by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2018
Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1843 until 1858, and then Mistress of the Robes from 1861 to 1868, and 1874 to 1880. 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.
Lady Elizabeth Hay was born at Yester House, in East Lothian, Scotland on September 27, 1820, the daughter of George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale and Lady Susan Montagu (a daughter of the 5th Duke of Manchester). She had 13 siblings:
- Lady Susan Hay (1817-1853) – married James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, had issue
- Lady Hannah Hay (1818-1887) – married Simon Watson Taylor, had issue
- Lady Louisa Hay (1819-1882) – married Robert Ramsay, had issue
- George, Earl of Gifford (1822-1862) – married Helen Blackwood, Dowager Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye, no issue
- Lady Millicent Hay (1823-1826) – died in childhood
- Arthur, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale (1824-1878) – married (1) Helene Kilmansegge, no issue; Julia Mackenzie, no issue
- William, 10th Marquess of Tweeddale (1826-1911) – married Candida Louise Bartolucci, had issue
- Lord John Hay (1827-1916) – married Christina Lambert, had issue
- Lady Jane Hay (1830-1920) – married Sir Richard Taylor, had issue
- Lady Julia Hay (1831-1915) – unmarried
- Lord Charles Hay (1833-1912) – unmarried
- Lord Frederick Hay (1835-1912) – unmarried
- Lady Emily Hay (1836-1924) – married Sir Robert Peel, 3rd Baronet, had issue
Her sister Susan, Marchioness of Dalhousie also served briefly as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria in 1842. And her brother William, 10th Marquess of Tweeddale, was appointed by Queen Victoria as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1889 to 1892 and again from 1896 to 1897.
On April 18, 1839, Elizabeth married Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (later 2nd Duke of Wellington). He was the son of the famed Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington and the Hon. Catherine Pakenham. The marriage, which was arranged by their families, was never particularly happy and they had no children. She did, however, have a very close relationship with her father-in-law.
She became Duchess of Wellington upon her husband’s accession to the title in 1852. At that time, they inherited Stratfield Saye House in Hampshire, the family seat of the Dukes of Wellington, and Apsley House, the family home in London.
Following the retirement of Harriet Sutherland in April 1861, Elizabeth was appointed Mistress of the Robes. She held the position until 1868, serving in governments led by four different Prime Ministers – Viscount Palmerston (1861-1865), Earl Russell (1865-1866), Earl of Derby (1866-1868), and Benjamin Disraeli (1868). When Disraeli returned to power in 1874, Elizabeth was once again appointed Mistress of the Robes, serving until 1880.
Stratfield Saye House. photo: By Andrew Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14172142
The Dowager Duchess of Wellington died in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, on August 13, 1904 – exactly twenty years to the day after her husband. She is buried alongside him at Stratfield Saye House.
Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard
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