The Countess Dowager of Carlisle

by Lauren Gilbert

Coat of arms of Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle, KG
by Rs-nourse / CC BY-SA

The Honourable Isabella Byron was born either October 11 or November 10, 1721; her place of birth is shown as Lancashire, England, possibly in Clayton. Her father was William Byron, 4th Baron Byron of Rochdale, born January 4, 1669/70 Newstead, Nottinghamshire. He died August 8, 1736 Newstead, Nottinghamshire and was buried at Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. Her mother was the Hon. Frances Berkeley, who was born c 1702. Sir William and Frances Berkeley were married December 3, 1720. She was his third wife. They had at least five children prior to Sir William’s death. Lady Byron married again to Sir Thomas Hay, Baronet. She died sometime in September 1757, and was buried September 21, 1757 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England. Sources indicate the family had financial difficulties.

Isabella had four younger brothers (her father had had children by his second wife, but they seem to have all died young). She was described as pretty and charming. Apparently, she was considered rather exotic with her black hair and dark eyes. As a young lady with an aristocratic background, she acquired accomplishments: writing, music, drawing and etching (she primarily made copies of Rembrandt’s works). She may have been taught with her brother by artist Joseph Goupy. Her known works were done mostly during her marriage to Earl of Carlisle.

Isabella's first marriage occurred on June 8, 1743 at St. George’s Hanover Square, London. The groom was Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle. He was born in 1694. He was much older: about 49 to her 21, and she was his second wife. (He had had four children by his first wife: two sons who had died and two daughters who survived.) Lady Mary Wortley Montagu seemed somewhat taken aback by the marriage, describing the new Lady Carlisle as very agreeable and very gay. Note that, at that time “gay” meant merry and light-hearted, but also had a connotation of wantonness and lasciviousness, so Lady Mary was not necessarily being complimentary. To see portraits of Henry, Earl of Carlisle and Isabella, visit the Castle Howard website.

Isabella and Henry had four living daughters and one surviving son. Lady Anne was born in 1744, and went on to become a Lady of the Bedchamber to Princess Amelia, aunt of George III. She died about 1799. Lady Frances was born in 1745. She married John Radcliffe Esq. in April 1768. He died in April 1808 and she died Sept 4, 1825. Lady Elizabeth was born in 1746. She married twice: first, in 1769 to Peter Delme’ Esq. who died in 1789; second, on Jan 13, 1794 to Charles Garnier Esq., Captain in the Navy, who died in 1796. She died in June 1813.

Their only son Frederick was born May 28, 1748 in Westminster, London, England. He became the 5th Earl. He was a close friend of Charles James Fox, Lord Fitzwilliam and George Selwyn. He married Lady Margaret Leveson Gore and had children. He built a career in politics. He died Sept 4, 1825. The youngest surviving child was Lady Juliana, born in 1750. She died unmarried on Jan 22, 1849. She was very involved with Isabella in Isabella’s old age.

The Peerage of England of 1768 listed a fifth daughter, Margaretta, but showed no details of birth, marriage or death. Most other sources do not mention her at all. The Peerage may have been in error, or possibly she died in infancy and her dates were not captured. There is also an indication that Isabella may have had a miscarriage in 1749.

As a wife and the mistress of Castle Howard, a large Yorkshire estate, as well as a London home, Isabella dealt with household accounts, and was interested in the gardens, including fruits and vegetables. She was reputedly not above getting her hands dirty, and was interested in how the products were used. She compiled a book of receipts for culinary dishes and medicinals. Available data indicates she was happy at Castle Howard.

AdCastle Howard, Stately Home in Yorkshire, UK
by jcw1967 from Leeds, UK (CC BY-SA)

Lord Carlisle died September 3, 1758, leaving Isabella a jointure of 2000 pounds and control of her children and the estate. These arrangements also specified that remarriage would cost her custody of the children and loss of the estate (leaving her only the income). He was buried in the Castle Howard mausoleum. His heirs were left considerable debt. Her son Frederick, who was now the fifth Earl, was only ten years old.

Her second marriage, which was considered rather shocking as her husband had been dead just over a year, occurred on December 10, 1759 at St Margaret’s, Westminster, London. The groom was Sir William Musgrave, 6th Baronet of Hayton Castle. Sir William was born c. 1737, making him much younger than Isabella. He had no other marriages. Her remarriage cost her the custody of her children and the estate; it also resulted in a reduction of her income, in spite of the fact that such a reduction was not required by the late Earl of Carlisle’s will. (Her son and the trustees of the estate obtained this reduction. Apparently, it was considered that, it now being her new husband’s responsibility to support her, she was not entitled to the full amount.)

Sir William was interested in history and art (he assembled a number of biographical papers, and a collection of lists of portraits), which presumably attracted Isabella, but was also of a rather cold and bookish character, which led to conflicts. Such incompatibility resulted in her leaving Sir William. They were living apart by March 10, 1769. They had a separation agreement of March 15, 1769, which protected what she brought to the marriage.

Isabella went abroad to live, spending time in France, Italy and Switzerland. She also spent time in Cologne in the 1770’s. She was reputed to have had many affairs, particularly a long-running relationship with a man known as “Baron de Weinheim” is documented. (He was not a baron, just plain Monsieur Larcher.) Apparently they socialised with an artistic set, and she turned her attention to writing. Her poem “The Fairy’s Answer to Mrs. Greville” c. 1770, which has also been attributed to the Margravine of Anspach (Elizabeth Craven), was a response to a poem by Mrs. Frances Greville titled “Prayer for Indifference”, c. 1770.

Isabella also wrote THOUGHTS IN THE FORM OF MAXIMS ADDRESSED TO YOUNG LADIES ON THEIR FIRST ESTABLISHMENT IN THE WORLD (published in 1789-90). This was a book on conduct and household management. According to World Cat, fifty editions have been published between 1789 and 2018. Her collection of receipts for culinary dishes and medicinals, and some household hints, titled My Book of Receipts, was held in the Castle Howard Archives. She included some French remedies acquired during her time abroad, as well as some requested from England in her correspondence, in this compilation. It can be read on line.

Isabella’s expenses exceeded her income and she accumulated significant debt. In the late 1770s, Frederick and the family sent Rev. John Warner to settle things (a sale of her jewellery and personal possessions was held) and conduct her back to England. She managed to evade returning to England, citing various excuses, and remained in Europe. Her credit was publicly ruined and, as a result of action taken by her family and the trustees, her income was reduced again. Embroidery became an interest during this trying period. She was reputed to be reclusive and eccentric as well. She left her home in Moulins, France when she chose to return to England in November, 1783. Fanny Burney was reluctant to meet her, considering her a “demi-rep”, (a woman who intrigues with men; compromised).

At some point, she returned to France to rejoin her baron. Subsequently, her second and final return to England happened in 1787. Her relationships with her children had been difficult after leaving Sir William Musgrave. Upon her return, she lived with her daughters or in the London house. Her finances were poor. Her children supported her but were reluctant to relinquish any of their own funds to provide her additional income, although they did look into establishing a pension for her. They were determined that she would not ruin the family, financially or otherwise.

It is interesting to note that, when THOUGHTS IN THE FORM OF MAXIMS ADDRESSED TO YOUNG LADIES ON THEIR FIRST ESTABLISHMENT IN THE WORLD was published in 1789, Isabella’s name as author was shown as Countess Dowager of Carlisle. I found no indication that she used Sir William’s name after she left, nor that either of them made any attempt at contact or reconciliation. She died on Jan 22, 1795, age 73. I was unable to determine the site of her burial. Sir William survived her, passing away January 3, 1800. She is not mentioned in his obituary in THE GENTLEMAN’s MAGAZINE.

SOURCES INCLUDE:

THESES: (A lot of information was gleaned from these works.)

Larsen, Ruth M. “Dynastic Domesticity: The Role of Elite Women in the Yorkshire Country House, 1685-1858.” 2003: University of York, Department of History. HERE

Day, Julie. “Elite Women and Household Management: Yorkshire, 1680-1810.” 2007: University of Leeds, School of History. HERE

Duncan, Andrew I. M. “A Study of the Life and Public Career of Frederick Howard, Fifth Earl of Carlisle, 1748-l825.” 1981: University College, Oxford. HERE

OTHER SOURCES:

Archives.org Thoughts in the Form of Maxims Addressed to Young Ladies on Their First Establishment in the World by Carlisle, Isabella Howard, Countess of, 1721-1795. Pre-1801 Imprint Collection (Library of Congress) DLC. HERE

Britishmuseum.org “Isabella Musgrave (Biographical details).” Sloan (Cat. No. 159). HERE

Castlehoward.co.uk HERE

GoogleBooks.com Troide, Lars E. and Cooke, Stewart J. THE EARLY JOURNALS AND LETTERS OF FANNY BURNEY, Volume V. 1782-1783. P. 449. 2012: McGill-Queen’s University Press. HERE; Roscoe, E. S. and Clergue, Helen, ed. GEORGE SELWYN: His Letters and His Life. 1899: T. Fisher Unwin, London. HERE; THE NEW PEERAGE; Or, Present State of the Nobility of England, Scotland, and Ireland: Containing an Account of the Peers, Their Descent and Collateral Branches, Their Births, Marriages and Issue, Also Their Paternal Coats of Arms, Crests, Supporters and Mottoes, Volume 1. 1769: R. Davis, London. HERE; Burke, John Esq. A GENERAL AND HERALDIC DICTIONARY OF THE PEERAGE AND BARONETAGE OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE, 4th edition, Volume I. 1832: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, London. HERE; Collins, Arthur Esq. THE PEERAGE OF ENGLAND; Containing a Genealogical and Historical Account of All of the Peers of the Kingdom, Now existing by Tenure, Summons or Creation. Volume III. 1768: London. HERE

Hathitrust.org THE GENTLEMAN’S MAGAZINE Vol. 70 Part I. 1800. P. 87. HERE ; Wharcliffe, Lord, ed. THE LETTERS AND WORKS OF LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE, 1689-1762, Vol. 2, 3rd edition. P. 120-121. 1861: Henry G. Bohn, London. HERE

Elizabethberkeleycraven.blogspot.com “A Question of Disputed Authorship?” posted November 10, 2017 by Julia Gasper. HERE

Womensprinthistoryproject.com “THOUGHTS IN THE FORM OF MAXIMS TO YOUNG LADIES, ON THEIR FIRST ESTABLISHMENT IN THE WORLD. BY THE COUNTESS DOWAGER OF CARLISLE.” HERE

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Lauren Gilbert was introduced to English authors early in life, and the passion has never left. An avid reader, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts English with a minor in Art History. She is a contributing writer to both volumes of CASTLES, CUSTOMS AND KINGS: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors. She has written two novels, including her new release, A RATIONAL ATTACHMENT. She is working on a non-fiction book about powerful women in Regency Europe, and is also researching material for another novel. Visit her website for more information.

The Infamous Countess of Carlisle

by Cryssa Bazos

One of the most intriguing characters in historical fiction is Milady de Winter of the Three Musketeers. Alexandre Dumas depicted her as a lethal spy whose loyalties were sold to the highest bidder, notably the Cardinal Richelieu.

The inspiration for Milady was a socialite and renowned beauty of her day, Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle. Though Lucy was not an agent of Cardinal Richelieu, she held court at a time of social upheaval when men were drawing battle lines against King Charles I. The real woman was even more fascinating than the fictional one.

Lucy Percy, by Anthony van Dyck
[Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons

Lucy Hay was born Lucy Percy in 1599 to Lady Dorothy Devereux and Henry Percy, the 9th Earl of Northumberland. Lady Devereux was the daughter of the Earl of Essex and Lettice Knollys whose second husband, Robert Dudley the Earl of Leicester, had once been a favourite of Queen Elizabeth, that is until he and Lettice married without the Queen’s permission. Through her maternal line, Lucy was the great, great granddaughter of Mary Boleyn, sister to Anne Boleyn.

On Lucy's father's side, the Percys were an old and respected bloodline having first arrived with William the Conqueror, and later, descendants of King Henry III. The family stood for centuries as the bulwark against Scottish and Welsh invasion of England. Given Lucy's stellar connections, she was well poised to be a courtly influence.

Unfortunately, her early years were marked by notoriety and not the favourable kind. When Lucy had been six years old, her father had been implicated in the Gunpowder Plot (to blow up Parliament and murder King James I) due to his kinship with one of the leading conspirators, Thomas Percy. For the next seventeen years, Lucy’s father was a prisoner of the Tower of London (along with famous prisoner Sir Walter Raleigh) and during this time Percy indulged his interest in alchemy and chemistry. He was committed to his experiments (even lost the hearing of one ear) and everyone called him the "Wizard Earl."  

While Henry languished in the Tower, Lucy’s mother tried to secure her husband’s release. She appealed to her friend Queen Anne, who put in a good word with her husband, King James I, but unfortunately the King levied a crippling fine that the Percys couldn’t afford and they found their estates seized. This was Lucy’s early introduction to the influence women could yield in politics as well as the fickleness of royal prerogative [1].

Sometime around 1617, Lucy Percy caught the eye of James Hay, who would become the 1st Earl of Carlisle. At the time he was a baron and a widower. Her father was furious. His imprisonment put him at a disadvantage to squelch his daughter's choice, particularly since his wife favoured the match. Henry Percy did not have a high opinion of the Scottish faction at court, the courtiers who had followed King James to England upon his ascension of the English throne, and James Hay was one of the King’s more extravagent favourites. Henry Percy had been reputed to say, “I am a Percy and I cannot endure that my daughter should dance any Scottish jig.”

James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle, by Unknown
National Portrait Gallery: NPG 5210
[Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons

James Hay was not considered a handsome man, but he was suave, charismatic and knew how to entertain in style. He introduced Lucy to a sophisticated set, lavished her with courtly masques, fine music and theatre. For an ambitious woman like Lucy, James Hay was irresistible. More importantly, he pulled her from the shadow of her father’s disgrace straight into the royal limelight.

In November 1617, Lucy became James Hay’s second wife. Her wedding was attended by the fashionable and the powerful, including Charles, Prince of Wales and George Villiers (later the Duke of Buckingham).

In the early days of Lucy’s marriage, her husband served as a Privy Councillor and a Groom of the Stool. Between 1618 and 1622, Hay travelled to foreign courts on behalf of the King, counselled the King on the growing troubles in Germany and recommended England’s support for the Protestants in Bohemia and the Palatinate. He was a voice for the Huguenots in France though not a successful one. In 1622, the King made him the 1st Earl of Carlisle and Lucy became a Countess.

Lucy flourished in the years to come, greatly celebrated for her  beauty and accomplishments. She had a gift for politics and intrigues, enjoyed poetry and theatre, and cultivated admirers by the score. In later years when she contracted small pox, the entire court feared that she would be disfigured. For a time, she wore masks to hide her healing face and managed to turn them into a fashion statement. Fortunately for Lucy, the disease did not leave lasting scars.

Men waxed poetic over Lucy’s charms. One admirer, John Suckling, wrote a risqué poem about the bewitching Countess of Carlisle in the form of a dialogue between himself and another admirer of hers, Thomas Carew. The poem was entitled, Upon My Lady Carlisle’s Walking in Hampton Court Gardens. Here is one of the stanzas:

“Twas well for thee she left the place;
There is great danger in that face.
But hadst thou viewed her leg and thigh,
And upon that discovery
Searched after parts that are more dear”

Lucy and James Hay’s star continued to rise after the ascension of the new king, Charles I, and the growing influence of his favourite, George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham. Lucy was rumoured to have been Buckingham’s mistress, and through Buckingham’s influence, she was appointed Lady of Queen Henrietta’s Bedchamber, while her husband received a similar honour for the King. 

It suited Buckingham to install Lucy as a companion to Queen Henrietta Maria, in order to be informed of the Queen’s visitors and activities. The Queen was passionately against Lucy's appointment. After all, Lucy was beautiful, witty and entirely Buckingham’s creature, and as her duties brought her in close contact with the King, Henrietta feared that Buckingham worked to install Lucy as the King's mistress. Charles was not so easily led astray and resisted Lucy’s charms; he even refused the Queen's petition to get rid of her. Over time, Lucy overcame the Henrietta's suspicions and became a close confident to her. Through her proximity to the Queen, Lucy became the centre of fashionable society, gathering poets and politicians within her circle. 

 

George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham
By Michiel van Mierevelt
[Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons

It was around this time when the story of the French Queen’s diamonds surfaced, made famous by Alexandre Dumas in The Three Musketeers. A 17th century French diarist, Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (Prince de Marcillac) wrote in his memoirs that Lucy stole the diamond studs that Anne of Austria, Queen of France, had given to her admirer Buckingham. Lucy's motives were reputed to be revenge for having been jilted by Buckingham by his obsession with the Queen. Dumas borrowed heavily from Rochefoucauld’s memoirs and created the  character of Milady de Winter in Lucy's image. 

James Hay meanwhile continued his diplomatic service for Charles I, engaging in intrigues against Cardinal Richelieu of France and was even named Governor of the Caribbees. Eventually his health failed, and he died in 1636.

Now Lucy found herself a wealthy widow, and it gave her a degree of freedom that she had never previously enjoyed before. Though she would not be shy of male companionship, she never remarried and so maintained her independence. During this chapter of her life, she fell in love with Thomas Wentworth, the Earl of Strafford. Intense, serious and ambitious, Strafford was the exact opposite of Lucy’s late husband.

Strafford had at one point been a vocal supporter for the rights of Parliament against royal prerogative, but he eventually switched sides to become one of the King’s most ardent supporters. As discontent against the King grew and the country headed toward civil war, Strafford became a scapegoat for the country's ills, and Parliament called for his impeachment. The impeachment failed but a bill of attainder was passed against him, and Charles I had no choice than to sign the attainder and seal Strafford's death. To read more about Strafford’s trial, see Strafford Must Die by Annie Whitehead.

Politically astute, Lucy managed to distance herself from Strafford so she was not brought low by his ruin. Lucy Hay was a survivor, after all. She switched sides and started passing information to one of Parliament’s most ardent advocates, John Pym. Some even said she became his mistress. Perhaps one of the most important pieces of information that she passed to Pym, and which was credited with igniting the spark of civil war, was a warning that the King was planning to arrest Pym and four of his companions. Pym managed to escape, and a week later, he returned triumphant to Parliament to resume his crusade against the King.

When the English Civil War broke out in 1642, Lucy favoured Parliament, though she took care to not entirely burn her bridges on the other side. She had a growing aversion to royal prerogative. Lucy favoured moderation, where the nobility retained their privilege instead of being irrelevant by the whims of the king. By the end of the 1st civil war, when it became apparent that Parliament was being circumvented by a fanatic Puritan faction, moderate Lucy switched sides to help spy for the Royalists. 

During the second civil war (1647-1648), Lucy raised funds for the king and acted as a go-between the Royalists in the north and Queen Henrietta. In the end, all her efforts were for naught. The King was captured and in January 1649, executed.

Two months later, Parliament arrested Lucy and sent her to the Tower of London for questioning. They threatened her with torture but could not break her. Lucy remained in the Tower for eighteen months, ironically not far from where her father had been kept all those years. Eventually she was paroled and released.

In the final years of Cromwell’s Protectorate, Lucy became a Royalist agent, joining others who worked to restore Charles II to his father's throne. A few short months after the Restoration, on November 5, 1660, Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle quietly passed away. 

Femme fatale, informant, spy, Lucy Hay was a fascinating character. Alexandre Dumas obviously agreed.


Further reading:

Court Lady and Country Wife: Royal Privilege and Civil War (Two Noble Sisters in 17th century England), by Lita-Rose Betcherman.

[1] The English Civil War: A People’s History, by Diane Purkiss

Poem of the week: Upon My Lady Carlisle’s Walking in Hampton Court Gardens by John Suckling.

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Cryssa Bazos is historical fiction writer and 17th century enthusiast with a particular interest in the English Civil War. Her debut novel, Traitor's Knot, will be published by Endeavour Press and will be released in 2017. For more stories about the English Civil War and the 17th century, visit her blog cryssabazos.com. Follow Cryssa on Twitter (@CryssaBazos) and on Facebook.