Leaders of Society
Lord Alvanley (1789 – 1849)
Regarded by some as the wittiest man of his day and a dandy to rival Brummell, William Arden, the 2nd Baron Alvanley was a popuar... Read More →
Beau Brummell (1778-1840)
George Bryan Brummell, known as the Beau, was the most important arbiter of fashion during the Regency. He rose to the highest levels of... Read More →
Lady Castlereagh (1772 – 1829)
Amelia (known as Emily) Stewart, Viscountess Castlereagh, was another of the lady patronesses of Almack’s. She was the daughter of the Earl of Buckinghamshire... Read More →
Emily, Lady Cowper (1787 – 1869)
Emily was the daughter of the infamous Lady Melbourne, whose many affairs clouded the paternity of many of her children, including Emily. Her eldest... Read More →
Mrs. Drummond-Burrell (1786 – 1865)
Clementina Drummond-Burrell was the only surviving child of James Drummond, 11th Earl of Perth. She married Peter Robert Burrell, a great dandy of the... Read More →
Princess Esterhazy (1794 – 1874)
Princess Esterhazy was born Princess Theresa of Thurn and Taxis and married Prince Paul III Anton Esterhazy, the Austrian Ambassador to England. Princess Lieven... Read More →
Emma Hamilton (1765 – 1815)
Born Amy Lyons, the daughter of a blacksmith, she later changed her name to Emma Hart when she entered the world of prostitution in... Read More →
Lady Jersey (1786 – 1867)
Lady Sarah Sophia Fane, daughter of the Earl of Westmoreland, married the 5th Earl of Jersey and became a leader of London society as... Read More →
Caroline Lamb (1785 – 1828)
Lady Caroline Ponsonby was the daughter of the Earl (and the notorious Countess) of Bessborough, and grew up in the household of her equally... Read More →
Countess Lieven (1785 – 1857)
Born in Latvia, Dorothea Benckendorff married Count Lieven, who was the Russian ambassador to England from 1812 to 1834. The countess immediately became a... Read More →
Lady Sefton (1769 – 1851)
Maria Molyneux, Lady Sefton, was born Maria Margaret Craven, daughter of William Craven, 6th Baron Craven, and Lady Elizabeth Berkley. She married William Phillip... Read More →
Harriet Wilson (1786 – 1846)
An infamous courtesan who took London by storm with her sisters Amy and Sophia, Harriet was the daughter of a humble Swiss clock maker.... Read More →