HISTORY
HISTORY
Georgina, Duchess of Bedford Drinking tea in a comfortable lounge at Hotel Endsleigh I am struck by the woman who shaped this valley two hundred years ago. A woman described by some as manipulative and magnetic, by others fashionable, beautiful and playful, she brought a little Regency decadence to rural Devon. Born in 1781 at Gordon castle in Banffshire to the Duke and Duchess of Gordon she was no stranger to the aristocracy and grew up amidst the most influential political, cultural and social movers and shakers of her time. Her mother, who could have been a model for Austin’s Mrs Bennet, had high hopes for her daughter and sought an engagement with one of the wealthiest men in England, Francis the 5th Duke of Bedford. However his untimely death in 1803 led to a change of plans and Georgina instead married his brother John, the next in line. John at this time was a widower with three sons. He and Georgina were to have twelve further children. On her marriage Georgina became Duchess of Bedford, mistress of Woburn. The Duke and Duchess wanted to create a rural retreat, somewhere to escape from courtly life at Woburn.
Deep in the Tamar valley, Georgina found Endsleigh, a small farmstead and decided to make it into a shooting and fishing lodge. The view from the thatched cottage was reminiscent of the Highlands and was perhaps part of the appeal for the Duchess. This home was to become their special place and the Duke indulged Georgina allowing her to let her imagination and budget run wild. The most fashionable landscape gardener Humphry Repton, who had already worked at Woburn, and the architect Jeffry Wyatt (later Wyatville) were employed to shape the house and grounds into a modern home to suit the Bedford’s lifestyle in the “picturesque” style, known as Cottage Orné. The main house was built over six years from local Hurdwick stone and wood. It was designed to accommodate their large family, being made up of two cottage blocks, the main house and the nursery wing with small cosy rooms, linked by a corridor and curved garden for the children called the Parterre. Georgina was a modern mother, her study overlooked the Parterre and she often spent time playing with her children. Work on the gardens and outbuildings continued after the main house was built. In the arboretum every tree was carefully chosen by the Duke and Duchess. It still contains hundreds of specimen trees of arboreal and historical importance, many noted in the Champion Book of Trees of Great Britain. Georgina’s unfettered romanticism led to the creation of a faux Swiss cottage overlooking the river and a miniature dairy where she and her friends played at farming. Despite their devotion for each other, both the Duke and the
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Duchess took lovers. In her forties Georgina began a lasting affair with the artist Edwin Landseer, twenty years her junior. She was to become the love of his life and he made many intimate portraits of the Bedford family, especially Georgina and her last child, Lady Rachel who was rumoured to have been his. The Duke died in 1839 at the age of 73. These were difficult days for Georgina. Her step son Francis, the new heir to the Bedford estate cut her off from the family. She did not regret giving up Woburn, but the place she really missed was Endsleigh. Bereft, she divided her time between London and Scotland, and finally as her health deteriorated, a villa in Nice. She died in 1853 with her daughter Rachel by her side. After her death most of Landseer’s pictures and drawings were kept in the family and shared between her children. In order to pay death duties Endsleigh was sold in the 1960’s. The Endsleigh Fishing Club was formed in order to buy the house and maintain the fishing rights on this stunning stretch of river. In 2004 Olga Polizzi bought the property complete with many original fittings rewww.tavylinks.co.uk
storing it to its former glory and creating in this idyllic setting Hotel Endsleigh and the Gardens we know today. Georgina was a remarkable modern woman; she was the child of controversial political parents, second wife to a Duke, a stepmother who in her forties took a young lover. She lived in the epicentre of high society during the selfindulgent Regency era, surrounded by powerful figures from her mother to her step son, the Prime Minister Lord John Russell. In her honour the hotel runs a Georgina’s members club for locals who share an interest in the house and its surroundings. It was Georgina’s passion, sanctuary and home, and today remains a beautiful, peaceful, rustic yet understated elegant place to visit. Nichola Williams
FAMILY HISTORY Trained historian and professional genealogist provides illustrated reports telling the story of your ancestors and their times, family trees, or help with your own research. Request a free information leaflet. Free initial consultation. fhistoryresearch@gmail.com www.family-historyresearch.co.uk 59