CHAPTER XIII

HARRIETTE WILSON (1789-1846)

Her parentage Her appearance-The fast life-Her sisters, Amy, Fanny, Sophia-Lord Dewhurst-Another sister, Charlotte-Harriette Wilson, the mistress of Lord Craven-Other lovers-Her popularity— Her distinguished visitors-Her affected demureness-Byron attracts her fancy-but declines the acquaintance-She goes to ParisThe Marquis of Worcester-Her Memoirs-Blackmail-Tom RaikesBeau Brummell-Harriette marries one Rochfort-Later yearsDeath.

HARRIETTE WILSON was an outstanding figure in the fast world of the first two decades of the nineteenth century. In the Dictionary of National Biography the late Thomas Seccombe described her as a woman of fashion," which was very generous of him. She might have been described as a demirep, but for the fact that this means a person of suspected character. There was no doubt whatever about the morals of Harriette, or of her sisters, as they themselves would have been quick to admit.

Harriette Wilson was the daughter of a small shopkeeper in Mayfair, by name John James Dubouchet. Her mother was a most attractive person, who, it would appear, had, like her daughters after her, some amorous adventures. Beyond this, nothing is known of the lady; but Harriette has written a few words about her father.

"My father was a proud Swiss, rather unpopular, and a deep mathematician. We were never, in our youth, either allowed to address him, or speak in his presence, except in low whispers, for fear of driving a problem out of his head. He valued his sons, according to the progress they made in that science. For the girls he felt all the

contempt due to those who voted 'x plus minus g' a dead bore. He was remarkably handsome, with white teeth, expressive eyes and eyebrows, which used to frighten us half out of our senses."

Harriette, who spoke English and French indifferent well, had some slight smattering of education, and picked up more as she lived. Her appearance has been described by Sir Walter Scott, who met her in 1825 at Mat. Lewis's in Argyle Street, London, "where the "where the company chanced to be fairer than honest." "Far from beautiful," he described her, "but a smart, saucy girl, with good eyes, and dark hair, and the manners of a wild schoolboy.'

According to Harriette, who spared no one, and least of all her sisters, it was her eldest sister, Amy, who was the first to set the bad example: "her virtue was something like the nine lives of a cat." Her first lover sent her to school again; from that she eloped with the soldier who presently became General Sir George Allan Madden. Later she set up her establishment in York Place, Baker Street, and there entertained on a fairly extensive scale at the expense of her several lovers. For a while she associated with Count Palmella; later she lived with the musician Bochsa.

Whether Fanny, the beauty of the family, was the next in age, is not clear. She followed in Amy's footsteps, but, falling in love with one Woodcock, by whom she had three children, she lived for some years a retired life. They were devoted to each other, and might have marriedbut for the fact that there was already a Mrs. Woodcock. After her lover's death she became as gay as her sisters. Then she had an affaire with a Colonel Parker, and for some time was known as Mrs. Parker. Her last hours were soothed by the kindness of Lord Yarmouth (afterwards third Marquis of Hertford).

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Sophia, a third sister, was no whit behind the other in morals. "I was soon visited by my dear mother," Harriette wrote, whether to show herself as an affectionate sister or to annoy Lord Deerhurst cannot, of course, be said. She wished to consult me about what was best to be done to put my young sister out of the way of that most profligate nobleman, Lord Deerhurst, who was, she said, continually watching her in the Park and streets, whenever she went out. I could hardly believe that any thing wrong could be meant towards a child scarcely thirteen years of age, but my mother assured me that he had been clandestinely writing to her, and sending her little paltry presents of gilt chains, such as are sold by Jews in the streets; these said trumpery articles being presented to my sister Sophia in old jewel-boxes of Love and Wirgman, in order to make it appear to the poor child that they were valuable.

"'I see no remedy,' said my dear mother, ' but sending Sophia to some school at a distance; and I hope to obtain her father's consent for that purpose, as soon as possible. No time is to be lost, Sophia being so sly, about receiving these things, that I only found it out by the greatest accident. The last were delivered by a young friend of her's, quite a child, to whom Lord Deerhurst addressed himself, not having been able to meet with Sophia lately.'

"I was very much disgusted with this account, and quite agreed with my mother that it would be the safest plan to send the child away.

"Before she took her leave she assured me that, if possible, Sophia should depart immediately."

Eventually, however, the Viscount had his way with Sophia-to the great disgust of her mother and Harriette, running away with him "immediately after we had

represented the shocking profligacy and disgusting meanness of Lord Deerhurst in passing off trumpery chains and rings for valuable jewellery." However, when Lord Deerhurst offered to settle three hundred a year on Sophia as long as no proof of inconstancy to him should be established against her," her family advised her to accept this. Years afterwards, but while still in her teens, she married Thomas Noel Hall, second Baron Berwick, and survived until 1875, when she passed away at the age of eighty-one.

There was yet another sister, Charlotte, who was very much younger. "She was a sweet, lovely, little thing, and promised to be one of the finest dancers of the age. It was not the profession my mother would have preferred, but Charlotte promised to do wonders in it; and, with her striking beauty, there could have been little doubt of her marrying well from the stage; and a mother who has fifteen children to provide for cannot do as she pleases," Harriette wrote in her Memoirs. Charlotte had, already, made her début as Cupid and delighted every body who saw her, when Lord and Lady Berwick, seized with a fit of pride, which they nicknamed virtue, begged leave to snatch the child from such a shocking profession, and they undertook to bring up and provide for her, under their own eyes. My poor mother joyfully closed with this, apparently kind, offer, and immediately made Charlotte forsake, the profession, which, with her talents, must have made her fortune, with or without marriage, to go and live with Sophia.

"The child, when at her country seat, became a great favourite with the wife of Lord Berwick's brother, Mrs. Hill, and all went on charmingly, till Charlotte began to look like a woman, and one of such uncommon loveliness as to attract the attention of all the elegant young men in

the neighbourhood. Sophia could not endure this. Even at the opera, many a man has preferred offering his arm to Charlotte; nay, it was said a country gentleman of very large property was expected to make Charlotte an honourable proposal. This was too much. Poor Charlotte, after having forsaken the profession in which she must have succeeded, to be bred up in luxury among nobility, who looked on her as half an angel, was bundled off to a country school, there to earn her daily bread, by birching young, vulgar misses, and teaching them their French and English grammar, and there has poor Charlotte been forced to bloom unseen, wasting her sweetness on the desert air, ever since.

Patronage is a fine thing!!!

"I should like to know what Charlotte says about it, as she sits darning her cotton stockings on a Saturday night."

Harriette was a very charming young girl, and at an early age had a way with the men. When she was fifteen she was established as the kept mistress of the Earl of Craven, son of that Lady Craven who was afterwards Margravine of Anspach. While this connection endured she had an intrigue with the Hon. Frederick Lamb, a younger brother of the Prime Minister, who in 1848 he succeeded as (third) Viscount Melbourne. Prominent among her subsequent lovers was the Marquis of Lorne, who in 1806 became the sixth Duke of Argyll.

"The Modern Aspasia," as Sheil styled her, was very popular with the dandies and men-about-town. Many personages of note in politics and society came to her receptions. Her visiting list is too long to be given in full, but certain names call for special mention. The Duke of Wellington, the Duke of Leinster, the Duc de Berri, the Earl of Fife, Lord Yarmouth, Lord Hertford (who,