The Mistresses of Cliveden: Three Centuries of Scandal, Power and Intrigue in an English Stately Home Read online

  CONTENTS

  About the Book

  About the Author

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Cast of Characters

  Timeline

  Introduction

  PART I: ANNA MARIA

  1 The Duel, Barn Elms, 16 January 1668

  2 ‘Beds of Jewels and Rich Mines of Gold’

  3 ‘He Came, He Saw and Conquered’

  4 A London Love Triangle

  5 The Drama of Politics

  6 Conception

  7 Betrayals

  8 ‘Your Most Unhappy Mother’

  9 Construction

  10 The Lost Mistress

  PART II: ELIZABETH

  1 From Richmond to ‘Royal Whore’

  2 The End of the Affair

  3 Favours

  4 Rebuilding

  5 ‘This Place Is Too Engaging’

  6 ‘The Wisest Woman I Ever Saw’

  7 ‘I Have Tired Myself with Fright’

  8 The Green Revolution

  9 ‘It Was as if His Majesty Had Lived Here’

  10 ‘The Shock Is Greater Than I Ever Had in My Life’

  PART III: AUGUSTA

  1 Rule, Britannia!

  2 Rise

  3 ‘A Profusion of Finery’

  4 A Hanoverian Soap Opera

  5 The Queen Is Dead, Long Live the Queen

  6 The Charms of Sylvia

  7 Fall

  8 ‘A Site of Ruin’

  PART IV: HARRIET

  1 ‘Goodbye, Castle Howard!’

  2 Reform and Revolution

  3 Fear in a Time of Cholera

  4 North and South

  5 ‘A Leviathan of Wealth’

  6 Crisis in the Bedchamber

  7 A Marriage, a Death and a Blaze

  8 A Resurrection

  9 ‘Thou Hypocrite’

  10 ‘What a Hold a Place Has Upon One’

  11 An Independent Widow

  12 Garibaldi-mania

  13 The Pushing Stick

  PART V: NANCY

  1 The Chronicles of Cliveden

  2 The Thrill of the Chase

  3 There’s No Place Like Home

  4 Life Among the Ruins

  5 ‘A Lady for Parliament’

  6 ‘A Rattlesnake in the House’

  7 The Domestic Despot

  8 Convictions

  9 The Cliveden Set Up

  10 Cartwheels in the Bunker

  11 Farewell to Both My Houses

  12 School for Scandal

  Notes

  Select Bibliography

  Picture Credits

  Index

  Acknowledgements

  Copyright

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  Built in the reign of Charles II by the Duke of Buckingham, Cliveden was conceived as an enclave for hunting and hedonism, a luxurious retreat in which the duke could conduct his scandalous affair with the ambitious courtesan, Anna-Maria, Countess of Shrewsbury. During its twilight in the 1960s as much as its dawn in the 1660s, Cliveden was an emblem of elite misbehaviour and intrigue: some three hundred years after Buckingham realised his vision, the house once again served as the stage for a scandal, the Profumo Affair, which would bring down a government and change the course of British history.

  In the three hundred years between the Countess and Keeler, the house was occupied by a dynasty of remarkable women: Elizabeth Villiers, an intellectual who brokered the rise and fall of governments; Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, a minor German royal who almost became queen of England; Harriet Duchess of Sutherland, the glittering society hostess turned political campaigner; and Nancy Astor, the consummate controversialist who became the first woman to take a seat in parliament. Under the direction of these women, Cliveden provided a stage for political plots and artistic premieres, hosted grieving monarchs and republican radicals, was idealised as a family home, and maligned as a threat to national security.

  The Mistresses of Cliveden is the story of five women, and a biography of the house in which they lived. It is by turns a historical epic, a political thriller, a family drama, and an intimate history of the relationships between people and place. Above all, it is a story about sex and power, and the ways in which exceptional women have evaded, exploited, and confronted the expectations of their times.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Natalie Livingstone was born and raised in London. She graduated with a first class degree in history from Christ’s College, Cambridge in 1998. She began her career as a feature writer at the Daily Express and now contributes to Tatler, Harper’s Bazaar, US Vogue, Elle, The Times and the Mail on Sunday. Natalie lives in London with her husband and two children.

  For Ian, Grace and Alice

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Characters who appear in more than one part are listed under their first appearance.

  PART I

  ANNA MARIA TALBOT (née Brudenell), Countess of SHREWSBURY, 1642–1702. Married Francis Talbot, nth Earl of Shrewsbury, and had an affair with George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. With Mary Villiers, the first mistress of Cliveden.

  FRANCIS TALBOT, 11th Earl of SHREWSBURY, 1623–68. Husband of Anna Maria Talbot, died following a duel with George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham.

  GEORGE VILLIERS, 2nd Duke of BUCKINGHAM, 1628–87. Husband of Mary Villiers, lover of Anna Maria Talbot, and creator of Cliveden.

  CHARLES TALBOT, Duke of SHREWSBURY, 1660–1718. Politician; son of Anna Maria and Francis Talbot.

  MARY VILLIERS (née Fairfax), 1638–1704. Wife of George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham; with Anna Maria Talbot, the first mistress of Cliveden.

  JAMES, Duke of YORK (James II from 1685–88). Younger brother of Charles II.

  JOHN DRYDEN. Writer, and artistic rival of the 2nd Duke of Buckingham.

  HENRY BENNET, 1st Earl of ARLINGTON. Statesman, and political rival of the second Duke of Buckingham.

  SAMUEL PEPYS. Diarist.

  WILLIAM WINDE. Architect to the 2nd Duke of Buckingham.

  PART II

  ELIZABETH VILLIERS (married name HAMILTON), Countess of Orkney, 1657–1733. Lover of William of Orange (later William III); married George Hamilton, Earl of Orkney in 1695. Mistress of Cliveden from 1696 to 1733.

  GEORGE HAMILTON, Earl of ORKNEY, 1666–1737. Soldier; husband of Elizabeth Villiers.

  WILLIAM of ORANGE (William III from 1689–1702). Husband of Mary Stuart; deposer of James II in the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688.

  ANNE HAMILTON, suo jure 3rd Duchess of HAMILTON, 1632–1716. Wife of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Selkirk; mother of George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney.

  JAMES HAMILTON, 4th Duke of HAMILTON and 1st Duke of Brandon, 1658–1712. Eldest son of Anne Hamilton and William Douglas; elder brother of George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney.

  SARAH CHURCHILL (née JENNINGS), Duchess of MARLBOROUGH, 1660–1744. Politician; wife of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.

  JOHN CHURCHILL, 1st Duke of MARLBOROUGH, 1650–1722. Army officer and politician; husband of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.

  JONATHAN SWIFT. Writer, and Dean of St Patrick’s in Dublin; friend of Elizabeth, Countess of Orkney.

  SIDNEY GODOLPHIN, 1st Earl of GODOLPHIN. Politician, overthrown in Robert Harley’s coup of 1710.

  ROBERT HARLEY, 1st Earl of OXFORD. Politician, and sometime ally of Elizabeth Villiers.

  THOMAS ARCHER. Architect to the Earl of Orkney.

  LADY
MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU. Writer.

  PART III

  AUGUSTA, Princess of WALES (Princess Augusta of SAXE-GOTHA), 1719–72. Mistress of Cliveden 1738–51; married Frederick, Prince of Wales in 1736.

  FREDERICK, Prince of WALES, 1707–51. Eldest son (and heir) of George II and his consort Queen Caroline, and husband of Augusta, Princess of Wales.

  GEORGE II, 1683–1760. King of Great Britain and Ireland 1727–60. Father of Frederick, Prince of Wales; husband of Caroline of Ansbach.

  QUEEN CAROLINE (Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach), 1683–1737. Mother of Frederick, Prince of Wales; wife of George II.

  Lady JANE HAMILTON. Mistress of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and sister-in-law of George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney.

  JOHN HERVEY, 2nd Baron HERVEY, 1696–1743. Courtier and memoirist; favourite of Queen Caroline.

  Prince WILLIAM, Duke of CUMBERLAND. Soldier, and brother of Frederick, Prince of Wales.

  JOHN STUART, 3rd Earl of BUTE. Tutor to Prince George.

  WILLIAM KENT. Designer to the Prince and Princess of Wales.

  PART IV

  HARRIET GEORGIANA LEVESON-GOWER (née Howard), Duchess of SUTHERLAND, 1806–68. Married her cousin, George Leveson-Gower, in 1823. Mistress of Cliveden from 1849 to 1868.

  GEORGE LEVESON-GOWER, 2nd Duke of SUTHERLAND, 1786–1861. Husband of Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland.

  GEORGE GRANVILLE LEVESON-GOWER, 1st Duke of SUTHERLAND, 1758–1833. Husband of Elizabeth; father of George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland.

  ELIZABETH LEVESON-GOWER, Duchess of SUTHERLAND (and suo jure 19th Countess of Sutherland), 1765–1839. Wife of George Granville Leveson-Gower; mother of George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland.

  QUEEN VICTORIA (Alexandrina Victoria), 1819–1901. Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837–1901; friend of Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, who served for many years as her Mistress of the Robes.

  WILLIAM GLADSTONE. Politician, and friend of Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland.

  CHARLES BARRY. Architect to the Sutherlands.

  HUGH LUPUS GROSVENOR, 1st Duke of WESTMINSTER, 1825–99. Married Constance Sutherland-Leveson-Gower in 1852; two years after Constance’s death in 1880, he remarried, to Katherine Caroline Cavendish.

  PART V

  NANCY ASTOR (née Langhorne), Viscountess ASTOR, 1879–1964. Mistress of Cliveden from 1906 to 1952. Married Robert Gould Shaw in 1897 and divorced him in 1903; married Waldorf Astor in 1906.

  WALDORF ASTOR, 2nd Viscount ASTOR, 1879–1952. Second husband of Nancy Astor.

  ROBERT GOULD SHAW, 1871–1930. First husband of Nancy Astor.

  BOBBIE SHAW (Robert Gould Shaw), 1898–1970. Eldest son of Nancy Astor, and her only child with Robert Shaw.

  NANCY WITCHER KEENE LANGHORNE, ‘NANAIRE’, 1848–1903. Mother of Nancy Astor; wife of Chillie Langhorne.

  CHISWELL DABNEY LANGHORNE, ‘CHILLIE’, 1843–1919. Father of Nancy Astor; husband of Nanaire.

  WILLIAM WALDORF ASTOR, 1st Viscount ASTOR, 1848–1919. Father of Waldorf Astor.

  BOB BRAND (Robert Henry Brand), Baron BRAND, 1878–1963. Married to Phyllis Brand; public servant and banker, and friend of Nancy Astor.

  PHILIP KERR, nth Marquess of LOTHIAN, 1882–1940. Politician and diplomat; close friend of Nancy Astor.

  ROSINA (ROSE) HARRISON. Nancy Astor’s maid.

  ETTIE GRENFELL, Lady DESBOROUGH. The Astors’ neighbour at Taplow Court.

  STEPHEN WARD. Society osteopath and friend of Bill Astor.

  CHRISTINE KEELER. Model and showgirl.

  JACK PROFUMO (John Dennis Profumo). Conservative politician.

  TIMELINE

  1642

  ANNA MARIA BRUDENELL born

  1642–51

  English Civil War

  1657

  ELIZABETH VILLIERS born

  1659

  ANNA MARIA marries Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury

  1660

  The Restoration: Charles II becomes king

  1666

  ANNA MARIA begins her affair with the 2nd Duke of Buckingham

  The Duke of Buckingham buys the Cliveden estate

  Great Fire of London

  1668

  The Duke of Buckingham fights a duel with the Earl of Shrewsbury; Earl of Shrewsbury dies

  1674

  ANNA MARIA and the Duke of Buckingham ordered by the House of Lords to separate

  1676

  Construction of a new house begins at Cliveden

  1677

  ANNA MARIA remarries

  Princess Mary marries William of Orange; ELIZABETH accompanies them to live in the Dutch Republic

  1679–81

  The Exclusion Crisis

  1685

  ELIZABETH begins an affair with William of Orange

  James II becomes king; the Duke of Monmouth attempts a rebellion and is executed on Tower Hill

  1687

  The 2nd Duke of Buckingham dies

  1688

  The ‘Glorious Revolution’: William of Orange invades England, deposing James II and becoming William III

  1689

  ELIZABETH returns to England

  William III and Mary II become co-regents

  1694

  Queen Mary dies; her dying wish is that William end his affair with ELIZABETH

  1695

  ELIZABETH given Irish lands by William III; marries George Hamilton, Earl of Orkney

  1696

  The Earl of Orkney buys Cliveden

  1700

  ELIZABETH stripped of her Irish lands by parliament

  1701–1714

  War of the Spanish Succession, in which the Earl of Orkney and the Duke of Marlborough fight

  1702

  ANNA MARIA dies

  William III dies; Anne becomes queen

  1704

  Battle of Blenheim (part of the War of the Spanish Succession), in which Marlborough distinguishes himself

  1706

  Thomas Archer begins renovating Cliveden for the Orkneys

  Battle of Ramillies (part of the War of the Spanish Succession), in which Orkney leads a charge across the Petite Ghee

  1707

  The Act of Union joins the crowns and parliaments of Scotland and England

  1712

  Archer’s renovation of Cliveden complete

  1714

  Queen Anne dies; George I becomes king

  1717

  George I’s first visit to Cliveden

  1719

  PRINCESS AUGUSTA OF SAXE-GOTHA born

  1727

  Giacomo Leoni’s ‘Blenheim Pavilion’ built at Cliveden

  George II succeeds his father as king

  1729

  Queen Caroline and her son Frederick Prince of Wales visit Cliveden

  1733

  ELIZABETH dies

  1735

  Leoni’s Octagon Temple’ built at Cliveden

  1736

  AUGUSTA marries Frederick, son of George II

  1737

  Earl of Orkney dies and Cliveden passes to Anne, 2nd Countess of Orkney

  AUGUSTA and Frederick lease Cliveden

  1738

  AUGUSTA gives birth to George William Frederick, later George III

  1740

  ‘Rule Britannia’ performed at Cliveden

  1745

  Bonnie Prince Charlies lands in Scotland; Jacobite rebellion

  1746

  Battle of Culloden

  1751

  Frederick dies; Anne, Countess of Orkney, regains possession of Cliveden

  1760

  George II dies; succeeded by AUGUSTA’s son George III

  1772

  AUGUSTA dies

  1795

  Cliveden burns down; the ruins become popular among tourists interested in gothic sites

  1806

  HARRIET HOWARD born

  1813

  Architect Peter Nicholson commissioned to design a tea room
by the Thames at Cliveden; George Devey would later develop the tea room into Spring Cottage

  1813–21

  Highland Clearances in Sutherland

  1821

  Cliveden is sold at auction

  1823

  HARRIET marries George Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland

  Cliveden is conveyed to Sir George Warrender, who commissions William Burn to build a new main block

  1832

  First Reform Act

  1833

  HARRIET’S father-in-law, the 1st Duke of Sutherland, dies; HARRIET becomes the Duchess of Sutherland

  1837

  Victoria becomes queen

  1839

  Bedchamber crisis

  1848

  The ‘Year of Revolution’ in Europe

  1849

  HARRIET and George buy Cliveden; the house burns down

  1850

  Architect Charles Barry produces plans to rebuild Cliveden

  1851

  Great Exhibition

  1852

  HARRIET enters the anti-slavery debate

  1853

  Gladstone confined at Dunrobin; becomes good friends with HARRIET