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Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland


(b. Feb. 11, 1715, London, England – d. July 17, 1785, Bulstrode Park, Buckinghamshire )

Gender: F

Margaret Cavendish Harley (1715-1785), was the only surviving child of Edward Harley, the 2nd and his wife, Lady Henrietta Holles (1694-1755), who was herself the only child and heir of the 1st Duke of Newcastle and his wife, the former Lady Margaret Cavendish. On 11 July 1734, she married William Bentinck, Duke of Portland, and they had six children. Her husband died in 1761 and she was known as the Dowager Duchess of Portland until her death in 1785. She was a great collector of plants, animals and natural history specimens, as well as works of art. Her most famous acquisition was the Portland Vase, a Roman cameo glass vase which she bought from Sir William Hamilton and is now in the British Museum. The entire collection was sold at auction following her death. She gave a refuge to Elizabeth Elstob, the Anglo-Saxon scholar, whom she made tutor to her children, and also took Mary Delany to live with her after the death of her second husband. In her youth, Margaret Harley was a close friend of Elizabeth Montagu, who visited her at Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire. Elizabeth’s first letter to her was written when she was eleven years old and Margaret was eighteen

Also known as:

  • Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (née  Harley)
  • Duchess of Portland

Authorities

Electronic Enlightenment DOIexternal link
Oxford DNB DOIexternal link
VIAF Authority File IDexternal link
Wikipediaexternal link

Mentioned in 25 letters

Title EMCO ID
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 15
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 123
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 130
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 144
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 165
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 168
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 172
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 181
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 1252
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 1803
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 1818
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 1830
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 1842
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 1855
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 1872
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Mary Robinson 2124
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 2170
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 2172
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 2179
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 2183
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 2184
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 2191
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 2195
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to James Beattie 3019
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 4208

Recipient of 326 letters

Showing transcribed and un-transcribed letters | show transcribed only

Title Sent Received EMCO ID
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 29
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 30
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 31
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 32
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 33
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 34
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 35
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 36
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 37
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 38
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 39
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 40
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 41
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 42
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 43
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 44
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 45
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 46
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 47
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 0/0/0 48

Please note that all dates and location information are provisional, initially taken from the library and archive catalogues. As our section editors continue to work through the material we will update our database and the changes will be reflected across the edition.

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