Frederick, Duke of York (1763-1827)

Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
from La Belle Assemblée (1827)

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Prince Frederick, Duke of York (16 August 1763 - 5 January 1827), was the second son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He  became heir presumptive to the British throne on the death of his father in 1820 but never became king because he died before his older brother, George IV.

Early years

Prince Frederick was born on 16 August 1763 at St James’ Palace, London, the second son of King George III and Queen Charlotte and younger brother of George IV. He was George III’s favourite son, but despite this, he was close friends with his brother George.

Duke of York

On 27 November 1784, Frederick was made Duke of York and Albany and Earl of Ulster.

An extravagant lifestyle

Frederick and George shared the same extravagant lifestyle, though Frederick took his official duties rather more seriously than his brother. He was constantly in debt due to his passion for gambling, both on horses and cards. During the Regency crisis of 1788 he supported George, causing him to fall out with his parents.

In May 1789, he was nearly killed in a duel by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Lennox. The Gentleman's Magazine reported that Lennox's ball "grazed his Royal Highness's curl". (1)

The Duchess of York

Frederica, Duchess of York
from A Biographical Memoir of Frederick,
 Duke of York and Albany
by John Watkins (1827)

On 29 September 1791, in Berlin, the Duke married his cousin, Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia. The ceremony was repeated at Buckingham Palace on 23 November 1791. The marriage was not successful; they had no children and the couple soon separated.

The Duchess of York retired to Oatlands Park in Weybridge, where she lived an eccentric life until her death in 1820. She was a popular local benefactress and was buried in Weybridge Old Church.

Oatlands
from Select illustrations of the County of Surrey by GF Prosser (1828)

Military career

Frederick joined the army in 1780 and spent several years in Hanover studying at the University of Gottingen with his younger brothers. As an inexperienced officer, he was put in command of the army in Flanders and suffered humiliating defeat.

He became commander-in-chief of the British army in 1795 and embarked upon a series of reforms which revolutionised the army. He took control of discipline, training the troops in drill and field manoeuvres. He also ensured the provision of greatcoats bought with public funds rather than the old system of leaving colonels to clothe their own regiments. In addition, he introduced a system for sending confidential reports to head office.

The Duke created and trained the Rifle Brigade – the 95th Regiment – and equipped them with deadly accurate Baker rifles and uniforms designed for camouflage rather than display. The same desire for merit-based promotion led to the establishment of the Royal Military College in 1802 for the training of military officers.

Baker Rifle

The Mrs Clarke scandal

In January 1809, Lloyd Wardle, a radical member of parliament, brought accusations against the Duke of York and his mistress, Mrs Clarke. It was revealed that Mrs Clarke, an extravagant actress under the Duke’s protection, had accepted money from people wishful of buying promotion or favours in the military. The Duke was accused of knowing about her sales of office and even sharing the proceeds.

Parliament examined the evidence closely before clearing the Duke of personal corruption or aiding the corruption of his mistress. However, it was clear that Mrs Clarke had been told far too much information of an official nature by her royal lover, and the Duke was obliged to resign his official appointments due to the embarrassment caused by this scandal.

The Duke was, however, exonerated by his elder brother and reappointed commander-in-chief in 1811 when George became Prince Regent.

King in waiting

Frederick became heir presumptive to the British throne on the death of his father, George III, in 1820, but he never became king because he died on 5 January 1827, more than three years before his brother George IV.

Note
(1) From The Gentleman's Magazine (May 1789).

Sources used include:
Chedzoy, Alan, Seaside Sovereign - King George III at Weymouth, (2003)
Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The Kings & Queens of England & Scotland, (1990)
Watkins, John, A Biographical Memoir of Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (1827)
Watson, J. Steven, Oxford History of England: The Reign of George III 1760-1815, (1960)

William IV (1765-1837)

William IV
from The History of the Life and Reign of William IV
by Robert Huish (1837)

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William IV (21 August 1765 - 20 June 1837) was the third son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He was made Duke of Clarence in 1789 and became King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover on the death of his brother George IV on 26 June 1830. 

The Sailor King

Prince William Henry was born at Buckingham House on 21 August 1765, the third son of King George III and Queen Charlotte.

As the third son, he never expected to become King, and at the age of 13, he embarked on a career in the navy. On 14 June 1779, William joined HMS Prince George as a midshipman under Admiral Digby. Henry Majendie, later Bishop of Chester, was appointed William's preceptor, to instruct and supervise him while at sea. 

Prince William as a midshipman
from The Life and Times of England's Patriot King
by J Watkins (1831)

William worked up through the ranks to take command of his own ship, HMS Pegasus, in 1786. He served under Lord Nelson in the West Indies and the two became great friends. He was promoted to Rear-Admiral in charge of HMS Valiant in 1789, but retired from active service the following year. He was made an Admiral in 1798, but the rank was in name only, as was the title of Admiral of the Fleet, which he was granted in 1811.

Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, London

“Silly Billy”

As a young man, William was at times over enthusiastic and lacking in tact which led to him being given the nickname of “Silly Billy”. He was a blunt man, who had a tendency to use strong language, but his friendly manner made him popular with the public. 

Dorothea Jordan

Dora Jordan etched by GMeunier from Romney
from Mrs Jordan by James Boaden (1800)

After retiring from the navy in 1790, William lived at Bushy Park with his mistress, the actress Dorothea Jordan, by whom he fathered ten illegitimate children who took the name Fitzclarence. 

Bushy Park from The History of the Life and Reign 
of William IV by Robert Huish (1837)

William left Mrs Jordan in 1811 when he was forced to consider marriage in order to solve his financial problems. He pursued “The Wiltshire Heiress”—Catherine Tylney-Long—but she refused him. 

Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen

Queen Adelaide
from The History of the Life and Reign of William IV
by Robert Huish (1837)

William married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen at Kew Palace on 11 July 1818. The marriage was a happy one, but she was unable to provide William with an heir. She gave birth to two daughters, who died as infants.

Clarence House

Clarence House, London

Clarence House, which stands beside St James’s Palace, was built for William between 1825 and 1827, to the designs of John Nash. The interior of the house was plainly decorated and the final costs were around £22,000. William continued to live here rather than at Buckingham Palace after he became King.

The reign of William IV (1830-1837)

William had not expected to inherit the throne, but both his older brothers died before him without legitimate, living issue. Princess Charlotte, George IV’s only child, died in 1817, and then Frederick, Duke of York, died, childless, in 1827, leaving William heir to the throne.

William became King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover on 26 June 1830 at the age of 64, on the death of his brother George IV.

Frugality

William was much more frugal than his brother George IV had been and this gained him popularity. He insisted on a coronation that cost a tenth of what his brother’s had cost.

Political reform

The reign of William IV saw great political reform. The general election of 1831 led to the formation of a Whig government under Lord Grey who was committed to the extension of the franchise. Against considerable opposition in the House of Lords, the First Reform Act was passed in 1832, increasing the number of people who could vote and redistributing Parliamentary seats more equitably.

Lord Grey
from The Life and Times of England's Patriot King
by J Watkins (1831)

Abolition of slavery and other social reforms

In 1833, after years of campaigning from William Wilberforce and others, slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire. Other laws were passed prohibiting young children from working in factories and establishing workhouses for the poor. In 1836, compulsory registration of births, marriages and deaths was introduced.

Death

William died at Windsor Castle on 20 June 1837 without surviving legitimate children. He was succeeded on the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland by his niece, Victoria, and by his brother Ernest, Duke of Cumberland, as King of Hanover.

Rachel Knowles writes faith-based Regency romance and historical non-fiction. She has been sharing her research on this blog since 2011. Rachel lives in the beautiful Georgian seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, on the south coast of England, with her husband, Andrew.

Find out more about Rachel's books and sign up for her newsletter here.

If you have enjoyed this blog and want to encourage us and help us to keep making our research freely available, please buy us a virtual cup of coffee by clicking the button below.

Sources used include:

Boaden, James, Mrs Jordan (1800)
Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The Kings & Queens of England & Scotland, (1990)
Papendiek, Mrs, Court and private life in the time of Queen Charlotte: being the journals of Mrs Papendiek assistant keeper of the wardrobe and reader to her Majesty, edited by her granddaughter, Mrs Vernon Delves Broughton (1887, London)
Watkins, John, The Life and Times of 'England's Patriot King', William the Fourth, With a brief memoir of Her Majesty, Queen Adelaide, and her Family (1831)
Watson, J. Steven, Oxford History of England: The Reign of George III 1760-1815, (1960)
Woodward, Sir Llewellyn, Oxford History of England: The Age of Reform 1815-1870, (1938)

The website of the Royal Household

All photographs © Andrew Knowles - RegencyHistory.net

Mrs Fitzherbert (1756-1837)

Mrs Fitzherbert
from The Creevey Papers (1904)

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Maria Fitzherbert (26 July 1756 - 27 March 1837) was the secret wife of George, Prince of Wales, the future George IV.

Early life

Maria Fitzherbert was born Maria Ann Smythe on 26 July 1756, the eldest daughter of William Smythe and Mary Ann Errington. She came from a respectable family: William was the son of Sir John Smythe, Baronet, of Acton Burnel in Shropshire and her mother was related to the Earl of Sefton. She was strictly reared as a Roman Catholic and her education was completed in France.

Twice widowed

In July 1775, Maria married Edward Weld, a wealthy Catholic landowner of Lulworth Castle, who was sixteen years her senior. The marriage did not last long; Weld died after falling from his horse just a few months later, having failed to sign a new will in Maria's favour.

Lulworth Castle

In 1778, she married again, this time to Thomas Fitzherbert of Swynnerton in Staffordshire. This marriage was also short-lived; Fitzherbert died from wounds inflicted during the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots in 1780, leaving Maria Fitzherbert a widow for the second time.

Lady of fashion

Huish described Maria Fitzherbert as a woman of “great accomplishments and beauty.” He continued that she was:

...unquestionably, a most beautiful woman, but perhaps too much inclined to fullness of figure; and yet it may be said that she was indebted to that prominence of habit for a great portion of her personal loveliness and attraction.1

La Belle Assemblée  wrote:

Mrs Fitzherbert is universally acknowledged to be a woman of refinement and elegant manners, of accomplishments equally solid and fascinating, and acquirements of a very high degree in the intellectual scale.2

Wife or mistress?

In 1783, Maria became the object of royal attentions. George, Prince of Wales became infatuated with her, wanting her to become his mistress but Maria’s devout Catholic beliefs would not allow it. George decided that marriage was the only way to secure Maria's affections. On 15 December 1785 the Prince of Wales married Mrs Fitzherbert in a secret ceremony conducted by Robert Burt, an impoverished curate who set aside his scruples for the £500 fee.

George, Prince of Wales
from Memoirs of her late royal highness
Charlotte Augusta by Robert Huish (1818)

The marriage however was not legal. Not only did it contravene the Act of Settlement of 1701, preventing a Roman Catholic from ascending the British throne, but it breached the Royal Marriage Act of 1772. As a descendant of George II who was under 25 years of age, the prince required the king’s consent for the marriage to be legal; his consent would never have been given, because George III was vehemently opposed to his children marrying either Catholics or commoners, and Maria Fitzherbert was both.

Queen of Brighton

Brighton Pavilion (2018)

George and Maria spent much of their time in Brighton where Mrs Fitzherbert was treated like a queen. They had separate houses which together formed the heart of fashionable society there. Mrs Fitzherbert’s house, Steine House, was a modest residence which boasted a long veranda overlooking the Steine; the Prince of Wales lived at Brighton Pavilion. 

 

Mrs Fitzherbert's house on the Steine (2018)
According to the plaque, she lived here from 1801 to 1837

The inconstant prince

However, by 1794, George and Maria's relationship was showing signs of strain, and the prince’s affections were wandering towards an older woman, Frances, Countess of Jersey. On 24 August, at Weymouth, George told his father that all connection with Mrs Fitzherbert had ceased and that he was ready to seek a Protestant bride, namely, his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick. By agreeing to this marriage, George hoped to appease parliament so that they would pay the huge debts he had amassed as well as shielding his relationship with Lady Jersey.

After their separation, the prince treated Mrs Fitzherbert with callous coldness, although his brothers continued to honour her with respect, especially the Duke of Kent who bought her a house, Castle Hill in Ealing, in 1798.

Temporary reconciliation

In August 1798, George suddenly sought reconciliation with his former mistress. Maria was understandably sceptical. The prince characteristically sought to wear down her resistance. He revealed a will he had written in 1796 which left everything to Maria, “my real and true Wife” and showered her with presents. The couple were reunited in June 1800, though their relationship was not on as secure a footing as before.

Mrs Fitzherbert
from Memoirs of George IV by Robert Huish (1830)

By 1807, the prince’s affections were wandering again, this time towards Lady Hertford. Unable to bear any further humiliation, on 18 December 1809, Maria sent George a farewell letter and after 1811, she did not return to the Pavilion until after George's death. However, she was more fortunate than many of George’s other mistresses; she received financial provision by way of a pension.

Minney Seymour

Mrs Fitzherbert had a young ward who lived with her, Minney Seymour. La Belle Assemblée stated:

Her conduct towards this young orphan seemed to be affectionate and tender without example.2

Life after George

After George’s death in 1830, William IV, was anxious to make amends with his brother’s long-term mistress. He invited Mrs Fitzherbert to the pavilion and offered her the title of Duchess. Although initially disinclined, Mrs Fitzherbert was persuaded and, from this time, her servants wore royal livery and she visited the Pavilion regularly. Maria Fitzherbert died on 27 March 1837 and was buried in Brighton.

 

Updated 20/10/21

Rachel Knowles writes clean/Christian historical romance set in the time of Jane Austen. She has been sharing her research on this blog since 2011. Rachel lives in the beautiful Georgian seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, on the south coast of England, with her husband, Andrew.

Find out more about Rachel's books and sign up for her newsletter here.

If you have enjoyed this blog and want to encourage me and help me to keep making my research freely available, please buy me a virtual cup of coffee by clicking the button below.

 

Notes
(1) From Memoirs of George IV by Robert Huish (1830).
(2) From La Belle Assemblée (May 1810).

Sources used include:
Bell, John, La Belle Assemblée (1810)
Chedzoy, Alan, Seaside Sovereign - King George III at Weymouth (2003)
Creevey, Thomas, The Creevey Papers, A selection from the correspondence & diaries of the late Thomas Creevey, MP, edited by Sir Herbert Maxwell (John Murray, 1904, London)
Dinkel, John, The Royal Pavilion, Brighton
Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The Kings & Queens of England & Scotland (1990)
Huish, Robert, Memoirs of George IV (1830)
Huish, Robert, Memoirs of her late royal highness Charlotte Augusta (1818)
Parissien, Steven, George IV, The Grand Entertainment (2001)
Watson, J. Steven, Oxford History of England: The Reign of George III 1760-1815 (1960)

All photographs by Andrew Knowles © Regencyhistory.net