Georgiana Finch-Hatton, Countess of Winchilsea

Georgiana Charlotte Finch-Hatton (or Finch), Countess of Winchilsea (3 June 1791 – 13 February 1835), formerly Lady Georgiana Charlotte Graham, was the first wife of George Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of Winchilsea.

The Countess of Winchilsea and Nottingham
Born
Lady Georgiana Charlotte Graham

(1791-06-03)3 June 1791
Died13 February 1835(1835-02-13) (aged 43)
Spouse
(m. 1814)
ChildrenGeorge Finch-Hatton, 11th Earl of Winchilsea
Lady Caroline Finch-Hatton
Parent(s)James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose
Lady Caroline Maria Montagu

Early life edit

She was born at Petersham, the daughter of James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose, and his wife, the former Lady Caroline Maria Montagu, daughter of 4th Duke of Manchester and Elizabeth Dashwood. Georgiana's siblings included Lucy Herbert, Countess of Powis, Lady Emily Foley and James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose.

Her paternal grandparents were William Graham, 2nd Duke of Montrose and the former Lady Lucy Manners (daughter of John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland).

Her other relations included her mother's first cousin, Duchess of Marlborough (through Dashwoods) and her mother's first cousin once removed 9th Duke of Hamilton (through the Spencers). Her maternal uncle the 5th Duke of Manchester was married to Lady Susan Gordon, sister to the famous Duchess of Richmond and Duchess of Bedford, all daughters of 4th Duke of Gordon and the ambitious Duchess of Gordon. The younger sister of Lucy's husband was the Duchess of Northumberland. Her second cousin was the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Ancestry edit

Personal life edit

 
Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire

She married George Finch Hatton (later 10th Earl of Winchilsea), grandson of 7th Earl of Winchilsea and eldest son of George Finch Hatton esq and Lady Elizabeth Murray, on 26 July 1814,[1] at Lambeth Palace.[2]The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. They had two children:[3]

After Lady Georgiana Charlotte's marriage to George, she was described by Fanny Catherine Austen Knight as “a sweet little perfection.”[5]

 
Eastwell Park, Kent

Her mother, the Duchess of Montrose visited her and George's new home at Kirby Hall. The newly wed settled at Kirby Hall, until her husband inherited Eastwell Park in 1823 from his father, and Haverholme Priory from his uncle in law in 1831, according to their grandchild, the will from this uncle in law was odd as it required the 10th Earl to live at Haverholme for majority of the year.

Her husband became 10th Earl of Winchilsea and 5th Earl of Nottingham in 1826 after his cousin died unmarried, making Lady Georgiana Countess of Winchilsea and Nottingham.

 
Haverholme Priory, Lincolnshire

She died at Haverholme Priory in Lincolnshire, a house rebuilt by the earl in 1830 and thereafter used as a family home. She was buried at nearby Ewerby.[6]

 
Ruins of Haverholme Priory

References edit

  1. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
  2. ^ "Lady Georgiana Charlotte Graham". anatpro Paget Family. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Winchilsea, Earl of (E, 1628)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. ^ G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume III, page 124.
  5. ^ "Austen's letters: 89, 23-24, Thurs-Fri. Sept 1813, Godmersham to Chawton". Reveries Under the Sign of Austen, Two. 8 December 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  6. ^ Account of funeral in The Lady's Magazine, 1835