Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen | |||||
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Queen consort of the United Kingdom and Hanover | |||||
Tenure | 26 June 1830 – 20 June 1837 | ||||
Coronation | 8 September 1831 | ||||
Born | Meiningen, Saxe-Meiningen, Holy Roman Empire | 13 August 1792||||
Died | 2 December 1849 Bentley Priory, Middlesex, England | (aged 57)||||
Burial | 13 December 1849 Royal Vault, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle | ||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue Details |
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Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen | |||||
Mother | Princess Louise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | ||||
Signature |
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (Adelaide Amelia Louise Theresa Caroline; 13 August 1792 – 2 December 1849) was
Early life
Adelaide was born on 13 August 1792 at
Saxe-Meiningen was a small state, covering about 423 square miles (1,100 km2). It was the most liberal German state and, unlike its neighbours, permitted a free press and criticism of the ruler.[4] At the time, no statute existed which barred a female ruling over the small duchy and it was not until the birth of her brother, Bernhard, in 1800, that the law of primogeniture was introduced.[5]
Marriage
By the end of 1811,
Considerable allowances were likely to be voted by Parliament to any
Adelaide married William in a double wedding with William's brother,
Adelaide soon became pregnant, but in her seventh month of pregnancy, she developed pleurisy and gave birth prematurely on 27 March 1819 at the Fürstenhof Palace in Hanover.[14] Her daughter, Charlotte Augusta Louise, lived only a few hours.[14] Another pregnancy in the same year caused William to move the household to England so his future heir would be born on British soil; however, Adelaide miscarried at Calais[15] or Dunkirk[16] during the journey on 5 September 1819. Back in London, they moved into Clarence House, but preferred to stay at Bushy House near Hampton Court, where William had already lived with Dorothea Jordan. Adelaide became pregnant again, and a second daughter, Elizabeth Georgiana Adelaide, was born on 10 December 1820 at St James's Palace.[14] Elizabeth seemed strong but died less than three months old on 4 March 1821 of "inflammation in the Bowels".[17] Twin boys were stillborn on 8 April 1822 at Bushy Park[18] and a possible brief pregnancy may have occurred within the same year. Ultimately, William and Adelaide had no surviving children.
Queen consort (1830–1837)
At the time of their marriage, William was not heir-presumptive to the throne, but became so when his brother
One of King William's first acts was to confer the Rangership of
Adelaide attempted, perhaps unsuccessfully, to influence William politically. She never spoke about politics in public; however, she was strongly
Queen dowager (1837–1849)
Queen Adelaide was dangerously ill in April 1837, at around the same time that she was present at her mother's deathbed in Meiningen, but she recovered. By June, it became evident that the King was fatally ill himself. Adelaide stayed beside William's deathbed devotedly, not going to bed herself for more than ten days.[38] William IV died from heart failure in the early hours of the morning of 20 June 1837 at Windsor Castle, where he was buried. Victoria was proclaimed as queen, but subject to the rights of any issue that might be born to Adelaide on the remote possible chance that she was pregnant.[39]
The first queen dowager in over a century (Charles II's widow, Catherine of Braganza, had died in 1705, and Mary of Modena, wife of the deposed James II, died in 1718), Adelaide survived her husband by twelve years.
In early October 1838, for health reasons, Adelaide travelled to
Adelaide had been given the use of
Suffering from chronic illness, she often moved her place of residence in a vain search for health, staying at the country houses of various British aristocracy. She became a tenant of William Ward and took up residence at the latter's newly purchased house, Witley Court in Worcestershire, from 1842 until 1846. While at Witley Court, she had two chaplains – Rev. John Ryle Wood, Canon of Worcester[43] and Rev. Thomas Pearson, Rector of Great Witley.[44] She financed the first village school in Great Witley.[45]
From 1846 to 1848, Adelaide rented Cassiobury House from Lord Essex. During her time there, she played host to Victoria and Albert. Within three years, Adelaide had moved on again, renting Bentley Priory in Stanmore from Lord Abercorn.[46][47]
Semi-invalid by 1847, Adelaide was advised to try the climate of
Queen Adelaide's last public appearance was to lay the foundation stone of the church of
She wrote instructions for her funeral during an illness in 1841 at Sudbury Hall:
I die in all humility … we are alike before the throne of God, and I request therefore that my mortal remains be conveyed to the grave without pomp or state … to have as private and quiet a funeral as possible. I particularly desire not to be laid out in state … I die in peace and wish to be carried to the fount in peace, and free from the vanities and pomp of this world.[51]
Legacy
Queen Adelaide's name is probably best remembered in the Australian state of South Australia, founded during the brief reign of William IV. In 1836, the capital city of Adelaide was named after her. The Queen Adelaide Club for women is still active, and a bronze statue of Queen Adelaide stands in the foyer of the Town Hall. The Queen Adelaide Society was inaugurated in Adelaide in 1981 by the late Dorothy Howie with the twin objectives of promoting public awareness of Queen Adelaide and to provide an annual donation to a South Australian children's charity.[52]
There is a village named Queen Adelaide in Cambridgeshire, which takes its name from one of the many public houses named after her.[53]
There are Adelaide Streets, Adelaide Avenues, and Adelaide Roads throughout the former empire. There is also
In honour of the Queen's many visits, several places in Leicestershire were named after Queen Adelaide. They include Queen Street in Measham and the Queen Adelaide Inn (now demolished) in Appleby Magna. There is also the Queen Adelaide Oak in Bradgate Park (once home to Lady Jane Grey), under which Queen Adelaide had picnicked on venison and crayfish from the estate.[55]
Asteroid 525 Adelaide is also named in her honour.[56]
In 1849, there was a cholera epidemic in the East End of London. The following year, Queen Adelaide's dispensary opened in Warner Place, Bethnal Green. It moved to William Street in 1866 and by 1899 was handling 10,000 medical and dental patients a year.[57]
In 1963, the funds that had set up the dispensary became Queen Adelaide's charity, which still operates today.[58]
Queen Victoria's firstborn child, Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, took her second name from her great-aunt, who was also the child's godmother.[59]
Cultural depictions
Queen Adelaide was played by Harriet Walter in the 2009 film The Young Victoria, as a kindly but practical counsellor to the inexperienced queen.[60] Delena Kidd portrayed her in the 2001 television serial Victoria & Albert.
Honours
- Kingdom of Portugal: Dame of the Order of Queen Saint Isabel, 23 February 1836[61]
- Russian Empire: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Catherine, 1830[62]
Arms
The
As the Duchess of Clarence, she used the arms of her husband (the royal arms with a label of three points Argent, the centre point bearing a cross Gules, the outer points each bearing an anchor Azure) impaled with those of her father, the whole surmounted by a coronet of a child of the sovereign.
Issue
Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
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Princess Charlotte of Clarence |
27 March 1819 | Died a few hours after being baptised, in Hanover.[14] | |
Stillborn child | 5 September 1819 | Born dead at Calais[66] or Dunkirk.[14] | |
Princess Elizabeth of Clarence | 10 December 1820 | 4 March 1821 | Born and died at St James's Palace.[14] |
Stillborn twin boys | 8 April 1822 | Born dead at Bushy Park.[67] |
Ancestry
Ancestors of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References
Notes
- ^ [Adelaide's] dowry was to consist of 20,000 florins, from which, as long as she was childless, she was to receive interest at the rate of 5 per cent. When children came, however, she was to have 5,000 florins a year. The state of Saxe-Meiningen was also to provide her with an income of 6,000 florins a year as pin-money. William, on his side, promised that he would maintain the household of his future bride, and would in addition give her 2,000 a year. If his income were augmented doubtless from his becoming nearer in succession to the throne her allowance should, he promised, be increased to 3,000. On a second document the Regent undertook, on behalf of George III, that in the event of the death of the Duke of Clarence, the Duchess should, during her widowhood, receive 6,000 a year.[9]
Citations
- ^ Rodney Cockburn, South Australia What's in a Name? Adelaide: Axiom Publishing. 3rd Edition. Reprinted 2002 Pg 3.
- ^ "The London Gazette, Issue 17378, Page 1261". 14 July 1818.
- ^ Sandars 1915, p. 17.
- ^ Allen 1960, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Sandars 1915, p. 15.
- ^ a b Ziegler 1971, pp. 118–121.
- George FitzClarence, 21 March 1818, quoted in Ziegler 1971, p. 122
- ^ Ziegler 1971, p. 129.
- ^ Sandars 1915, p. 44.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, p. 124.
- ^ Allen 1960, p. 59.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, p. 123, 129.
- ^ William Beattie, quoted in Ziegler 1971, p. 130, and Princess Lieven and Lord Camden, quoted in Ziegler 1971, pp. 156–157
- ^ a b c d e f Weir 1996, pp. 303–304.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, p. 126.
- ^ Weir 1996, p. 304.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, p. 127.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, pp. 126–127.
- ^ Allen 1960, p. 131.
- ^ Baroness von Bülow quoted in Allen 1960, pp. 131–132
- ^ Greville 2005, p. 52.
- ^ The Freeman's Journal, 'The Queen Dowager's Dower', Saturday 24 June 1837, page 4.
- ^ a b c d Greville 2005, p. 67.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, p. 268.
- ^ Allen 1960, pp. 223–224.
- ^ Allen 1960, p. 225.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, p. 175.
- ^ Allen 1960, pp. 114 and 126.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, pp. 83 and 199.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, pp. 187 and 210–211.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, pp. 216–221.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, pp. 198 and 238.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, pp. 237–238.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, p. 250.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, pp. 256–257.
- The Duke of Wellington, quoted in Allen 1960, p. 179
- Sir Robert Peel, 15 July 1835, quoted in Ziegler 1971, p. 276
- ^ Ziegler 1971, pp. 286–289.
- ^ "No. 19509". The London Gazette. 20 June 1837. p. 1581.
- ^ Sandars 1915, pp. 274–280.
- ^ F. H. W. Sheppard, ed. (1960). "Pall Mall, South Side, Past Buildings: Nos 66-68 (consec.) Pall Mall: The Junior Naval and Military Club". Survey of London: volumes 29 and 30: St James Westminster, Part 1. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ William Page, ed. (1911). "Spelthorne Hundred: Hampton Court Palace: parks". A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 2: General; Ashford, East Bedfont with Hatton, Feltham, Hampton with Hampton Wick, Hanworth, Laleham, Littleton. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Wardle, Terry Heroes & Villains of Worcestershire (2010), The History Press, p. 9
- ^ Wardle, Terry Heroes & Villains of Worcestershire (2010), The History Press, p. 108
- ^ Wardle, Terry Heroes & Villains of Worcestershire (2010), The History Press, p. 10
- ^ Sandars 1915, p. 280.
- ^ Lancelott, Francis (1859). The queens of England and their times. D. Appleton and Co. p. 1046. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ Sandars 1915, pp. 281–282.
- ^ A P Baggs; Diane K Bolton; Eileen P Scarff; G C Tyack (1976). T F T Baker; R B Pugh (eds.). "Great Stanmore: Church". A History of the County of Middlesex. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Royal Burials in the Chapel since 1805". College of St George - Windsor Castle. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ The National Trust (1982; repr. 1994) Sudbury Hall pp. 29–30
- ^ "The Queen Adelaide Society Inc". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Queen Adelaide Village Hall".
- ^ "History of Adelaide (Station T)". bas.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Queen Adelaide's Oak - Bradgate Park, Leicestershire". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ISBN 9783319318363.
- ^ T.F.T. Baker, ed. (1998). "Bethnal Green: Public Services". A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 11: Stepney, Bethnal Green. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "QUEEN ADELAIDE'S CHARITY". Charity Commission. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Victoria, Princess Royal". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "The Young Victoria – A summary of the plot". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Bragança, Jose Vicente de (2014). "Agraciamentos Portugueses Aos Príncipes da Casa Saxe-Coburgo-Gota" [Portuguese Honours awarded to Princes of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]. Pro Phalaris (in Portuguese). 9–10: 6. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- Longmans. p. 245.
- ISBN 0-900455-25-X
- ISBN 1-85605-469-1.
- ^ Queen Adelaide (1830-1837) FOTW Flags of the World website: British Royal Standards, House of Hanover 1714–1901, Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, p. 136.
- ^ Ziegler 1971, pp. 136–137.
- ^ a b c d e f Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 104.
Sources
- Henry Gardiner Adams, ed. (1857). "Wikidata Q115297494.
- Allen, W. Gore (1960). King William IV. London: Cresset Press.
- Greville, Charles (2005). Edward Pearce; Deanna Pearce (eds.). The Diaries of Charles Greville. London: Pimlico. ISBN 1-84413-404-0.
- Sandars, Mary F. (1915). The life and times of Queen Adelaide. London. ISBN 978-1-17678-560-1.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ISBN 978-0-7126-7448-5.
- ISBN 0-00-211934-X.