Gertrude Russell, Duchess of Bedford (15 February 1715 – 1 July 1794), formerly the Hon. Gertrude Leveson-Gower, was the second wife of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford. She was the eldest daughter of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower, and his wife, the former Lady Evelyn Pierrepont. [1] She married the Duke of Bedford on 2 April 1737.
The earl's first wife, the former Lady Diana Spencer, had died in 1735, of tuberculosis; [2] Diana's only child by the earl - John Russell, Marquess of Tavistock - had died in infancy. Following her marriage, Gertrude brought with her to the household at Woburn Abbey her former nurse, a Mrs Cradock, whose son Thomas became a clergyman and poet. [3]
The duchess was described by Horace Walpole as being "stingy" and "avaricious". [4] Nevertheless, in 1748 she held a ball which was attended by the King George II, which was described by Henry Fielding as "a most noble entertainment". [5] It was also said that she "understood thoroughly the value of court smiles", and in 1762 she attended the French court at Versailles in an ambassadorial role. [6]
She was interested in art; her portrait was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1756 and is held in the collection at the family seat of Woburn Abbey. [7] She was also painted by Thomas Hudson. She is believed to have been an amateur artist, though not a skilled one. [4]
The duke and duchess had two children:
The duchess died at the age of 79 and was buried on 7 July 1794 at Chenies, Buckinghamshire. [1]
Gower Street, London, is named after the duchess. [8]
Woburn Abbey, occupying the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford. Although it is still a family home to the current duke, it is open on specified days to visitors, along with the diverse estate surrounding it, including the historic landscape gardens and deer park, as well as more recently added attractions including Woburn Safari Park, a miniature railway and a garden/visitor centre. It was built by William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh.
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, was a British Whig statesman and peer who served as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1757 to 1761. A leading member of the Whig party during the Seven Years' War, he negotiated the 1763 Treaty of Paris which ended the conflict. Bedford was also an early promoter of cricket and a patron of the arts who commissioned numerous works from prominent artists, most notably Canaletto.
Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford was an English aristocrat and Whig politician, responsible for much of the development of central Bloomsbury.
(Henry) Robin Ian Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford was a British peer, stockbroker and animal conservationist. He became well known to the public by appearing in three series of the BBC reality television programme Country House. During his childhood he was styled by the courtesy title Lord Howland, one of his grandfather's lesser titles, and from 1953 and for most of his adult life was styled by the courtesy title Marquess of Tavistock, his father's senior subsidiary title, and as he survived his father by only 7+1⁄2 months, he himself held the dukedom for that short period during 2002–2003.
Duke of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom which was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford. A series of marriages to heiresses by members of the Leveson-Gower family made the dukes of Sutherland one of the richest landowning families in the United Kingdom. The title remained in the Leveson-Gower family until the death of the 5th Duke of Sutherland in 1963, when it passed to the 5th Earl of Ellesmere from the Egerton family.
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford,, known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician who notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was the father of Prime Minister John Russell, 1st Earl Russell.
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, KG PC, known as Viscount Trentham from 1746 to 1754 and as The Earl Gower from 1754 to 1786, was a British politician from the Leveson-Gower family. Sitting in the House of Lords, he spent a quarter of a century in the Cabinet.
John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower, PC was an English Tory politician and peer who twice served as Lord Privy Seal from 1742 to 1743 and 1744 to 1754. Leveson-Gower also served in the Parliament of Great Britain, where he sat in the House of Lords as a leading member of the Tories, prior to switching his political affiliation and serving in various Whig-led government ministries until his death in 1754.
John Ian Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford, styled Lord Howland until 1940, and styled Marquess of Tavistock from 1940 until 1953, was a writer and a British peer. As a businessman, the Duke and J. Chipperfield founded Woburn Safari Park, a commercial addition and expansion of the tourist business of Woburn Abbey, the family seat.
Lord Arthur John Edward Russell was a British Liberal Party politician.
Francis Almeric Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill DCL FRS was a British peer and Whig politician from the Spencer family.
Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock was a British politician and heir apparent to the dukedom of Bedford until his death in 1767.
Diana Russell, Duchess of Bedford, was a member of the Spencer family, chiefly remembered because of an unsuccessful attempt to arrange a marriage for her with Frederick, Prince of Wales.
John FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory FRS DL, styled Lord Gowran from 1751–8, was an Anglo-Irish peer, soldier, and member of parliament.
Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland RRC was a Scottish society hostess, social reformer, author, editor, journalist, and playwright, often using the pen name Erskine Gower. Her first husband was Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland. By her two later marriages, she was known as Lady Millicent Fitzgerald and Lady Millicent Hawes, the latter of which was the name she used at the time of her death.
Henrietta Russell, Dowager Duchess of Bedford is a landowner and horse breeder, and the widow of Robin Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford, with whom she lived at Woburn Abbey. Until her husband succeeded to the Dukedom in 2002, she was better known as the Marchioness of Tavistock.
Elizabeth Manners, Duchess of Rutland was an English aristocrat.
Charlotte Sophia Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort, formerly Lady Charlotte Sophia Leveson-Gower, was the wife of Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort.
Caroline Spencer, Duchess of Marlborough, formerly Lady Caroline Russell, was the wife of George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough.
Anne Russell, Duchess of Bedford, formerly Lady Anne Egerton, was the wife of Wriothesley Russell, 3rd Duke of Bedford, and, following his death, of William Villiers, 3rd Earl of Jersey. She was the mother of the 4th Earl of Jersey.