Elizabeth Sackville, Duchess of Dorset

Elizabeth Sackville, Duchess of Dorset (c. 1689 – 12 June 1768), formerly Elizabeth Colyear, was a British court official and noble, the wife of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset.

Elizabeth Sackville
Portrait by Godfrey Kneller
Duchess consort of Dorset
Tenure1720–1765
BornElizabeth Colyear
c. 1689
Died12 June 1768
Noble familyColyear
Spouse(s)Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
IssueCharles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset
Lord John Sackville
George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville
Elizabeth Thynne, Viscountess Weymouth
Lady Caroline Sackville
FatherLieutenant-General Walter Colyear
OccupationMaid of honour to Anne, Queen of Great Britain
Lady of the Bedchamber to Caroline of Ansbach, later Mistress of the Robes

She was the daughter of Lieutenant-General Walter Colyear (who was a brother of the Earl of Portmore). In 1703, at the age of fourteen, Elizabeth came to court as a Maid of honour to Queen Anne, a position she inherited from her aunt Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester.[1]

They were married in January 1709, but the marriage was not made public until the duchess became pregnant.[1] The couple had five children in all:

Between 1714 and 1737 She was a Lady of the Bedchamber[2] and to Caroline of Ansbach, wife of King George II of Great Britain. From 1723 to 1731 she was Caroline's Mistress of the Robes, a title that can be held by no one of lower rank than a duchess.[3] The arrangements for Caroline's appearance at her coronation in 1727 were, however, made by an experienced subordinate.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Frances Harris. "The Honourable Sisterhood: Queen Anne's Maids of Honour" (PDF). British Library Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Household of Princess Caroline 1714-27". Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  3. ^ George Cokayne et al., The Complete Peerage, volume XII/2, p.589
  4. ^ The Book of the Court: Exhibiting the History, Duties, and Privileges of the Several Ranks of the English Nobility and Gentry, Particularly of the Great Officers of State, and Members of the Royal Household... H. G. Bohn. 1844. pp. 346–.
Court offices
Preceded by Mistress of the Robes to
Caroline, Princess of Wales

1723–1727
Succeeded by
Court offices
Preceded by Mistress of the Robes to
the Queen

1727–1731
Succeeded by