On April 15, 1776, the American colonies were on the verge of revolt. George Washington rallied revolutionaries in New York City and King George III of England predicted war at any moment.
In London, however, all eyes were on a 56-year-old widow named Elizabeth Chudleigh when she had to stand trial for being married to two husbands.
That morning, the pale, frail Elizabeth, dressed in an elegant black silk robe and hooded head, went to Westminster Hall with the apothecary, the doctor, the chaplain, and the presiding judge. They were there to stop her flight.
Elizabeth’s trial.
Thousands of people jostled and jostled each other to see the scene. This caused an innocent person to fall into a horse-drawn carriage running outside, resulting in his death. Some vagrants bargained with the black market for tickets to the public trial. Someone paid 1 guinea just to look out the window. Meanwhile, 4,000 spectators were packed into the court. One foreign visitor described the event as a “national festival”. Even the soon-to-be queen Charlotte Sophia attended.
Known by many nicknames such as Elizabeth Chudleigh Honored, Duchess of Kingston, Countess of Bristol, she was once the most notorious woman in England. This woman boasts an impressive resume as a former courtier, hostess, fashion model, distiller, publicist… and the first woman to be tried and convicted. Convicted of two husbands in England. She went from poverty to wealth, fame, husbands and titles in this journey. Her lavish life later inspired writers such as Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf and William Thackeray.
If the scandals aside, Mrs. Elizabeth Chudleigh was vilified by society at that time, it could be said to be unfair. However, it was she who symbolized feminism, a forward-thinking woman of the time. She navigates London society through her charm, wit and irresistible desire to live, not through evil intrigues.
Elizabeth Chudleigh was born on March 8, 1721 into a family in a suburb of London. Her father, Thomas Chudleigh, served in the army and ran the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. He married his cousin, Henrietta, and had two children, Thomas and Elizabeth.
Although his family came from a good background, was a military man and had ties to the monarchy, he did not have much money. Elizabeth’s father is the second son, so most of the property left by his parents belongs to his brother. Just before Elizabeth celebrated her 6th birthday, her father caught a cold and died at the age of 38. Henrietta and her two children were evicted from their free Royal Hospital flat in Chelsea and moved into a noisy rented house in London. Mayfair, London.
Henrietta spent the little money she had saved to take care of her son Thomas’s education. And Elizabeth’s only hope is to marry a rich husband.
She was trained to impress trendy, stylish people and thus have a secure marriage. For Elizabeth this was not an impossible task. She can speak and write French fluently, can dance, play music and can talk to anyone, anywhere, about anything. Even her detractors say she has “great intelligence”.
At the age of 22, Elizabeth was chosen as a bridesmaid for Princess Augusta, wife of the Prince of Wales. Elizabeth’s vivacity, slim figure, radiant skin, and star-like eyes immediately attracted attention. She caught the eye of James Hamilton, a “hot-tempered, debauched and extravagant” duke. The two started dating but then James started his big tour through Europe. Their romance went up in smoke, perhaps due to James’ repeated adultery.
When the palace dissolved in the summer of 1744, Elizabeth moved into her cousin’s house in Hampshire. It was there that she met the venerable Augustus Hervey. The 20-year-old is famous throughout Europe with the nickname “British Casanova”. After just a few weeks, they married in a secret candlelit ceremony late at night. But three days later, Augustus set out for the West Indies. Elizabeth returned to the palace at the end of the summer. They haven’t seen each other for 2 years.
Elizabeth had to pretend she was single at the palace, or else she would lose her position as bridesmaid despite her meager salary. Here, Elizabeth organized lavish parties for Princess Augusta and her nine children, including the future King George III. In addition, she also sold cosmetics formulated by the king’s pharmacist to the public, making it a best-seller.
Elizabeth was named Britain’s most controversial courtier when she arrived at the 1749 masquerade ball in a see-through bra. The other servants were annoyed and didn’t want to talk to her. However, the king liked this.
On the surface, Elizabeth did not care about her marriage, but inside, she was very sad. She had many health problems and almost died from a drug overdose. When Augustus returned after two years of abandoning his wife, Elizabeth acted as if nothing had happened. Then she became pregnant and the husband had a flaring again. With the help of Princess Augusta, Elizabeth gives birth in secret. However, the baby was gone after only 3 months of birth. She was unable to recover from this injury.
Then in 1750, Elizabeth met Evelyn Pierrepont, Duke of Kingston, 38 years old and dubbed “the most beautiful man in England.” By 1752, the whole of London society knew of their relationship and the two were spending most of their time together, although Evelyn knew about Elizabeth’s illicit marriage. He sponsored many of her lavish parties, took her on travels across the continent, and gave her money to buy domestic possessions and precious jewelry. However, after nearly 20 years together, Augustus returned to ask for a divorce. Elizabeth filed a petition to annul her marriage and she won. On March 8, 1769, on the occasion of Elizabeth’s 48th birthday, she and the Duke of Kingston were married.
They lived in perfect happiness until the Duke of Kingston’s death in 1773. At that time the duke family followed Elizabeth and the money he left to his wife (about £4,000 a year). They won’t stop until they see Elizabeth punished. In early 1775, Elizabeth was living in Rome when she heard that her late husband’s family sued her. Instead of negotiating a settlement, she decided to stand trial and defend her honor.
The trial lasted 5 days, in which the court dismissed Elizabeth’s lawsuit earlier. Although not punished, Elizabeth lost her name, title and marriage to the Duke she loved. However, her story doesn’t end there. Within a few days, Elizabeth was on her way to France. Instead of alienating society, she traveled around Europe, befriending the Pope in Rome and Catherine the Great of Russia. She was gifted an estate in Estonia by the Great with a complete vodka distillery.
She continued to buy houses in France, attend parties, give money to the poor and needy, and live in luxury before her death in 1788, at the age of 67. Even her enemies felt it. strange that Elizabeth died like that.
Politician Horace Walpole, a fierce critic of Elizabeth, wrote: “I have nothing more to say. I’ve long grown tired of her stupidity and vanity and now just look at her like a big bubble bursting.”
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