Author: CAVENDISH, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
Biography:
Cavendish, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire formerly Spencer (1757-1806: ODNB)
She was born at Wimbledon, Surrey, to John Spencer, first Earl Spencer, and Margaret (Poyntz) Spencer. In 1774 she married William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire; thereafter she was a leading figure in both fashionable and political life. She was an ardent supporter of Charles James Fox and the Whigs but her personal circumstances were highly complex and she became addicted to gambling, racking up immense debts. The Passage of the Mountain St Gothard was written during a period when she was in exile following the birth of her son with the Whig politician, Charles Grey. In her final years she was instrumental in securing influential support for the Whigs, despite an illness which caused her blindness. She died of a liver abscess at Devonshire House. (ODNB 22 Oct 2018)