Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Suffolk, Henrietta Hobart Howard, Countess of, 1688?-1767
- Abstract:
- Collection of letters to and from Henrietta Hobart Howard, Countess of Suffolk.
- Extent:
- 40 items
- Language:
- The records are in English .
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of letters which shed light on the activities and social life of the Countess of Suffolk and her circle. Included are an anonymous but purportedly first-hand account of the alleged murder of Samuel Molyneux by the physician Nathaniel St. Andre, and Sir Walter Scott's autograph review of the 1824 edition of the publication of the Countess's letters. There is little in the collection concerning George II or Court politics.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Henrietta Hobart, daughter of Sir Henry Hobart, 4th Bart., married in 1706 Charles Howard, afterward 9th Earl of Suffolk (1675-1733). She was the acknowledged mistress of the Prince of Wales (afterward George II), and a Lady of the Bedchamber to his wife, Princess (later Queen) Caroline. As such, the countess was much courted for favor and patronage, and was also well known in literary circles of the time. She retired from Court in 1734, and the following year, married, for a second husband, the Hon. George Berkeley (d. 1746). She died in 1767 at the age of 86. A selection of her letters, edited by John Wilson Croker, was published in 1824.
- Acquisition information:
- Purchased from George D. Smith, 1920s.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2191