. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 172–. ISBN 978-0-312-12688-9.
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