Toby and Duchess. Portrait by Steven Ashmore
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The Toby and Duchess. Portrait by Steven Ashmore 124 S&P DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015 Duchess When Kate Middleton became Duchess of Cambridge she made an old title modernagain and caused people to look afresh at adying breed: the non-royal duchess.Author JANE DISMORE tracks down some remaining membersofthatendangered species to examine the role of non-royal duchesses in the 21st centurywhen privilege is not apopular concept Diaries DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015 S&P 125 he Houses of the Oireachtas became DukeofCambridge,Catherine his Duchess, and thereis hosted twospecial visitorswhen no reason to suppose the practice will not continue. the 9th DukeofLeinster returned Giving the title of‘duchess’ to someone as young and modernas to his ancestral seatwith his Kate wastomakeitfresh, even desirable again.With her glossy Duchess in 2011. Leinster House, hair and common touch, she not onlybreathed newlife into originallycalled KildareHouse, the British monarchy,she renewedawareness of Britain’sother wasbuilt by the Duke’sancestor, duchesses, the non-royals.For non-royal dukedoms the future James FitzGerald, around 1747 is not bright.Theyare dukedoms created by monarchs over the T when he was20th Earl of Kildare. centuries for noblemen outside the royalfamily, for exemplary After centuries of the earls personal service.Ofall non-royal titles, these were the highest running Ireland on behalf of England’smonarchs, in 1766 James accolade,sotherewerealwaysveryfew of them. The greatest waselevated to 1st DukeofLeinster by George III, making him number to exist at one time was40, at the end of George I’s the Premier Duke, Marquess and Earl in the Peerage of Ireland. reign in 1727. By 1930 thatnumber wasdownto31and now As well as the renamed Leinster House,the familyenjoyed 24. medievalKilkea Castle and Carton House in County Kildare. So who arethe rarenon-royal duchesses today? Manynever Time changes things, of course.When Edward FitzGerald, rebel speak publically, and if theydo, it is rarelyabout personal son of James and his Duchess Emily, died in 1798 in the fight matters. Of the ten who featureinmybook, some areknown by for aRepublic,hecould neverhavedreamed thatone dayhis the statelyhomes theystill occupyand whichvisitorsfromall family’shome would house the Irish Parliament. But although over the world enjoy—whichisfortunate because,given their the property and powerofthe Dukes of Leinster have long gone, cripplinglyexpensiveupkeep,suchhouses rely increasinglyon today’stitle holders, Maurice and Fiona FitzGerald, remain part the fascination of the world with Britain’sheritage. The Duchess of St.Albans, whose dukeisadescendant of Charles II and his mistress, Nell Gwyn, says thatsons can be “a disappointment”, while women can be “so responsible” of ararespecies: the non-royal dukeand duchess. Thereisthe Duchess of Northumberland at AlnwickCastle, The recent deaths of Debo,the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, popularlyknown these days as alocation for the Harry Potter and the 11th DukeofMarlborough, serve as areminder of films; the Duchess of Bedford at Woburn Abbey, with its this increasingly-endangered species.Their ancestral seats much-lovedSafariPark; Rutland at Belvoir Castle,Buccleuch —ChatsworthHouse in Derbyshireand Blenheim Palace, at Boughton House,Northamptonshire; in Scotland, Argyll Oxfordshire—are among Britain’sbest-known statelyhomes. at InverarayCastle.LikeLeinster,not all the duchesses still Yetofover800 hereditarytitles in Britain today, thereare only enjoysuchhouses.Those who do work phenomenallyhard in 24 non-royal dukes and, for reasons of death or divorce,fewer maintaining them; those who do not arefullyinvolved with duchesses. other commitments, especiallycharities.The duchesses differ The non-royal dukes sit with their duchesses just one branch greatlyinage,background and circumstances.However,they down from royalty on the aristocratic tree.Thereare those who have in common apride in being married into families which hold much older titles, suchasearls and barons, butdukes are helped shape Britain’shistory. the onlyones entitled to be addressed by the monarchas“right eforethe titles by whichtheyare identified become trusty and entirelybelovedcousins”. To everyone else theyare no morethan aquaint reminder of Britain’spast, it “Your Grace”. seemed right to record them, for it is unlikelythat The highest-ranking dukeisalwaysroyal and always the heir B anymorenon-royal dukedoms will be created.The apparent: the sovereign’seldest son, who inherits the title of last wasFife,created by QueenVictoria for the Earl DukeofCornwall.Thatwas the first English dukedom, created of Fife,twice: first in 1889, when he married her granddaughter, in 1337 by Edward III for his eldest son, the BlackPrince.Today’s Princess Louise,eldest daughter of the Prince and Princess of holder is Prince Charles, who is also the DukeofRothesay, the Wales.When it looked as though therewould be no male heir to secondarytitle of the sovereign’sheir apparent in Scotland. continue the dukedom,Victoria created the title again in 1900, The latest ducal title to be conveyedbythe Queen to amember allowing the dukedom to pass to Fife’sdaughtersindefault of a of her familywas in 2011, when her grandson Prince William son, and then to the male heirsofthose daughters. 126 S&P DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015 Generally, though, historyhas shown howrareitisfor aduchess and between 1834 and 1858 she had fourteen children. James’s to inherit in her ownright. Usuallythe title is achievedonly appointments meant he and Louisa spent much time in Ireland. by marriage,although in Scotland slightlymorewomen have In 1844 he wasappointed Lord Lieutenant of Donegal, apost held the title themselves.Theyinclude Anne,3rd Duchess of he held until his death, and in 1866 became Lord Lieutenant of Hamilton, who at 19 inherited the title from her uncle during Ireland.With their younger children, the youngest of whom was the Civil War; and Alexandra, Duchess of Fife,onthe death of eight, theymoved to Dublin, living for most of the year in the her father the 1st Duke, in 1912. Viceregal Lodge,Phoenix Park (nowÁras an Uachtaráin), and he Queen offered adukedom to Winston from JanuarytoMarchatDublin Castle. Churchill after he retired as Prime Minister in It wasadifficult period. However, Queen Victoria recognised 1955, butafter giving it careful consideration he the efforts of her Lord Lieutenant and in 1868 made James 1st Tdeclined, as the Parliament Act 1911 would have DukeofAbercorn. Even though four of their children did not prevented his spending his last days in the House survive, when the widowedDuchess died in 1905, age 92, she of Commons as he wanted to do. left 169 direct living descendants.Among them were twodukes Today’snon-royal dukedoms aremorelikelytodie out than be and twofuturedukes, and twoofher daughtersmarried dukes. created.The (royal) Duchess of Cambridge mayhavecaused the Even Princes William and Harry areconnected to her.The rules of succession to the throne to be changed to allowagirl Duchess is known as the ‘Golden Link’ thatconnected around to inherit, butthe non-royal duchesses arestill subject to the 50 families in the United Kingdom, and at least twooftoday’s same pressureastheywerecenturies ago: to produce amale dukedoms continue from her. heir.The title of duke, likeall hereditarytitles, is granted with The 1st Duke’sancestorshad owned land in Ireland since 1610, a‘remainder’, or instructions as to whom the title must pass — when, as partofthe Plantation, theyweregranted land in Co. usuallyamale.The most recent non-royal dukedom to become Tyrone,including the estate of Baronscourt. Today, another As females cannot inherit titles in most cases, it means thatsome have either died out or passed to adistant relative. Sometimes that person has had little or no interest extinct wasPortland in 1990, with the death of the 9th Duke; James Hamilton, the 5th Duke—the onlynobleman to hold his onlyson had predeceased him. (However, the title Earl titles in the peerages of Ireland, Scotland and GreatBritain — of Portland continues and is currentlyheld by actor Timothy still lives therewith his wife.In2006 Sacha Abercornreceived Bentnick, the 12th Earl, who plays David Archer in BBC Radio the Princess Grace Humanitarian Award of the Ireland Fund of 4’sdrama series, The Archers.) Monaco for her work on trauma following the Omagh bombing. One of the duchesses who agreed to be interviewedhad This wasfollowedin2008 by the OBE for her work with three daughtersbeforethe requisite ‘heir and aspare’. She the Pushkin Trust, whichshe founded to help children in the wasdelighted with her bundles of joy—onlytoreceive Republic and in NorthernIreland. As farasher ownchildren commiserations from ‘well-wishers’ advising her on howto areconcerned, today’sDuchess has been moremoderate than have aboy.The late 9th DukeofBuccleuch, on hearing thathis her predecessor,with twosons and adaughter.Continuity is daughter-in-law, the futureduchess, had had agirl, immediately assured, at least for now. cancelled the planned celebrations.Another duchess wastold by sfemales cannot inherit titles in most cases, it the familyhistorian at the startofher marriage thatitwas down means thatsome have either died out or passed to her to ensurethe continuation of the dukedom, as therewere to adistant relative. Sometimes thatperson has no moremales. A had little or no interest and, as property usually Eachoftoday’sduchesses in the book also chooses afavourite passes with atitle,the situation has seen estates predecessor in the role.Some