Princess Amelia of Great Britain
Princess Amelia | |||||
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Born | New Style) Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, Holy Roman Empire | 10 June 1711 (||||
Died | 31 October 1786 Cavendish Square, Soho, London, Kingdom of Great Britain | (aged 75)||||
Burial | 11 November 1786 Westminster Abbey, London, England | ||||
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House | Hanover | ||||
Father | George II of Great Britain | ||||
Mother | Caroline of Ansbach |
Princess Amelia Sophia Eleonore of Great Britain
Early life
Princess Amelia
Great Britain
On 1 August 1714, Queen Anne of Great Britain and Ireland died. Princess Amelia's grandfather succeeded her to become George I of Great Britain, in accordance with the provisions of the Act of Settlement 1701. Amelia's father, now heir apparent to the throne of Great Britain, was made Duke of Cornwall and created Prince of Wales on 27 September 1714. She moved to Great Britain with her family[3] and they took up residence at St James's Palace in London.
Though comparatively healthy as an adult,
Amelia's aunt
Amelia greatly enjoyed riding and hunting.
Lady
Amelia may have been the mother of composer Samuel Arnold (1740–1802) through an affair with a commoner of the name Thomas Arnold.[3][12]
Later life
In 1751, Princess Amelia became ranger of Richmond Park after the death of Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford. Immediately afterwards, the Princess caused major public uproar by closing the park to the public, only allowing few close friends and those with special permits to enter.[3]
This continued until 1758, when a local brewer, John Lewis, took the gatekeeper, who stopped him from entering the park, to court. The court ruled in favour of Lewis, citing the fact that, when Charles I enclosed the park in the 17th century, he allowed the public right of way in the park. Princess Amelia was forced to lift the restrictions.
The Princess was generous in her gifts to charitable organisations. In 1760 she donated £100 to the society for educating poor orphans of clergymen (later the
In 1761, Princess Amelia became the owner of Gunnersbury Estate, Middlesex, purchased from the estate of Henry Furnese. Princess Amelia used Gunnersbury as her summer residence. She added a chapel and at some time between 1777 and 1784, she commissioned a bath house, extended as a folly by a subsequent owner of the land in the 19th century, which still stands today with a Grade II English Heritage listing and is known as Princess Amelia's Bathhouse.
She also owned a property in
Legacy
Amelia Island in Florida, United States, is named for her, as is Amelia County in Virginia, United States.
Arms
On 31 January 1719, as a grandchild of the sovereign, Amelia was granted use of the arms of the realm, differenced by a label argent of five points ermine. On 30 August 1727, as a child of the sovereign, Amelia's difference changed to a label argent of three points ermine.[14]
Coat of arms from 30 August 1727 |
Ancestors
Ancestors of Princess Amelia of Great Britain Johannetta, Countess of Sayn-Altenkirchen | |||||||||||||
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References
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 24.
- ^ a b [1][permanent dead link][2][permanent dead link][3][permanent dead link][4][permanent dead link]The London Gazette refers to her as "(the) Princess Amelia"[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Panton 2011, p. 45.
- ^ a b Van der Kiste, p. 130.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 82.
- ^ Alice Marples, The Princess And The Physicians - Georgian Papers Programme
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 83.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 118.
- ^ Clarissa Campbell Orr: Queenship in Europe 1660-1815: The Role of the Consort. Cambridge University Press (2004)
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 107, 129.
- ^ .
- ^ Robert Hoskins: "Samuel Arnold", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (accessed 19 February 2009), (subscription access) Archived 2000-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 196.
- ^ "Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family". Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2008.
- ^ 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. 55.
Bibliography
- Panton, Kenneth J. (2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarebrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8108-5779-7.
- ISBN 0-7509-1321-5.
External links
- Letters from or relating to Princess Augusta Sophia Eleanor at the Royal Collection
- Portraits of Princess Amelia at the National Portrait Gallery, London