Catherine Douglas, Duchess of Queensberry
Catherine Hyde | |
---|---|
Duchess of Queensbury | |
Born | 1701 |
Died | 17 June 1777 |
Spouse(s) | Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry |
Issue | Henry Douglas, Earl of Drumlanrig Charles Douglas, Earl of Drumlanrig |
Father | Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon |
Mother | Jane Leveson-Gower |
Catherine Hyde (1701 – 17 June 1777), afterwards Duchess of Queensberry, was an English
Biography
Catherine Hyde, often called "Kitty",[2] was the second daughter of Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon, and his wife, the former Jane Leveson-Gower. She served as a Lady of the Bedchamber at the court of Queen Anne.[3]
Catherine married Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry, on 10 March 1720. The couple had two sons and lived much of the time at Douglas House, Petersham, now part of London and at Queensberry House in Edinburgh.
The duchess was known for her beauty and fashion sense.[4] She was a central figure in London high society and was known for her balls and masquerades. According to the standards of her era, she was considered eccentric. She never served meat at any of her suppers. On at least one occasion, she ordered half of her guests to leave her party because she disliked their company.[4]
In 1728, she was banished from court by King George II for being too forward, after petitioning the king and queen on behalf of John Gay, whose satirical play Polly had been refused a licence.[5] In response, she wrote, "The Duchess of Queensberry is surprised and well pleased that the King hath given her so agreeable a command as to stay from Court."[6]
In her later years, she attracted attention for dressing in the same fashion as in her youth, which was considered eccentric, refusing 'to cut and curl my hair like a sheep's head, or wear one of their trolloping sacks'.[4] She was reportedly fond of wearing an apron, as shown in a portrait of her painted by Charles Jervas in the 1720s. According to Oliver Goldsmith, Beau Nash, the master of ceremonies at Bath, once took the apron from her and threw it away, saying that only "Abigails" (maids) wore aprons. She was still reported to be wearing one when she met Horace Walpole in 1749.[5]
The duchess was a friend to many members of the English and Scottish literary community, including Gay, William Congreve, James Thompson, Alexander Pope, Matthew Prior, and William Whitehead. The duchess was a friend to many members of the English and Scottish literary community, including Gay, William Congreve, James Thompson, Alexander Pope, Matthew Prior, Allan Ramsay, and William Whitehead. Many of these literary friends placed references to her in their poems and other works; Ramsay wrote a poem on the departure of Katherine, Duchess of Queensberry, from Scotland in 1734.[4] Hyde was also said to have had influence over Prime Minister William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham.[4]
In 1764,
References
- ISBN 1-55111-611-1.
- ^ "Kitty Douglas, duchess of Queensberry and Dover". The Douglas Archive. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "Warrant Books: April 1713, 1-15 Pages 169-184 Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 27, 1713. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1955". British History Online. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Hyde, Catherine". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- ^ a b Elizabeth Spencer (1 May 2015). ""The Female Phaeton": Catherine Douglas, the Duchess who 'set the World on Fire'". Difficult Women Conference. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-4464-2018-8.
- ^ OCLC 462914558.
- S2CID 161062397.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8135-2272-2.
- ISBN 978-90-420-1958-4.
- ISBN 0-8131-2203-1
- ^ Carretta and Gould (2001). Genius in Bondage. p. 63.
- ISBN 978-0-521-55221-9.
- ISBN 0-8014-4404-7.
- ISBN 978-0-405-18118-4.
- ^ Henry Charles W. Angelo, Angelo's Pic nic; or, Table Talk, p. 61.
- ^ "satirical print / print". British Museum. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ a b "The D------ of [...]-- playing at foils with her favorite lap dog Mungo after expending near £10000 to make him a----------* | Yale Center For British Art". interactive.britishart.yale.edu. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Hyde, Catherine". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.