Charlotte Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Charlotte, Duchess of Buccleuch and her daughter Victoria. Painted by Robert Thorburn in 1847. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 420401

Charlotte Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry

Charlotte Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria from 1841 until 1846. The Mistress of the Robes was always a Duchess and attended Queen Victoria on every State occasion. She had precedence over every lady of the Court and when in residence, presided at the Household table. She looked over and passed on the Queen’s personal bills sent to her from the Robes Office. During Queen Victoria’s reign, the Mistress of the Robes was a political appointment and changed when the political party of the government changed.

Born Lady Charlotte Anne Thynne on April 10, 1811, at Longleat in Wiltshire, she was the daughter of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath and The Honourable Isabella Elizabeth Byng, and had ten siblings:

  • Lady Elizabeth (1795-1866) – married John Campbell, 1st Earl Cawdor, had issue
  • Thomas, Viscount Weymouth (1796-1837) – married Harriet Robbins, no issue
  • Henry, 3rd Marquess of Bath (1797-1837) – married the Hon. Harriet Baring, had issue
  • Reverend Lord John (1798-1824) – married Anne Beresford, had issue
  • Lady Louisa (1801-1859) – married Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood, had issue
  • Lord William (1803-1890) – married Belinda Brumel, no issue
  • Lord Francis (1805-1821) – unmarried
  • Lord Edward (1807-1884) – married (1) Elizabeth Mellish, no issue; (2) Cecilia Gore, had issue
  • Lord George (1808-1832) – unmarried
  • Reverend Lord Charles (1813-1894) – married Harriet Bagot, had issue

Charlotte’s brother, The Reverend Lord John Thynne, served as Deputy Dean of Westminster for 45 years and assisted in the coronations of King William IV and Queen Adelaide in 1831, and Queen Victoria in 1838.  And her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth, Marchioness of Bath, had previously served as Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte from 1761 until 1793, and then as Mistress of the Robes from 1793 until Queen Charlotte’s death in 1818.

Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch and 7th Duke of Queensberry. source: Wikipedia

Charlotte married Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch and 7th Duke of Queensberry, at St. George’s Church in Hanover Square, London, on March 13, 1829. He was the son of Charles Montagu Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch and 6th Duke of Queensberry and The Hon. Harriet Townshend. Deemed a love match from the start, the marriage produced seven children:

The Duke of Buccleuch was one of the wealthiest landowners in the United Kingdom, and the couple had several grand homes at their disposal. Dalkeith Palace in Midlothian, Scotland was the seat of the Dukes of Buccleuch and the couple’s primary residence. They also owned Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland; Montagu House in Westminster, London; Boughton House in Northamptonshire, England; Bowhill House in Selkirk, Scotland; and Ditton Park in Slough, Buckinghamshire.

Charlotte was appointed Mistress of the Robes in 1841 when the Conservative party took control of government under Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. Her husband also served as Lord Privy Seal under the Prime Minister from 1842-1846. Quite different from how she is portrayed in the series Victoria, The Duchess of Buccleuch was just six years older than Queen Victoria, and the two were close and lifelong friends. It was Charlotte who helped peak Queen Victoria’s interest in visiting Scotland and helped to teach her about the country before traveling there. When The Queen and Prince Albert made their first visit to Scotland in 1842, the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch hosted them at Dalkeith Palace. So close were the Duchess and The Queen that Charlotte named her eldest daughter Victoria Alexandrine in the Queen’s honor. The child was christened at Buckingham Palace in April 1845, with Queen Victoria serving as godmother.

The Duchess of Buccleuch, c1864. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2907038

Charlotte’s role as Mistress of the Robes ended in 1846 when the Whig party returned to control of the government. She was succeeded by The Duchess of Sutherland (who had also been her predecessor). Charlotte returned to Scotland, once again becoming involved in philanthropic work, and overseeing the restoration of the gardens at Drumlanrig Castle. Raised in the high church, Charlotte had always been a huge supporter of religious organizations and charities. However, it caused much distress when, in 1860, she converted to Catholicism. Many years earlier, she had become friends with the Marchioness of Lothian (her sister Margaret’s mother-in-law) who had converted to Catholicism in the 1840s, and the two had worked together for years in their philanthropic work.

The Duchess of Buccleuch. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2911724

After her husband’s death in 1884, Charlotte lived primarily at Ditton Park, which served as her dower home. Here, she often hosted her children and grandchildren and continued to pursue her charitable work. It was at Ditton Park that the Dowager Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry died on March 18, 1895. Her son Walter had died just a few weeks earlier, and Charlotte was devastated and never recovered from her loss. She is buried alongside her husband in the family crypt at The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, at Dalkeith Palace.

St. Mary’s Church, Dalkeith Palace. photo: by kim traynor, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14160157

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

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