Caroline Stanhope, Countess of Harrington

Caroline Stanhope, Countess of Harrington (née Lady Caroline FitzRoy; 8 April 1722 – 26 June 1784) was a British socialite and demimonde. After being blackballed by the English social group The Female Coterie, she founded The New Female Coterie, a social club of courtesans and "fallen women" that met in a brothel. Known for her infidelity and bisexuality, she was nicknamed the "Stable Yard Messalina" due to her adulterous lifestyle. Her "colourful" life is often contrasted with that of her daughter-in-law, Jane Stanhope, Countess of Harrington, who was viewed as a respectable member of British high society.

Caroline Stanhope
Countess of Harrington
Portrait of Lady Caroline FitzRoy by Richard Cosway
BornCaroline FitzRoy
8 April 1722
Died26 June 1784
Noble familyFitzRoy (by birth)
Stanhope (by marriage)
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1746; died 1779)​
Issue
FatherCharles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton
MotherLady Henrietta Somerset
OccupationSocialite, demimonde

Family

Lady Caroline was born on 8 April 1722, the fifth child of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton and Lady Henrietta Somerset, the daughter of Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester.[1][2]

Lady Caroline married William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington on 11 August 1746. Together they had seven children, including Isabella Molyneux, Countess of Sefton and Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington.[3] Lady Caroline and her husband were both notorious for their extramarital affairs, but they chose to stay married to prevent the scandal of divorce.[4][5] Lady Caroline was reportedly bisexual and had male and female lovers.[6]

The New Female Coterie

Due to her rather scandalous reputation in society, Lady Caroline was blackballed from The Female Coterie, an elite social group, affiliated with Almack's, for members of London's high society. Lady Caroline instead founded her own group, The New Female Coterie, which included other members of the British upper class who were shunned by high society due to their reputations, particularly for women who had been guilty of committing adultery.[7][5] The meetings were held in a brothel owned by Sarah Prendergast. Seymour Fleming, Lady Worsley, the sister of Lady Caroline's daughter-in-law, was among the members of the new club.[1]

Lady Caroline was nicknamed "Stable Yard Messalina" by the press.[8][9] The nickname was a reference to Empress Messalina, the controversial wife of Roman Emperor Claudius, and to the Harrington home in St James's Park, located near the stable yard.[10] Town & Country published a story accusing her of having affairs with all echelons of society "from a monarch down to a hairdresser."[5]

Legacy

Lady Caroline is a subject in the books In Bed with the Georgians: Sex, Scandal & Satire in the 18th Century by Mike Rendell, The Lady in Red: An Eighteenth-Century Tale of Sex, Scandal, and Divorce by Hallie Rubenhold, and Through the Keyhole: Sex, Scandal and the Secret Life of the Country House by Susan Law.

References
  1. "Caroline, Countess of Harrington and The New Female Coterie". Oct 23, 2016. Retrieved Dec 31, 2019.
  2. "The Town and country magazine; or Universal repository of knowledge, instruction, and entertainment". Dec 31, 1780. Retrieved Dec 31, 2019 – via Google Books.
  3. "Person Page". thepeerage.com. Retrieved Dec 31, 2019.
  4. Burford, E. J. (1988). Royal St. James's: being a story of kings, clubmen and courtesans. Hale. p. 208. ISBN 0-7090-3274-9.
  5. Rubenhold, Hallie (Jul 7, 2009). The Lady in Red: An Eighteenth-Century Tale of Sex, Scandal, and Divorce. Macmillan. ISBN 9780312359942. Retrieved Dec 31, 2019 – via Google Books.
  6. Linnane, Fergus (Oct 24, 2011). Madams: Bawds & Brothel-Keepers of London. The History Press. ISBN 9780752473383. Retrieved Dec 31, 2019 – via Google Books.
  7. Rubenhold, Hallie (2008). Lady Worsley's Whim. London: Vintage Books. p. 175.
  8. Drawings, British Museum Dept of Prints and (Dec 31, 1883). "Catalogue of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum: A.D. 1761 to c. A.D. 1770". by order of the Trustees. Retrieved Dec 31, 2019 – via Google Books.
  9. "The Stable Y-d Macaroni / Macaronies, Characters, Caricatures &c by MDarly. [1772] (Vol.4)". British Museum. Retrieved Dec 31, 2019.
  10. Law, Susan (Apr 6, 2015). Through the Keyhole: Sex, Scandal and the Secret Life of the Country House. The History Press. ISBN 9780750964517. Retrieved Dec 31, 2019 – via Google Books.
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