#duchess of albemarle

[warwickroyals]

Sunderland's Royal Jewel Vault (39/∞) ♛

↬ The Duchess of Westminster's Star Tiara

Made in the nineteenth century, this diamond tiara features prominent star clip brooches that once belonged to Princess Amelia of Sunderland (a daughter of King Louis II). It was inherited by Amelia’s namesake and goddaughter Princess Amelia Elizabeth of Westminster in 1870. By 1891 Amelia Elizabeth had altered the stars into a flexible headband, and in 1902, a tiara base featuring scrolling elements was added. Ultimately, Amelia Elizabeth left the tiara to her eldest daughter, Helen. Despite having four children of her own, the tiara didn’t stay within Helen’s family, instead falling into the hands of her cousin: Queen Anne of Sunderland. Since then the jewel has stayed with the Warwicks. It was handed over to Anne’s daughter-in-law, Queen Katherine, in the late 1950s. Katherine wore the piece a few times during her husband’s reign, but was shelved in 1960, having never been Katherine’s favourite. In more recent years, the tiara was loaned to Tatiana, Princess of Danforth, one of the three tiaras she received from her in-laws in the late 90s and early 00s. Tatiana has yet to wear the piece as a tiara, instead opting for its original brooch setting. Creation: Early nineteenth century, altered in 1891 by court jeweller Albemarle Provenance: 1) Princess Amelia of Sunderland 2) Princess Amelia Elizabeth, Duchess of Sunningdale 3) Helen, Marchioness of Dufferin 4) Queen Anne of Sunderland 5) Queen Katherine of Sunderland 6) Queen Irene of Sunderland Other wearers: Tatiana, Princess of Danforth Commissioned/Purchased by: Princess Amelia of Sunderland Status: On loan to Tatiana, Princess of Danforth

[thepastisalreadywritten]

In her “accession” photographs, shot in 1952 by Dorothy Wilding, HM Queen Elizabeth II is pictured with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara upon her head – a jewel that you might recognize because Her Majesty is seen wearing it on the front of every Bank of England banknote.

Originally the property of Queen Mary, Duchess of York, Princess of Wales and finally Queen Consort of King George V, the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara was crafted by Garrard in 1893 to be given as a wedding present from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland committee.

Designed to be transformable, allowing it to be worn as either a necklace or coronet, over the years, Queen Mary requested that Garrard add diamonds, remove pearls, and separate the bandeau from the base so that she could wear it as a headband.

In 1947, Queen Mary gave the tiara to Princess Elizabeth as a wedding present. In 1969, now Queen Elizabeth II, she asked for the bandeau and tiara to be reunited, as it remains today.

Worn frequently by Her Late Majesty The Queen, the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is an ongoing source of inspiration for Garrard’s designers, with the repeated pattern of diamonds encircling the base reflected in the round and geometric Windsor motif, which is a signature of the Albemarle and Fanfare jewellery collections.

The Queen’s love of brooches is legendary, and in Bob Thomas’ intimate portrait of Her Majesty at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, she is pictured wearing the Cullinan V Heart Brooch, one of several important brooches commissioned from Garrard by the Royal Family.

Showcasing the 18.80-carat heart shape Cullinan V diamond, the fifth-largest gem to be cut from the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond – the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered – the diamond was given to Queen Mary in 1911 as a gift from the South African government.

It was originally worn by Queen Mary as part of the suite of jewellery made by Garrard for her to wear at the Delhi Durbar in 1911.

When Queen Mary died in 1953, the Cullinan V Brooch was passed to her granddaughter, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who was photographed wearing it throughout her reign.

The Sapphire and Diamond cluster ring worn by Catherine, Princess of Wales, formerly Duchess of Cambridge, in the 2013 portrait by her father Michael Middleton is among Garrard’s best-known creations.

Set with a magnificent 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire, encircled by a cluster of diamonds set in 18 carat white gold, the ring was personally chosen by Lady Diana Spencer for her engagement to Prince Charles.

It became instantly famous after it was prominently showcased in an engagement shoot in 1981 that took place in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

A new chapter in the story of Princess Diana’s engagement ring was written when, in 2010, William, Prince of Wales, formerly Duke of Cambridge, chose to propose to Catherine Middleton with the same engagement ring his father had given to Diana.

As this royal jewel, passed down through generations, takes on new meaning and sentiment upon Princess of Wales’ hand, we continue to honour this history-defining design in the 1735 collection.

Garrard’s iconic cluster setting also features prominently in the Jewelled Vault, where each one-of-a-kind creation is designed around an exceptional central stone.

A page from the scrapbook of Princess Victoria of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, shows photographs of Alexandra, dating from 1901, wearing a diamond crown that is much smaller than a traditional royal crown.

Crafted by Garrard in 1871 at the request of Queen Victoria, the miniature crown was designed to be worn over Queen Victoria widow’s cap.

Set with more than 1,000 diamonds and featuring alternating crosses and fleur-de-lis motifs, Garrard created the crown so that the arches could be removed.

Queen Victoria wore the Small Diamond Crown for the first time at the opening of Parliament in 1871 and frequently thereafter for state occasions.

After Queen Victoria’s death, the crown was worn by Queen Alexandra, who in turn passed it to her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary.

Today, Queen Victoria’s Small Diamond Crown is housed at the Jewel House at the Tower of London, where it is on display.

Both King George VI and HM The Queen are pictured wearing the Imperial State Crown in the Life Through a Royal Lens exhibition.

The 10th iteration of this historic jewel, the crown was crafted by Garrard in 1937 for King George VI and adjusted for The Queen ahead of her coronation in 1953.

Some of the most historic gems in the royal collection reside in this Crown Jewel, including, at the front of the crown, the Cullinan II, the second largest diamond cut from the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond – the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered.

Above it, mounted on a diamond Maltese cross, is the Black Prince Ruby, which is not a ruby at all.

In the 16th century, it was discovered that this blood-red semi-polished stone is, in fact, a spinel, a gem that is often referred to as “the great imposter” after it was discovered that some of the most famous “rubies” seen in crown jewels around the world are, indeed, spinels.

A big moment in Garrard’s history was the recutting of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond.

This sizeable white diamond was first displayed to the public at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

In 1852, Prince Albert, who was instrumental in the creation of the Exhibition, commission Garrard to recut the diamond.

The intensely demanding cutting process lasted eight weeks and was overseen by The Duke of Wellington.

Garrard worked to create more facets to enhance its beauty; consequently, the diamond emerged as a dazzling brilliant weighing 105.6 carats.

In 1911, the Koh-i-Noor was set into Queen Mary’s Crown, newly created by Garrard for the Coronation.

Today, the fabled Koh-i-Noor Diamond (which is now only worn by a woman – if a man wears it, he will supposedly be cursed) is set at the centre of The Queen Mother’s Crown created by Garrard in 1937.

In a black-and-white photograph taken at the Delhi Durbar in 1911, held to mark the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India, Queen Mary is pictured wearing the magnificent Delhi Durbar Suite.

Created by Garrard at the request of the Queen, who wanted a suite of jewels that perfectly captured the majesty of the occasion, the suite included an emerald and diamond tiara, earrings, a brooch, a stomacher, and a spectacular necklace.

Designed by Garrard in a striking circlet style, the Delhi Durbar necklace is set with eight large cabochon emeralds known collectively as the Cambridge Emeralds, with a pendant suspended beneath set with a ninth Cambridge Emerald.

In 1912, Garrard made slight alterations to the necklace, making the emerald pendant detachable and adding a second removable pendant showcasing the 8.80-carat marquise cut Cullinan VII diamond.

Queen Mary regularly wore the necklace and the other jewels in the parure for the rest of her life, after which they became the property of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who inherited the Delhi Durbar Necklace in 1953 and had worn it on many occasions.

The Delhi Durbar Tiara, meanwhile, was given by Her Late Majesty The Queen to Camilla, Queen Consort, after her marriage to His Majesty King Charles III.

Commissioned by Queen Mary in 1919, the Fringe Tiara was crafted by Garrard in the fashionable Russian style reminiscent of a kokoshnik and designed to be convertible so that it could be worn as either a tiara or a necklace.

Queen Mary gave the tiara to her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, who was pictured wearing it in Cecil Beaton’s whimsical portrait.

Queen Elizabeth in turn loaned it to her daughter, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, to wear for her wedding to Philip Mountbatten in 1947 as her “something borrowed.”

In 1974, the Queen Mother loaned the Fringe tiara for another royal wedding, that of her granddaughter Princess Anne.

Most recently, it was worn by Princess Beatrice on the occasion of her wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020.

Originally created by Garrard in 1870 for Florence, Lady Poltimore, the 2nd Baron of Poltimore, the Poltimore Tiara was not publicly known until it was acquired by Princess Margaret prior to her engagement to Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1959.

Featuring elegant diamond scrolls evocative of flora – an enduring source of inspiration during the Victorian era in which it was made – it quickly became one of the Princess’s most prized possessions.

In the ensuing years, both Margaret and the towering jewel were regularly in the spotlight, including, most famously, the photograph on show as part of the Life Through a Royal Lens exhibition featuring the Princess wearing the Poltimore Tiara in the bathtub.

[acrossthewavesoftime]

I am a little late to the party, but would you share something from your Willemina/WM_AU_II for the tag game? :-)

But of course, my dear!

So Willemina is a thought experiment how Europe could have looked if the Stuarts had reigned into the third quarter of the 18th century (and thus a perfect prequel, if you will, to our little story about a German Prinz Georg ;-) ) by way of Willemina, daughter of William III and Mary II.

In this version of events, Mary outlives her husband and their daughter is born only days before her father's death. William's death changes the power politics in Europe and by the time Willemina is a teen, Mary II sees the only way of maintaining peace by marrying her daughter off to the French royal family to hopefully prevent war with France. Only... Willemina is not into that idea at all and, aided by her childhood friend the future 2nd Earl of Albemarle, the Duchess of Orléans and her step-grandmother, absconds from Paris and makes for England.

The story is basically the kind of historical adventure I would have loved to immerse myself in when I was younger (and still do), underpinned with much darker, more serious themes such as grief and rememberance, especially where Willemina's late father's and grandfather's memory is concerned, which overshadows her upbringing.

There is constant friction between mother and daughter caused by Mary's grief for the love of her life, and the way her daughter daily reminds her of him. For Willemina, the memory of the father she only knows as a looming, sombre presence in old portraits turns into a heavy burden to the point that she would like to separate herself fully from the expectations and comparisons heaped onto her on account of this de facto stranger.

Only when she arrives in France, feeling deceived and abandoned by her mother, does she turn her thoughts to her father and, lonely as she is, starts to have conversations with him- and sometimes, he replies to her. It is left open for the reader to decide whether there is such a thing as a supernatural presence or if her conversations with him are the product of the vivid imagination of an isolated, unhappy child.

In some way, these conversations, real or not, as well as interactions with people who knew her father, give Willemina a will to fight back- and leave France for the Netherlands, from where she, accompanied by Maria Beatrice d'Este and her best friend, intends to make for England.

In doing so Willemina unintentionally helps solve a political crisis in the Netherlands when she is caught running about The Hague dressed as a boy before returning home.

Virtually un-marriable now, Mary faces that her daughter will be the last Stuart monarch.

There are a few more things going on in Willemina's reign, but suffice to say that it concludes in the early 1780s following the Treaty of Paris.

Willemina's is a story of international politics, the sometimes not all positive powers of love leaving a lasting impact for generations to come and coming-of-age in peculiar circumstances.

If you want to read an excerpt, have a peek under the cut below. Willemina and her bosom friend William, son of her father's close friend Keppel, the Earl of Albemarle, decide to do some sight-seeing in The Hague by themselves, with William working hard to keep his friend from stirring up trouble in a world she's been largely sheltered from:

“Hans,” he reminded her quietly as they stood before the Binnenhof, where her father had been born, “I think a little less exuberance would do us good— the people are staring when you talk so loudly.”

“Oh,” made his friend, her lower lip protruding disappointedly, which marked her even more for her father’s daughter.

They walked on a little further, to streets not quite as clean as they had been before, on which raggedy children played their games.

“Gentlemen,” a young beggar with a babe on her arm approached them entreatingly, and Willemina, moved, thrust a golden florin into her fingers. “For your child,” she said, and suddenly sounded strangely touched, as if that woman and her child meant something to her, as if she saw in them something she knew or recognised, and whose effects she had felt upon herself.

“You cannot spend your money so freely,” William chastised her in a hushed voice.

“You see that I can,” she said simply, “if that woman has a loaf of bread for herself and her babe these next few days, and perhaps some warming clothes, I shall have done at least two of my subjects good, as I ought to do for all of them.”

He thought her daring, and reckless, and a little bit too boyish even at times; but for all her faults and haughty airs, which were regal in a princess, yet vexing in a friend, he could not think that he had ever met a kinder, more generous soul than her, and viewing her so pensively and touched, he was convinced that once she would reach majority, she would do as she had told him there on the street. Perhaps she might fail, in some ways, at least, for a Stadtholder is not the government entire; but she would try, and the people would love her for it.

“Come, Hans,” he gently tugged her by the sleeve, and guided her back to where the streets were broader and cleaner, for fear of being robbed, for they stood out among the people there quite markedly.

“Before we go back,” Willemina asked him, “might we go and eat in a tavern? We might be among the people there.”

He had done that, of course, when travelling with his father; they had always been given the finer back rooms of these houses along the carriage roads, with white linen overspreading the tables, and the better dishes and glassware upon their table, but he had never dined in the fashion Willemina had proposed either. To her, it was another half-hour in which she could pretend to be no one of import, and be among the people who by rights should be her subjects, and who by their language and customs, brought her closer to the father she had never known, and whose loss she appeared to feel all the more acutely the older she grew.

The tavern they selected was a clean, tidy establishment, the walls washed white, and the furnishings neatly arranged and clean. Naturally, two as young as they aroused some interest, but Willemina’s commanding air taught the inn-keeper’s lady to obey without question and seat them at a table by a window. No sooner had they sat down, that ale and bread with cold cuts of meat were brought. William watched as Willemina, who could hardly be famished, seeing as there had always been food upon their travels, took great mouthfuls of everything with great appetite: she, who had partaken in feasts at Versailles could think of no greater delights and delicacies than this simple meal: it tasted of a rare freedom, he supposed, one that she must give up again upon returning to England, and into her mother’s care, but which she would savour for as long as she could.

“If he had fucked his wife rather than his bum-boys, we might perhaps have a stadtholder now, one to do us the favour and protect us from the French threat!”

“Yes, one who is of age and not a papist princess!”

Willemina raised her head, and glanced to the table from which these words had come.

“A moment if you please,” she said and rose, standing as straight as she could, and wearing an expression so cool and measured that it betrayed the reverse sentiments to lie below, at least to him; to others, the young boy Hans might have seemed merely genteelly smiling.

“Gentlemen,” Willemina said and bowed a little awkwardly, being unaccustomed to it, as she neared the table. “May I sit with you?” She did not wait for their reply, and pulled an empty chair close. The men stared at this wayward boy in confusion; some in anger.

Watching, William prayed both in his native and in the papist way that his friend would not bring about a strife, or other unpleasantness.

“I heard you talking,” she smiled, and took a sip from her glass, as if that would make her seem older and more at ease, “Jacobite libel, I say. It is known that the Stadtholder-King was devoted to his wife, the Queen.”

“And who are you?” A burly old gentleman, the most well-dressed of the lot, demanded to know.

“A friend of Orange,” Willemina replied, smiling.

“Young, and prattling like a popinjay what his father tells him to!” a second voice boomed, laughing. Willemina frowned.

“Oh, but that is commonly known.”

“Is it? What is commonly known is that the country is without a stadtholder yet again, and Louis eyeing it like a cat a fat mouse! And who to defend us? Not the French princess, that is for certain.”

“The princess,” Willemina replied with a calmness that astonished William, “has gone to France as sorry for her country as you are; but she understood it to be a duty she owes to her mother,” she explained.

“Duty to her mother?”, one of the men echoed. William noted with great surprise how all of the men appeared to listen with interest to this curious boy with the high-pitched voice that caused him, despite his height, to appear younger than his years, “a duty to the state should always supersede that of a duty to her family.”

“And trust me that she is of the same opinion as you,” Willemina nodded and took another sip from her ale. “You will not have heard the last of her,” added she, and winked at William, who sent a prayer to the heaven to open the ground beneath his feet and swallow him hole, for he dreaded that less than Willemina being discovered, or worse, whatever the Queen would have to say upon their return, especially if Willemina would be found out.

“Pray, tell us then, little politician, what we should do now,” came a mocking jeer from the farther end of the table of one not so patient, or curious, as the older man.

“You should wait,” Willemina advised plainly. “The Princess will grow, and come of age and assume her rights, of course.”

“And how would you know?”, the well-dressed elderly gentleman scoffed. “She is French now, is what she is. And we to become subject to Louis—"

“It is a truth to be acknowledged by all that the son of the late Nassau-Diez is but a babe; and Zuylestein’s progeny grown too English for the taste of the ordinary Dutchman. What other Prince of Orange is there but the English princess, inheritor of her father’s blood and spirit? A brave Hollander will never be subdued, and she loves the home which she was never so lucky as to set eyes upon; and she is not wed yet,” she replied gravely and set down her empty glass, visibly relishing in the stunned silence of the party who had, rather than unwillingly accepting her presence, commenced to crowd around her.

“You talk much, and big, for one so little,” the old man observed, “how old are you?”

“Thirteen, Mynheer.”

He whistled mockingly through his teeth, “I would have taken you for ten, with that little voice of yours, were you not so tall,” he observed as another, half under his breath, made a chuckling remark about Italian castrati. 

“And how—”

“I have it on the authority by my aunt in England, who by profession moved among the circle of the princess’ party,” Willemina cut off the man glibly; it was but half a lie; the sick and lonely Princess Anne had but died the previous year, when she had gone to join her husband and eighteen babes in Heaven.

“Thirteen, and talking like that; your father—”

“Is dead, Mynheers.”

Touched and embarrassed, the men directed their eyes to their fingertips or the edge of the table; the revelation appeared to mellow them somewhat, for now, even the hardened sort addressed his friend more amiably.

“A lad like you to go about the taverns alone—” a younger man with a grave face and blond hair shook his head with genuine concern. “Where is your mother, then?” a second wanted to know, and William’s anxiety mounted to unknown heights.

“His face appears familiar,” the blond man noted, and the older man concurred as they mustered Willemina intently, as if they wished to ascertain where they had seen her before, without knowing when and where. One of them rose, and approaching the fireplace, took from the wall beside it a little print, yellowed and quite neglected in its appearance, but by habit beloved enough that its plain little frame was dusted, and adjusted to hang straight on the wall.

It showed a boy, not quite grown into his face and features; his hair, in the style of the day, cut to be shorter in the front, and falling to his shoulders in the back, with what little was visible of him dressed in armour and a lace collar long fallen out of fashion.

“There is a resemblance,” the old man, to whom all others appeared to defer, judged, “uncanny, it is the nose—“

“but not the eyes, and he is too tall, for he was short, I saw him once ride past many years ago,” the blond man shook his head.

Only then did Willemina make an effort to squint her, alas not quite so very sharp, eyes a little to read what was writ below the portrait in Dutch and Latin:

Willem Hendrick de derde Prins van Orangie Guilhelmus Henricus Dei gratia Princeps Auraicæ &c. Ætatis anno XV.

William could read from her stony features that she, for the first time since making their escape, felt something akin to fear, and with her eyes sought for him, as if he could do anything at all— but he must at least try.

“You fancy me a bastard of Orange, whom you only such a short while ago accused of the Italian vice?” she laughed, but the sound was hollow to his ear.

Quietly, he rose from his chair, and, crawling along the ground slipped below the table.

“A thief!” one of the men cried, thinking William was intent of reaching into their pockets.

“Mina, run!” he exclaimed, and then, throwing over some chairs, scrambled to his feet and did the very same thing.

“Wait— for the table over there,” he heard Mina say to the inn-keeper’s wife, who had come out to see what the commotion was, and thrust a few coins in value far exceeding the men’s beers into her hand before pushing the buxom lady to the side, and running into the street, William always close behind her.

[the-empress-7]

"The problem is that the dukedom’s are kind of running out" they can always invent one (won't have historical ties but who cares) and there are quite a few dukedoms still left. I think the Duke of Thames or the Duke of Glasgow would be very nice new titles. They could even create ones with Sandringham, Balmoral, Highgrove, Kensington, London etc rhe same way the Duke of Windsor was created.

These are those available:

*Albany (suspended = it can be reclaimed by the descendants of the last Duke whose title was deprived during WWI) 

*Albemarle

*Avondale

*Bedford

*Buckingham

*Cambridge [when Will becomes king]

*Strathearn [now as earldom to Will - available when Will becomes king]

*Clarence (not sure it can be created as dukedom as the earl of Clarence was held by the Duke of Albany) 

* Cleveland *Connaught *Cumberland (suspended) 

Greenwich [now Chatles is Baron G - available when he becomes king]

*Hereford *Kendal *Windsor *Ross

* York with time in the future

Inverness [there was a duchess of Inverness once so if they want they could create a Duke of Inverness. Now it exists as Earldom and belongs to Andrew. At his death it goes into extinsion]

This just to show that there are dukedoms available and if not new ones can be invebted and created. At one point in the past all titles were invented eventually 😁

As for "Charles can’t “drop” Edinburgh either, if he did it would only go to William", the title is Charles's so he could have renounced to the title but within the year of inheriting it. The period has already expired.

It would have been dormant though until he would become king. This means there is no way for Will to be the Duke of Edinburgh unless his dad dies before becoming king.

I'm 100% sure he will give it to Edward. He made a promise to both his parents and it was written and made public when Edward's titles were announced as a wedding gift. 

I know people prefer the safe side of pessimism to be pleasantly surprised the same way it happened with the Jubilee. Will Harry give up Sussex and the other titles? I don't really see it. Though if he does, he will just go back to being Prince Harry. Maybe if by misfortune another woman happens to marry him and he has renounced to his other titles, I could see Charles creating another dukedom for him but it will either be Ross or Kendal (the titles floating around at the time of his wedding with Morgana Markle). However, since Archie is his heir when his father dies, the Duke of Sussex/ the earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkil will be inherited by him and eventually his son if he has one, so the title doesn't become available in case Harry drops it. 

Follow up ask: Hi! I sent you a submission on the dukedoms available to be created as royal. Just checked and the Dukedom of Bedford is not available as it exists as non-royal dukedom. Sorry for the mistake 😅

======

Thank you anon for the detailed submission.

[cambridge-sussex]

The Duke of Cambridge, President, United for Wildlife, this morning held a Meeting at Kensington Palace.

The Duchess of Cambridge, Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, this morning held a Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood Meeting at the Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1.

- Court Circular | 16 June, 2022

[fatehbaz]

The British Museum was built on coral, butterflies, and slavery. [...]

Hans Sloane (1660-1753) owned a spar from a Spanish treasure ship that sunk in the Caribbean Sea. Lying for years the ocean floor, the spar -- a pole used in the ship’s rigging -- became encrusted in coral. In his vast private collection of object, categorized as Vegetable Substances, Quadrupeds, Antiquities, Medals and Coins, Mathematical Instruments and more, Sloane’s spar was catalogued under both “Corals” and “Miscellaneous Things.” [...] Sloane, the founder of the great public institution of the British Museum, owned a plantation. In 1695, he married the widow Elizabeth Langley Rose. Elizabeth’s first husband had been “one of Jamaica’s leading slave owners, reckoned to be one of only six colonists who regularly purchased hundreds of Africans in the 1670s.” She inherited the estate, and that became Sloane’s when he married her a year after her first husband’s death. [...] Working as a phycisian in Jamaica, Sloane would tenderly minister to the drunken colonist whites, of while accusing any enslaved person of faking their pain.

Every conversation had and every object taken by Sloane in Jamaica (in the effort towards writing his Natural History of Jamaica) was a part of the system of slavery. Even his “entomology:” Sloane was interested in worms, particularly those which infected the bodies of enslaved people and ships. He collected “manati” whips, which were made from manatee leather and not often used because they so damaged the skin of an enslaved person that her resale value was compromised. Sloane acquired a “noose made of cane splitt for catching game or hanging runaway negros.” He used enslaved people as guides to the trees and animals of Jamaica. Meanwhile, Sloane was sent treasures from West Africa by friends who sold human beings: clothes, beadwork, shells. [...]

Sloane became a well-connected and powerful baronet whose collection was hugely famous and whose career, founded on medical practice and natural history, led him to the presidency of the Royal Society, the learned group whose leadership he inherited from Sir Isaac Newton, and which Sloane presided over until his retirement at age 80. [...] Hans Sloane’s collection was a private one, but it became public after his death. According to the wishes laid out in his will, the House of Lords “passed the British Museum Act between discussions of a bill for preventing disease in cattle and the setting of a prize for discovering longitude at sea, and on 7 June 1753 George II gave his royal assent.” The collection formed the basis for the new British Museum, which of course expanded into something much bigger [...].

In the monstrous racism of the writings he made about his practice [...] there is something surreal about Sloane. In his pharmacopoeia drawers, Delbourgo writes, Sloane kept “goats’ blood, a moss-covered human skull, burnt deer antlers, burnt ivory, bones from the hearts of deer, beaver glands, rhino horns, silk-worm cocoons, crab claws, boars’ teeth and a mummy’s finger.” Through his connections in present-day South Africa, he obtained “an orang-uutang from Batavia (Jakarta) and a ‘homo sylvestris’ from Borneo; an elephant’s brains contained in a gold case originally from the Sultan of Jambi (Sumatra); a large Sumatran bat.” [...]

Sloane journeyed to Jamaica in 1687 as physician to the Duke of Albemarle, the new Governor. He was fascinated by the flora and fauna of the island. [...] When Sloane left Jamaica, he filled his ship with species both dead and alive. He was very fond of a certain snake. Quoting Sloane, Delbourgo writes that the “snake had grown ‘weary of its confinement,’ broken out of its container and writhed its way to the sleeping quarters of the duchess’s servants, where they shot it dead.” Other species suffered the same fate. Sloane had packed an iguana, but when “running along the gunnel of the vessel” it was “frighted by a sailor and leap’d over board and was drown’d.” (Sloane fared better with some other species: after a contact sent him a live porcupine, he kept it alive in his garden in England, feeding it carrots.)  [...]

Collecting the World, a new biography of Sloane by James Delbourgo places this extraordinarily influential man in the context of his time [...]. Collecting the World is about the torment of slavery, and it’s about buttered muffins and about snakes shot on boats. It teaches us about how we know, how we organize and discipline our knowledge, by the specimen of this strange, cruel, and single-minded gentleman doctor of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. [...]

Take the coral-encrusted spar. The principle of encrustment itself feels descriptive of Sloane: He liked to layer things on top of each other, to create new ideas through juxtaposition. There’s a lack of order to the encrusted thing; a lack of borderline between the man-made and the naturally-occurring; a lack of material distinction between the spar, which was after all a product of plunder, and the Caribbean Sea itself.

The spar demonstrates the principle of accumulation. Sloane enriched his “cabinet of curiosities” through tireless accretion [...].

There can be no doubt that Sloane’s attempt to obtain a version of the entire world in his private collection resembles the British imperial mania for ownership over lands and peoples. The coral-encrusted spar itself was recovered, Delbourgo records, by coerced Native American, East African, and East Indian divers. That Sloane was himself so happy to profit from the enslavement of human beings, harvesting his income from abroad while tending to his garden of marvels in London, bespeaks the politics that soak his collection. That coral-encrusted spar felt, to Sloane, like it was his. The Caribbean sea floor, the treasure ship, the plunder and the nature all at once -- all Sloane’s for the taking. [...] Sloane lives on in the British Museum itself, which has dispersed his collection to different departments.

---

All images, captions, graphics, and text above by: Josephine Livingstone. “The British Museum Was Built on Coral, Butterflies, and Slavery.” The New Republic. 24 August 2017. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[lucyofedinburgh]

A letter from Miss Lucy Needham 29 Albemarle Street Mayfair, London

[The letter arrives on pale blue paper, its script both impossibly small and carefully shaped. The tidiness of it belies that the writer had several drafts before the final, each with ink spots and misspellings.]

2 August 1799

Dear Lady Cavendish,

It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance at Lady Hosbrook’s luncheon this past week-end. I think you were entirely correct in your estimation on the watercress croquettes. I am not overly-fond of them in either case, though I must agree that the dill did not help matters.

The Duchess brought to my attention that you have not debuted into society yet, and further mentioned that she is hoping to rectify the matter in the coming year. To that end, you must allow me to express both my excitement and anticipation. It is always a delight for a new face in the many ballrooms and drawing rooms and promenade paths. Do let me know where I may assist you. It would be my pleasure.

London has a way of being welcoming and foreboding, all at once, as though you may step into its foyer but are not invited any further. Familiar faces make all the difference.

I will be in London for only a handful of days before returning to Edinburgh for the changing of seasons and eventual holidays. You may write to me at Dalmeny House, if you wish. 

Warm regards, Miss Lucy Needham

P.S. Should you wish to preserve your reputation, stay away from Victoria Hale.

@gcavendish

[thebritishmonarchycouk]

Queen Victoria’s Coronation

28 June 1838

Queen Victoria's uncle King William IV died on 20 June 1837 & the eighteen year old Princess Alexandrina Victoria became Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland. Planning for the coronation, led by the prime minister, Lord Melbourne, began at in March 1838. It was budgeted at £70,000, which was more than double the cost of the "cut-price" 1831 William IV coronation, but much less than the £240,000 spent when George IV was crowned king in July 1821.

The coronation of Queen Victoria took place in Westminster Abbey on Thursday, 28 June 1838. The newly built railways were able to deliver huge numbers of people into London & an estimated 400,000 visitors arrived to swell the crowds who thronged the streets while the two processions took place & filled the parks where catering & entertainment were provided. At Hyde Park there was a huge fair, including a balloon ascent. The fair lasted over four days. On Green Park there was a firework display the night after the ceremony. The coronation coincided with a period of fine weather & the whole event was generally considered a huge success by both the press & the public. There was very little rehearsal, & on the day the ceremonial was marred by mistakes & accidents. In the words of Benjamin Disraeli, then a young MP, those involved "were always in doubt as to what came next, & you saw the want of rehearsal". The whole service lasted five hours, & involved two changes of dress for the Queen.

An accident occurred that the Queen later described in her journal:

"Poor old Ld Rolls [actually Lord Rolle], who is 82, & dreadfully infirm, fell, in attempting to ascend the steps, – rolled right down, but was not the least hurt. When he attempted again to ascend the steps, I advanced to the edge, in order to prevent another fall".

Charles Greville, noted in his account that the Queen went down a couple of steps to prevent Rolle from trying to climb them again. Greville described this as "an act of graciousness & kindness which made a great sensation". As was usual, special seating galleries were erected in the Abbey to accommodate the guests. There was an orchestra of 80 players, a choir of 157 singers, & various military bands for the processions to & from the Abbey.

Victoria's account of the events;

"I was awoke at four o'clock by the guns in the Park, & could not get much sleep afterwards on account of the noise of the people, bands, etc., etc. Got up at seven, feeling strong & well; the Park presented a curious spectacle, crowds of people up Constitution Hill, soldiers, Bands, etc.

At ten I got into the State Coach with the Duchess of Sutherland & Lord Albemarle & we began our Progress. It was a fine day, & the crowds of people exceeded what I have ever seen; many as there were the day I went to the City, it was nothing, nothing to the multitudes, the millions of my loyal subjects, who were assembled in every spot to witness the Procession. Their good humour & excessive loyalty was beyond everything, & I really cannot say how proud I feel to be the Queen of such a Nation. I was alarmed at times for fear that the people would be crushed & squeezed on account of the tremendous rush & pressure.

I reached the Abbey amid deafening cheers at a little after half-past eleven; I first went into a robing-room quite close to the entrance where I found my eight train-bearers: Lady Caroline Lennox, Lady Adelaide Paget, Lady Mary Talbot, Lady Fanny Cowper, Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, Lady Anne Fitzwilliam, Lady Mary Grimston & Lady Louisa Jenkinson — all dressed alike & beautifully in white satin & silver tissue with wreaths of silver corn-ears in front, & a small one of pink roses around the plait behind, & pink roses in the trimmings of the dresses.

Then followed all the various things; & last (of those things) the Crown being placed on my head — which was, I must own, a most beautiful impressive moment; all the Peers and Peeresses put on their coronets at the same instant. My excellent Lord Melbourne, who stood very close to me throughout the whole ceremony, was completely overcome at this moment, & very much affected; he gave me such a kind, & I may say fatherly look. The shouts, which were very great, the drums, the trumpets, the firing of the guns, all at the same instant, rendered the spectacle most imposing. The Archbishop had (most awkwardly) put the ring on the wrong finger, & the consequence was that I had the greatest difficulty to take it off again, which I at last did with great pain. At about half-past four I re-entered my carriage, the Crown on my head, & the Sceptre & Orb in my hands, & we proceeded the same way as we came — the crowds if possible having increased. The enthusiasm, affection, & loyalty were really touching, & I shall remember this day as the Proudest of my life! I came home at a little after six, really not feeling tired. At eight we dined."

Visit our Royal Blog for more;

www.thebritishmonarchy.co.uk

[early20thcenturynerd]

Queen Victoria’s Diary, Two Versions: 8th February 1840. The first photo shows Princess Beatrice’s copy of the diary, while the second shows Lord Esher's typescript.

“She [Queen Victoria] instructed Princess Beatrice to re-write the Journal, after her death, omitting or modifying passages which she considered unsuitable for preservation [...] The original volumes [in Victoria’s own handwriting], once copied, were destroyed, also on the Queen's instructions [...] There are 13 red and gold volumes of the typed transcript of the original Journals which was made for Lord Esher, the first Keeper of the Royal Archives, covering the period from 1832 to February 1840 when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert. (The transcript actually goes up to 16 February, six days after the wedding, as this was the day on which the original volume which included the wedding ended.) This transcript was made without the knowledge of Princess Beatrice.”

- Royal Collection Trust

Princess Beatrice’s Version:

“After my breakfast, signed, wrote letters, & my Journal. - Ld Melbourne came to me after 1. Talked of the Lord Chancellor’s coming to Albert, & of the latter's Commission; of the Trainbearers, & where they were to go, - of other arrangements, &c. - Saw Ct Sebastiani, who was introduced by Ld Palmerston, then saw Mme Sebastiani. Saw Ld Uxbridge, & had a little rest, waiting upstairs, & then went downstairs. At ½ p. 4 the carriage & Escort appeared driving through the centre gate, & up to the door, at which I stood. 

First, stepped out Ernest, then Uncle Ernest & lastly my dearest precious Albert, looking beautiful, & so well. I embraced him & took him by the hand, leading him up to my room, Mama, Uncle Ernest & Ernest, following. Seeing dear Albert's face again put me at rest about everything. After a little while Mama & Uncle must down, Ernest & Albert remaining, with me, the latter soon going to the Ld Chancellor. - I rested, & Albert returned to me at 6, remaining some time. — Besides dearest Albert, Uncle & Ernest, Ld Melbourne, the Dss of Sutherland, Ld Byron, Ld Torrington, (being in waiting) Ld Uxbridge Ld Erroll, Ld Albemarle, Mr Byng, Col: Grey, Stockmar, Kolowrath, Alvensleben, Baron von Löwenfels, Herr von Gruben, Pölnitz, & Mr Seymour, dined. Dearest Albert, wearing his ribbon of the Garter, led me in, & I sat between him & Uncle Ernest. I felt so happy at having him near me again. 

I drank wine with Ld Melbourne when Albert's health was given out: His Royal Highness Pce Albert. After dinner Albert & Ernest shook hands with Ld Melbourne. In talking to me afterwards he said he thought Albert looked very well, & that he considered it such a good thing that Albert had attended Service in Canterbury Cathedral. I sat on the sofa with him, Ld Melbourne sitting near us. He admired the diamond Garter Albert was wearing, saying it was ‘very handsome’, & I told him it was my gift. I had also before dinner, given a diamond star & badge, I had worn.”

Lord Esher’s Version:

“Got up at ½ p.9 and breakfasted at 10. Wrote to Lord Melbourne and the Duke of Cambridge. Saw dear Eos, who arrived with dearest Albert's valet last night. Signed. Wrote my journal. Played and sung. At 10 m. p.1 Lord Melbourne came to me and stayed with me till 10 m. to 2. He was very well; I returned him a letter from the Duke of Sussex he had sent me. Talked of a note from Anson about Gardner he had sent me; ‘I've seen Lord Carrington,’ he said, ‘he's very reasonable on both sides’, and had told him it would be ruin to Gardner to resign now, though he saw the necessity of the case; that what I had heard was only alleged (which is true), and one can't know if he never said to Lady G. that he disapproved of her conduct. 

This is all true; Lord Carrington will try and stop his attending the Wedding, and that he mustn't take his Waiting at present; talked of the Chancellor's coming to Albert; of A.’s commission; Eos &c.; of the Train-bearers and where they were to go to; Lord M. had been to Lady Stanhope's for half an hour last night, which I scolded him for; she rather hinted at being in the Chapel; talked of Drawing-rooms; Parties &c.; of the Duke of Sussex; and of inviting Lord Sudeley and Lord and Lady Lurgan to the Chapel; of seeing the Sebastianis; of letting Lord M. know when M. know when A. arrived. - Saw Count Sebastiani, who was introduced by Lord Palmerston. I then saw Mme. Sebastiani. Wrote my journal. Saw Lord Uxbridge. Lay down. Remained waiting upstairs,- then downstairs. 

At ½ p.4 the Carriage and Escort appeared, drove through the centre Gate, and up to the door; I stood at the very door; 1st stepped out Ernest, then Uncle Ernest, and then (my dearest precious) Angel, looking beautiful and so well; I embraced him, and took him by the hand and led him up to my room; Ma., Uncle Ernest, and Ernest following. I embraced him now again, and he looked so dear and so well; seeing his dear dear face again put me at rest about everything. I gave him a fine new Ivory and Enamel stick; they remained a little while, and then Uncle and Ma. went down and then Ernest and dearest Albert stayed; then he went down to see the Chancellor. Wrote to Lord M. Lay down. 

My beloved Albert came to me at 6 and stayed with me till 5 m. to 7. So dear and kind; but he still felt giddy from the seasickness. Wrote my journal. At 10 m. to 8 we dined. Besides dearest Albert, Uncle, and Ernest,- Lord Melbourne, the Duchess of Sutherland, Lord Byron (Lord Torrington being in waiting), Lord Uxbridge, Lord Erroll, Lord Albemarle, Mr.Byng, Col: Grey, Stockmar, Kolowrath, Alvensleben, Baron de Lowenfels, M. de Grüben, and M. de Pölnitz, and Mr.Seymour, dined here. These six last stay in the house. Dearest Albert with his ribbon and Garter on, led me in, and I sat between him (to my left) and Uncle Ernest. Lord Melbourne sat next Lady Sandwich who sat near Albert. Dearest Albert, I felt so happy to have him near me again. 

I drank wine with Lord M.; when dearest Albert's health was given: His Royal Highness Prince Albert - Lord M. was much affected. The gentlemen got up with the ladies. After dinner Albert and Ernest shook hands with Lord Melbourne. ‘I think they look very well,’ Lord M. said, when he came up to me, ‘I think he (A.) looks very well.’ Talked of their passage; Lord M. said it was such a very good thing that Albert attended service in the Cathedral at Canterbury. I sat on the sofa with my beloved Albert, Lord Melbourne sitting near me. Talked of the gentlemen who Uncle had with him. Lord M. admired the diamond Garter which Albert had on, and said: ‘Very handsome’. I told him it was my gift; I also gave him (all before dinner) a diamond star, I had worn, and badge. 

I said to Lord M. I feared this cold would end in a cough; ‘God! you should keep very quiet tomorrow,’ Lord M. said anxiously and earnestly; I said I had been lying down; ‘You should as much as you can,’ he said. Talked of young Seymour being like his family. Lord M. made us laugh excessively about his new Coat, which he said laughing: ‘I expect it to be the thing most observed.’ Talked of Uncle Leopold; his walking so much, &c. I pressed Lord M. not to go to the party of his sister,&c. Stayed up till 10 m. p.11. I kissed my precious Albert.”

[warwickroyals]

Sunderland's Royal Jewel Vault (40/∞) ♛

↬ Queen Irene's Ruby & Diamond Tiara or The Danish Ruby Tiara

In 1975 Queen Irene acquired a ruby tiara to coordinate with the suite of rubies given to her by King James II in 1968. The tiara already had a history within the family: having originally belonged to Princess Thyra of Denmark, a daughter-in-law of King George I through her marriage to his youngest son: Prince Arthur, Duke of Albion. The tiara was passed down to Thyra’s daughter-in-law, Lady Madeline Sunningdale, who eventually sold the tiara to Irene for an unknown price. The reason for the sale is unknown, but many speculate it had something to do with the cumbersome inheritance tax the Albion family was straddled with following Prince Arthur’s death. Since then, the Queen has worn this piece fairly frequently from the ’80s until the early 2010s, last wearing it in 2012. Creation: 1897 by Danish jeweller A. Michelsen, later remodelled by Albemarle in 1976 Provenance: 1) Princess Thyra, Duchess of Albion née Princess Thyra of Denmark 2) Madeline, Duchess of Albion née Lady Madeline Sunningdale 3) Queen Irene of Sunderland née Lady Irene Wynn Commissioned/Purchased by: Frederick VIII of Denmark Status: Currently worn by Queen Irene of Sunderland

[ironwrites]

A duchess discovers that the past, present and future does not exist, and goes mad. -@MagicRealismBot (on twitter)

 This story is based on the life (or whatever wikipedia has documented) of Elizabeth Monck, Duchess of Albermarle 

c.1687

“Fiona, have you prepared my dress?” Elizabeth snapped as she scooped a handful of soapy water and poured it over her hair. Normally, she would’ve had three of the servants do it for her, but today she had requested to be left alone. But of course, her trusty handmaiden Fiona was stationed outside the bathroom in case the Duchess required assistance.  “Y-yes, Your Grace. It is already laid out on your bed.”

Elizabeth could sense Fiona flinch at her harsh tone, and she was somewhat proud of herself for having induced that response. As unorthodox as it seemed, that was just her way of showing her affection. After all, Fiona was to be left here at the Jamaican Estate while Elizabeth sailed back to Newcastle with her late husband’s riches (apparently treasure hunting was a lucrative market in Jamaica). She was pretty sure Fiona would miss her sharp orders once she was gone. 

Elizabeth stared out the window, examining the ominous cumulonimbus clouds hovering above. It had been a year since her husband (Christopher that bold man, met his demise while invading a local tribe’s village on one of his treasure hunts, bless his soul) had passed. She thought back to their last adventure together. They were navigating through an untouched portion of the jungle known by the locals as “the Jaguar Lair” (yes they spoke English, don’t look so surprised). Ironically, there were no Jaguars there, but what they did find in abundance was a plant which made growling noises when the wind blew. Perhaps those caused the locals to believe that Jaguars were roaming that area. She smiled fondly at that memory. Elizabeth often questioned if he would have still met his doom if she had accompanied him. Going treasure hunting with him was one thing she would miss dearly. 

However, due to their adventurous streaks, they never quite settled down, and with no children, the Royal powers, (whoever they be, Elizabeth didn’t bother keeping track) decided that it was best if Elizabeth returned to Newcastle to look after the Dukedom, and maybe find a new husband. After all, she did have a strong distaste towards Jamaican men, as detailed in a letter she wrote to her sister, Margaret. She could never understand why they were so into farming. 

After a few moments, Elizabeth climbed out of her copper tub and dried herself off swiftly. She wasn’t going to miss Jamaica. The perpetual heat, the tropical storms, the _bloody mosquitoes. _But what she would miss was the treasure. Even after her dear Christopher’s departure, she would still be brought a piece of treasure every few weeks. Evidently, the treasure hunting company her husband had set up was quite successful. Since her husband’s death, the treasure hunters who once worked alongside him turned to her to decide if the item should be sold or kept (in her possession). Being a duchess had a few perks. 

She’d collected quite a number of treasures she deemed beautiful and important enough to have in her custody. Among them were crowns, gems, pottery and amulets, all of them either dug out from the earth, fished out from lakes, or bartered from shady shamans. 

However, her favourite treasure was probably a wooden box. It doesn’t sound impressive at all, but the Duchess was simply mesmerised by the strange markings on them. It wasn’t until that fateful day when she was about to sail back to England did she decide to open it...

c.1688

“Your grace, your sister has finally arrived, although I should warn you that she has been said by the ship’s crew to be... unstable.” 

“Thank you, Potter. I’m sure it’s just seasickness. Eight weeks onboard a ship is no small thing for a duchess like her.” 

Margaret Holles was one of four other siblings Elizabeth had, but she was by far the dearest. Elizabeth had frequently sent letters to her during her time in Jamaica, and regularly visited her while she was in England. After all, Albemarle and Newcastle upon Tyne were only a few hours’ journey apart. 

Margaret could barely contain her excitement. It had been years since she’d seen her older sister. She had always looked up to her since she was a child. Elizabeth was always pushing her to do and try new things, and Margaret understood that she would definitely not have become the confident Duchess she was now if not for her. 

Elizabeth was accompanied by two of her handmaidens and a squire as she strode into the dining hall. Margaret held her sister in a tight embrace, but Elizabeth was unmoving and distant. “Is something wrong?” Margaret asked, puzzled.

“Enough with the formalities. I’ve learnt much from my adventures in Jamaica, and more than anything, I wish to marry Emperor Kangxi.”

Margaret immediately stepped back and studied her sister’s face. “I know you’re still upset over Christopher’s passing, but don’t you think marrying the Emperor of China is a bit absurd? He doesn’t even know you!”

Upon hearing that, Elizabeth gasped, a hurt look flashed on her face. “How dare you, he obviously knows me. He’s smitten with me!”

Margaret was more perplexed than ever. Elizabeth grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to a corner of the dining hall. “Servants, turn around! This is for Lady Margaret’s eyes only.”

Elizabeth shoved a wooden box into Margaret’s hands and forcefully whispered for her to open it. Margaret, not wanting to agitate her sister, obediently complied. She opened the intricately carved box and looked at her sister quizzically. “Look inside!” Elizabeth hissed.

Margaret stared inside and immediately passed out.

“Haha! Margaret knows the truth now! She’ll be fine, leave us alone. Just help prepare the letter to Father telling him that I want to marry Emperor Kangxi. Yes, right now.” 

The servants passed worried looks among themselves as they heard Elizabeth’s words. However, they had no right to disagree with the Duchess, and could only do as they were told.

“M’Lord, your daughter, Duchess Elizabeth, has sent you a letter.” 

A regal looking man dressed in a black waistcoat and breeches looked up from the manuscript he was reading and took the letter from the squire.

“WHAT? THE EMPEROR OF CHINA!?”

The young squire flinched in terror at the Duke’s sudden outburst. Duke Henry was known for being one of the most patient Members of Parliament during his term of service. The squire would have given his most prized possession - a shield with his family crest, just to know what that letter contained. 

Duke Henry immediately whipped out his quill and started penning a letter. “Robert, get one of the mail boys to send this to Baron Edward Montague.”

The squire nodded and politely took the letter from the Duke’s smooth hands. Hands that have never done hard labor. It took all of Robert the Squire’s self-control to prevent himself from peeking at the letter. Maybe he’d get the Duke to spill the beans during the next Great Feast. The Duke was notorious for drinking way too much for his pathetically low alcohol tolerance level. 

Baron Edward Montague was in the middle of writing a sonnet for Elizabeth when the letter from Duke Henry arrived. “if I were pretty like a blue-ish bird, I’d be a fool to compare me to you...” 

“Baron, a letter from Duke Henry Cavendish of Newcastle,” A burly looking messenger ceremoniously proclaimed, while standing by the doorway. “Alright leave it over here,” 

He looked up from his sonnet to study the frantically scribbled words on the envelope. “Henry must’ve been in a hurry to get this to me,” he thought to himself. He broke the seal and pulled the letter out. 

He broke into a smile as he read its contents. It was a plea from Henry for him to take Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. “Finally!” He thought.

Edward was overjoyed, he had been chasing Elizabeth (and her wealth) even before her husband’s demise (yes a sinful act indeed, don’t tell the bishop), and this felt like a dream come true. However, there was a rather strange condition he had to fulfill. 

“In order to have my daughter’s hand in marriage, you’ll have to dress up as the Chinese Emperor, Kang Xi.”  

Deeply flummoxed, Edward quickly dipped his quill in ink and began writing a letter requesting the Duke to explain himself and to arrange a meeting with his magnificently beautiful, abundantly affluent, albeit extremely queer daughter he had been pining for all these years.

A week later, Ralph found himself sitting across from Elizabeth in her castle grounds, having tea and scones. “So let me get this straight, you are saying that the linear passage of time does not matter, and you saw in a magical box, a vision of the Emperor Kangxi being wed to you?” Ralph could barely believe the words coming out of his own mouth. “Will everyone stop asking me the same questions over and over?! I have already said yes a thousand times over! All I want is to get on board the first ship to China and unless you are the Emperor Kangxi, no I will not marry you!”

Ralph flinched at her harsh tone. As he examined the woman whom he had yearned for all these years, he realized that he would rather die than pass up this opportunity. Even the fact that he would have to dress up as a Chinese Emperor at their wedding was not going to stop him from gaining the love of his life’s hand in marriage. While Elizabeth unintelligibly babbled on about how space and time were almost the same things, Ralph was formulating a devilishly smart plan to get Elizabeth to marry him...

c.1690

“M’lady, your ship is ready,” a skinny servant announced as she bowed her head. Elizabeth, upon hearing those words, ceremoniously got up from the foot of her bed and allowed herself to be ushered to the docks by two burly guards. Upon arriving at the foot of the gangplank, Elizabeth took one last sweeping gaze at the British Isles, the place she had considered to be her homeland, before boarding the large vessel. After all, she expected that in a “multiple sleep’s” time (basically about a year but ever since her revelations about space and time, the only unit of temporal measurement she utilizes is “sleeps”) she would finally be in China to marry her one true love, Emperor Kangxi.

Or so she thought. 

While Elizabeth was busy fantasizing about the supreme ruler of China, the captain and crew were busy charting a course around the British Isles. Actually, 10 rounds. Part of Baron Ralph Montague’s brilliant plan to hoodwink Elizabeth into marrying him was now afoot. Instead of sailing to China, Elizabeth’s ship would just sail 10 rounds around the British Isles, and hopefully she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

In the meantime, while Elizabeth was on her little sailing trip, Ralph had other things to attend to as well. Ralph had recruited the finest tailors in England to make him a robe resembling ones owned by the Emperors of China, craftsmen to make his castle look like that of Kangxi’s imperial palace, chefs to (try to) replicate delicacies of the East, and of course, beauticians to him look like that of Kangxi. All the professionals of their various fields had as reference material were paintings stolen from Dutch sailors (which were in turn stolen from properties in South East Asia), and whatever Marco Polo texts the Italians agreed to sell. 

And thus, the whole town of Newcastle upon Tyne (with some convincing from their neighbour Duchess, Lady Margaret, who truth be told, has no recollection of what she saw in the magic box, and hence agreed that Liz was bonkers) was busy with transforming their busy market town into a pseudo-Peking for their Lord-to-be. 

8 September 1692

The moment Duchess Elizabeth Monck's ship returned from its 10-time-round-tour of the British Isles, 4 enormous escorts ushered Elizabeth from the ship and into a shoulder carriage which was promptly hoisted up once the Duchess was seated comfortably within. In order to ensure that the ruse was not compromised, the shoulder carriage comprised of a bamboo chassis, as well as red silk upholstery and curtains. The 4 escorts also had to don red robes complete with meandering dragons embroidered on, and wear black conical hats. 

After about “a housefly’s journey” (otherwise known as half an hour), Elizabeth could hear the sound of drums, bells, and peasants cheering. She furtively opened the curtains and peered out at the villagers calling out her name. She acknowledged them with a curt nod before withdrawing back into the carriage. How enthusiastic the Chinese proletariat was! She doubted her mean subjects in Newcastle would have even smiled at her. The escorts carried the carriage up the flight of stairs leading to the entrance of the faux Imperial Palace before carefully placing it on the ground and holding the curtains open for the Duchess to exit the carriage. 

Ralph stood in the middle of the newly redecorated throne room with the bishop and awaited Elizabeth’s arrival. The throne room, which was once had walls a dreary shade of stone and a throne of a similar colour, was now draped with red silk banners and lined with imitation Chinese porcelain. Even the throne was decked in red and gold fabric coverings. Ralph hastily took Elizabeth’s hands and pulled her in front of the bishop. 

“We are all gathered here today to-” 

“Wait, you Chinamen speak English?” Elizabeth looked imploringly at the bishop, whose face turned as red as the walls of the room. “Well, uh, well you see I-”

Ralph, having come too far to let some bishop with an acting ability of a pigeon ruin his plans, immediately cut in. “Elizabeth, my dear, I found us the only English speaking priest in China to officiate so we’d both understand what’s going on. Now if you have no other questions, please continue, holy one.” 

"Well now, as I was saying, we are all gathered here today to...” 

The rest of the wedding went on without a hitch, and Ralph and Elizabeth left the throne room after the ceremony hand in hand. Him, donned in a British recreation of what his tailors thought was what Chinese Royal Wedding garments looked like, and her, in a worn, definitely had seen better days, dress. 

And they lived happily ever after for another 42 years (according to Wikipedia), which is equivalent to “a tortoise’s mid-life crisis” (according to Elizabeth).

IM SORRY THIS STORY DIED LIKE 10 PARAGRAPHS AGO

[mayaphotographingthecity]

The Victorian Age: 2022

The images would be laid out like this, in chronological order. Above each image would be the title, which is the date of each corresponding journal entry and a small description by me. Below is a paragraph of context which can be seen on my pinned post, alongside the translated journal entry. 

Here are the translations in order:

24th May 1838- Today is my 18th birthday! How old! and yet how far am I from being what I should be. I shall from this day take the firm resolution to study with renewed assiduity, I to keep my attention always well fixed on whatever I am about, and I to strive to become every day less trifling and more fit for what, if Heaven wills it, I'm some day to be! I had not long awoke when Mamma gave me her picture (a small full-length in water-colours) delightfully painted by A.E.Chalon and very like, with a nosegay.

28th June 1838.- Got up at 9. Not feeling well, I breakfasted upstairs after 10. Saw Dr.Clark. At about a . p. 11 came Lord Melbourne and stayed till nearly . p.12. Saw Lord Duncannon, Lord Albemarle, Lord Kill, and Mr.Spring Rice. At 2 I went town into the saloon with Lady Charlemont. Col: Cavendish was in waiting. The Duke of Argyle read the 2nd Address from the House of Lords, to which I read an answer. Then came the Sheriffs from the City to ask when I would receive the Address from the Town Council. I then went up. Wrote. Lay on the sofa; did various things. Saw Dr.Clark. Took my dinner upstairs. Wrote my journal. Mary and Mamma came up. Saw Dr.Clark. Stayed up till 10.

February 10 1839- The last time I slept alone. Got up at a 1⁄4 to 9,- well, and having slept well; and breakfasted at 1⁄2 p.9. Mama came before and brought me a Nosegay of orange flowers. My dearest kindest Lehzen gave me a dear little ring. Wrote my journal, and to Lord M. Had my hair dressed and the wreath of orange flowers put on. Saw my precious Albert for the last time alone, as my Bridegroom. Dressed. My wreath and veil were thus worn: [mss drawing] Saw Uncle, and Ernest who dearest Albert brought up. At 1⁄2 p.12 I set off; dearest Albert having gone before. I wore a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old. I wore my Turkish diamond necklace and earrings, and my Angel's beautiful saphire broach. Mama and the Duchess of Sutherland went in the carriage with me; I subjoin an account of the whole, which is pretty correct, only that they put in that I cried, and I did not shed one tear the whole time, and some other foolish things about Albert which they have said. To return to my going to St.James's, I never saw such crowds of people as there were in the Park, and they cheered most enthusiastically. When I arrived at St.James's I went into the dressing-room where my 12 young Train-bearers were, dressed all in white with white roses, which had a beautiful effect. Here I waited a little till dearest Albert's Procession had moved into the Chapel.

December 14, 1862

Mr Brown & Dr Watson kept coming in frequently & Dr Watson said: "we have decidedly gained ground within the last 3 hours, — quieter, pulse improving, "breathing decidedly better;" — that the brandy did much good, the breathing being better each time it was taken. Sir H. Holland was also in the house. Dr Watson, as well as Mr Brown, were going to sit up & said there was no reason to anticipate anything worse.

No further entry for this year.

June 20 1897- A never to be forgotten day. No one ever I believe, has met with such an ovation as was given to me, passing through those 6 miles of streets, including Constitution Hill. The crowds were quite indescribable & their enthusiasm truly marvellous & deeply touching. The cheering was quite deafening, & every face seemed to be filled with real joy. I was much moved & gratified. — The night had been very hot & I was rather restless. There was such a noise going on the whole time, but it did not keep me from getting some sleep. Dull early, & close. — Breakfasted with Vicky, Lenchen & Beatrice in the Chinese luncheon room. The head of the Procession, including the Colonial Troops, had unfortunately already passed the Palace, before I got to breakfast, but there were still a great many, chiefly British, passing.

May 17 1899- Went up Constitution Hill, down Knightsbridge & Brompton Road to South Kensington, to the site of the new Victoria & Albert Museum. Immense & enthusiastic crowds everywhere, reminding me of the Jubilee. On arriving I entered a Pavilion, which was very handsome & full of people. Bertie & the rest of the family were on the Dais as well as Ministers, Ambassadors & many Notables. Two verses of "God save the Queen" were sung, as also an Ode, words by the Poet Laureate, & music by McKenzie. Before the latter, the Duke of Devonshire, as Ld President, read an address. I handed my answer & said "It gives me great pleasure to lay the foundation stone of this fine Museum which is to bear the name of my dear Husband & myself". I then laid the stone, Bertie helping me to spread the Mortar &c, & struck the stone 3 times with mallet, after which Bertie in loud voice said he was commanded by me to declare the stone well & truly laid. A bouquet was presented by one of the students of the Royal College of Music. The ceremony concluded with the Archbishop of Canterbury offering up a prayer & giving the blessing. I drove off amidst a flourish of trumpets, "God save the Queen" & loud cheers. Went straight to Paddington station where there were also immense crowds. Got back to Windsor shortly before 6. — Only the Ladies to dinner.

[tudorhqs]

THANK YOU for your application, GABBI, you have been accepted as VIOLETTE DE GRUCHY. Please send in your account within twenty-four hours. Alexandra Dowling is now taken. 

☆ ━ ━ OUT OF THE WAY ! can’t you see VIOLETTE DE GRUCHY, the DUCHESS of ALBEMARLE coming this way ?  I hear SHE is SERAPHIC, but also ENIGMATIC. SHE seems to remind everyone of THE WIND IN A FIELD OF LAVENDAR, MORNING DEW, & THE CHIME OF EUCHARIST BELLS. hopefully one day SHE will succeed in HER ambition to RETURN AND RESUME HER LIFE BACK IN FRANCE, but then again, the court is a dangerous place. one can only hope SHE will keep HER head… ( ALEXANDRA DOWLING  ) ━ ━ ☆ as written by GABBI ;;  BST, SHE/HER, 22 .

[fictionalhistory]

children of james, duke of york:

charles, duke of cambridge (b. 1660)

mary, princess of orange (b. 1662)

james, duke of cambridge (b. 1663)

anne, princess of denmark (b. 1665)

charles, duke of kendal (b. 1666)

edgar, duke of cambridge (b. 1667)

henrietta, viscountess galmoye (b. 1667)

henrietta (b. 1669)

james, duke of berwick (b. 1670)

catherine (b. 1671)

henry, duke of albemarle (b. 1673)

arabella (b. 1674)

catherine, duchess of buckingham and normanby (b. 1681)

james (b. 1684)

charles (b. 168X)

[historywithlaura]

CHARLES LENNOX

1st Duke of Richmond

(born 1672 - died 1723)

pictured above is a portrait of the Duke of Richmond, by Sir Godfrey Kneller from c. 1703-10

-------------------- ~ -------------------- ~ --------------------

SERIES - On this day July Edition: Charles was born on 29 July 1672.

-------------------- ~ -------------------- ~ --------------------

CHARLES was born on 29 July 1672, in London, as an illegitimate child of Charles II, King of England and his French mistress Louise de Kérouaille. So he was from an illegitimate line of the HOUSE OF STUART.

One year after he was born his father created his mother Duchess of Portsmouth, Countess of Fareham and Baroness Petersfield.

By August 1675, when he was three years old, his father created him DUKE OF RICHMOND, EARL OF MARCH and BARON SETTRINGTON in the Peerage of England. And a month later he was also created DUKE OF LENNOX, EARL OF DARNLEY and BARON METHUEN OF TORBOLTON in the Peerage of Scotland.

Upon receiving his titles he came to be known as CHARLES LENNOX, a surname that his descendants still use to this day.

In 1692 he married a widow, Lady ANNE and they had two children (check the list below). She was one of the daughters of Francis Brudenell, Baron Brudenell and Lady Frances Savile, and the widow of Henry Belasyse, Baron Belasyse of Worlaby.

He is known to have been a patron of cricket and to have helped the sport to flourish in England.

Aged 50 he died in Sussex, in 1723.

-------------------- ~ -------------------- ~ --------------------

His father although being a member of the House of Stuart was a descendant of the House of Stewart of Darnley, a cadet branch of the Clan Stewart that originated the Royal House of Stewart, that became spelled as Stuart.

And the titles his father gave to him had a long History in his family, have been previously held by his ancestors of the Clan Stewart, the House of Stewart of Darnley, the Royal House of Stewart, the Royal House of Stuart and the House of Tudor.

Some of this ancestors were:

his 3x-great-grandfather Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley;

his 4x-great-grandfather Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox; and

his 6x-great-grandfather King Henry VII of England, 2nd Earl of Richmond

To this day his patrilineal descendants still hold the titles, the current holder being Charles Gordon-Lennox, the 11th Duke of Richmond and Lennox.

-------------------- ~ -------------------- ~ --------------------

CHARLES and his wife ANNE had three children...

Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond - husband of Lady Sarah Cadogan;

Lady Louisa Lennox - wife of James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley; and

Lady Anne Lennox - wife of Willem of Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle.

-------------------- ~ -------------------- ~ --------------------

CHARLES's ancestry can be tracked to HENRY VII through two lines...

The FIRST LINE is through a King of Scots...

Henry VII, King of England; father of

Margaret Tudor, Queen Consort of Scotland; mother of

James V, King of Scots; father of

Mary, Queen of Scots - wife of her cousin Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley; parents of

James VI, King of Scots (also James I, King of England); father of

Charles I, King of England and of Scots; father of

Charles II, King of England and of Scots; illegitimate father of

Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond.

The SECOND LINE is through a Lady of the Clan Douglas...

Henry VII, King of England; father of

Margaret Tudor, Queen Consort of Scots; mother

Lady Margaret Douglas; mother of

Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley - husband of Mary, Queen of Scots; parents of

James VI, King of Scots (also James I, King of England); father of

Charles I, King of England and of Scots; father of

Charles II, King of England and of Scots; illegitimate father of

Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond.

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