Anne Wellesley

Lady Charles Cavendish-Bentinck (born Anne Wellesley) was born on 29 February 1788. She passed away on 19 March 1875. She was also known between 1806 and 1816 as Lady Abdy. She was a British aristocrat and a direct ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II, being her great-great-grandmother.

Family Background:

Anne Wellesley was the daughter of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley. Her mother was Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland, an actress at the Palais Royal, who was a mistress to Richard Wellesley. Her parents married on 29 March 1794, six years after her birth, and at that time she was legally legitimized. Her paternal grandparents were Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington, and Anne Hill, who was the daughter of Arthur Hill-Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon. Her paternal uncles included Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington; William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington; and Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley.

Marriages and Children:

On 3 July 1806, Anne Wellesley married Sir William Abdy, 7th Baronet. Their marriage lasted nine years and was childless. During her marriage to Sir William Abdy, she became romantically involved with Lord Charles Cavendish-Bentinck, a younger son of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, who served as British Prime Minister. Anne and Lord Charles eloped together on 5 September 1815. Following this elopement, Sir William Abdy initiated legal proceedings for criminal conversation (adultery), seeking £30,000 in damages. He was awarded £7,000. During discussions of the divorce in the House of Lords, a provision that typically prevented remarriage was removed. Sir William Abdy was granted a divorce by royal consent through a special Act of Parliament on 25 June 1816.

Anne and Lord Charles Cavendish-Bentinck married on 23 July 1816, shortly after the divorce, which allowed their first child, born three weeks later, to be legitimate. They had four children:

- Anne Hyacinthe Cavendish-Bentinck (1 September 1816 – 7 June 1888)

- Emily Cavendish-Bentinck (died 6 June 1850), who married Reverend Henry Hopwood and had children

- Reverend Charles William Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck (8 November 1817 – 17 August 1865), who was the father of Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck, the maternal grandmother of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and the great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II

- Lieutenant-General Arthur Cavendish-Bentinck (10 May 1819 – 11 December 1877), who married twice, first to Elizabeth Sophia Hawkins-Whitshed, with whom he was the father of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, and second to Augusta Browne, 1st Baroness Bolsover, with whom he was the parent of Lady Ottoline Morrell.

Family Ancestry:

Anne Wellesley's paternal lineage includes notable aristocratic figures in British history, linking her to prominent noble families and historical figures across generations.

References and External Links:

Her biography can be further explored at sources such as Worldroots.com. Her life and marriages are documented in historical texts concerning British noble families and notable scandals that influenced history.