Marianne Wellesley, Marchioness Wellesley

Marianne (or Mary Anne) Wellesley, Marchioness Wellesley (1788 – 17 December 1853),[1] formerly Marianne Patterson, born Marianne Caton, was an American who became the second wife of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, a brother of the Duke of Wellington.

She originated from Baltimore, Maryland, where her father, Richard Caton, was a merchant.[2] The family was Roman Catholic, and Marianne's mother, Mary, was the daughter of Charles Carroll of Carrollton (died 1832), the last surviving signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Marianne first married Robert Patterson, whose sister, Elizabeth (died 1879), was the first wife of Jérôme Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother. The Pattersons (originally spelled Paterson) were wealthy neighbours of the Catons in Baltimore.[3] The couple came to Europe for the benefit of Marianne's health,[4] bringing with them two of Marianne's sisters. One sister, Louisa, married a baronet, Sir Felton Hervey-Bathurst, in 1813,[5] and after his death married Francis D'Arcy-Osborne, later Duke of Leeds. Another Caton sister, Elizabeth, married George William Stafford-Jerningham, 8th Baron Stafford, as his second wife.[6]

Following his first wife's death in 1816, and the death of Marianne's husband in 1822, they were married on 29 October 1825 in Dublin.[2][1] Prior to their marriage, they may already have been lovers. The marquess was short of money and Marianne's inheritance may have been part of the reason for his proposal.[7] Her family disapproved of the marriage because of Wellesley's reputation and his several children by his first wife, Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland.[8]

The marchioness's portrait was painted by Christina Robertson; an engraving by Thomas Anthony Dean is held by the National Portrait Gallery, London.[9] She was also the subject of an unfinished portrait by Thomas Lawrence.[10]

In 1830, the marchioness was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the queen of William IV of the United Kingdom, and held the position until King William's death in 1837.[11]

She died, aged 65, at Hampton Court Palace, and was buried at Costessey, Norfolk.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume IX, page 238.
  2. 1 2 "WELLESLEY, Richard Colley, 2nd Earl of Mornington [I] (1760-1842), of Dangan Castle, co. Meath". History of Parliament. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  3. ↑ The Nineteenth Century and After. Leonard Scott Publishing Company. 1909.
  4. ↑ Joanne Major; Sarah Murden (30 November 2016). A Right Royal Scandal: Two Marriages That Changed History. Pen and Sword. pp. 189–. ISBN 978-1-4738-6344-6.
  5. ↑ Dalton, Charles (1904). The Waterloo roll call. With biographical notes and anecdotes. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode.
  6. ↑ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. Page 3709.
  7. ↑ Francis F. Beirne (October 1984). The Amiable Baltimoreans. JHU Press. pp. 111–. ISBN 978-0-8018-2513-2.
  8. ↑ Elizabeth Longford (November 1972). Wellington: Pillar of state. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 113–4. ISBN 978-0-297-00250-5.
  9. ↑ "Marianne Wellesley (née Caton), Marchioness Wellesley". NPG. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Jehanne Wake (28 February 2012). Sisters of Fortune: America's Caton Sisters at Home and Abroad. Simon and Schuster. pp. 14–. ISBN 978-1-4516-0763-5.
  11. ↑ "Household of Queen Adelaide 1830-37". Institute of Historical Research.
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wellesley, Richard Colley Wesley, Marquess". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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