Anne Horton

{{Short description|Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn (1743–1808)}} {{about||the British physicist and academic|Ann Horton|the courtesan known as Mrs Horton|Anne Parsons}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox royalty | name = Anne Horton | image = File:Anne, Duchess of Cumberland - Gainsborough 1773-77.jpg | caption = Portrait by [[Thomas Gainsborough]], 1773–77 | title = Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Christopher Horton|4 August 1765|1768|end=died}} * {{marriage|[[Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn]]|2 October 1771|18 September 1790|end=died}} }} | father = {{nowrap|[[Simon Luttrell, 1st Earl of Carhampton]]}} | mother = Judith Maria Lawes | birth_name = Anne Luttrell | birth_date = {{birth date|1743|1|24|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Marylebone]], [[London]], [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1808|12|28|1743|1|24|df=y}} | death_place = [[Trieste]], [[Austrian Empire]] }}

'''Anne, Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn''' ([[née]] '''Luttrell''', later '''Horton'''; 24 January 1743 – 28 December 1808) was a member of the [[British royal family]], the wife of [[Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn]], brother of King George III. Her sister was Lady Elizabeth Luttrell who was her companion and managed her home.

==Early life== Anne was born on 24 January 1743 in [[Marylebone]], [[London]],<ref name=anneandliz>{{Cite ODNB |last=Kilburn |first=Matthew |title=Henry Frederick, Prince, duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (1745–1790) |date=2004-09-23 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-12963 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/12963 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |access-date=2022-12-24}}</ref> and baptised on 17 February 1742 at St Marylebone, Westminster.<ref name="London Metropolitan Archives">[https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/287025:1624 London Metropolitan Archives via Ancestry.com]</ref> She was the daughter of [[Simon Luttrell, 1st Earl of Carhampton|Simon Luttrell]], later first [[Earl of Carhampton]], and his wife, Judith Maria Lawes, daughter of [[Sir]] [[Nicholas Lawes]], [[Governor of Jamaica]]. Her younger sister and close companion, Elizabeth, was born on 3 February 1744 in London.<ref name=anneandliz/>

Her father was a Member of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] before being created [[Baron Irnham]] in 1768, [[Viscount Carhampton]] in 1781 and [[Earl of Carhampton]] in 1785.

==Marriages== Anne was first married to a [[Derbyshire]] gentleman, Christopher Horton (sometimes spelt Houghton) of [[Catton Hall]], on 4 August 1765.<ref>''[[The Gentleman's Magazine]]'', vol. 35, August 1765. [https://books.google.com/books?id=-nLPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA395 p. 395].</ref>

She was later widowed and married [[Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn]], the sixth child of [[Frederick, Prince of Wales]], and [[Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]], and a younger brother of [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]]. Their marriage took place at [[Hertford Street]] in [[Mayfair]], London on 2 October 1771. [[File:Thomas Gainsborough - Henry, Duke of Cumberland (1745-90) with the Duchess of Cumberland (1743-1808) and Lady Elizabeth Lu... - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|Thomas Gainsborough's painting of Henry, Duke of Cumberland, with the Duchess of Cumberland and Lady Elizabeth Luttrell in attendance]] George III did not approve of the marriage as Anne was a commoner and previously married. He later had the [[Royal Marriages Act 1772]] passed to prevent any descendant of [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] marrying without the consent of the sovereign, a law which remained in effect until the passage of the [[Succession to the Crown Act 2013]], which, in addition to several other modifications, limited the requirement to obtain royal consent to only the first six persons in line to the throne (rather than all descendants). As the Act's provisions could not be applied retroactively, Anne and the Duke's marriage was considered valid.

The Cumberlands moved to York House, renamed [[Cumberland House]], on [[Pall Mall, London|Pall Mall]] and lived there until the Duke's death in 1790. The house became an alternative court as the Duke was in open dispute with his mother and brother. The court was successful and Anne's sister Elizabeth Luttrell took a good share of the credit. She had been a witness at her sister's secret wedding and the couple had given her her own wing of Cumberland House. The Duke's finances were maintained by gambling tables at their home and Elizabeth managed them successfully.<ref name=anneandliz/>

In 1800, the widowed Duchess surrendered it to the banks who held mortgages on it.<ref name="sheppard">{{cite web |last1=Sheppard |first1=F H W |title=Pall Mall, South Side, Past Buildings: Nos 85-87 (consec.) Pall Mall, Cumberland House Pages 364-367 Survey of London: Volumes 29 and 30, St James Westminster, Part 1. Originally published by London County Council, London, 1960. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols29-30/pt1/pp364-367 |website=British History Online |accessdate=13 July 2020}}</ref>

== Character and appearance == [[File:Portrait of Her Royal Highness the Dutchess of Cumberland (4673792).jpg|thumb|Portrait by [[Marie Anne Bourlier]], {{circa|1800–12}}]] [[Horace Walpole]] wrote "her coquetry was so active, so varied and yet so habitual, that it was difficult not to see through it and yet as difficult to resist it".<ref>Horace Walpole, ed. Sir [[Denis Le Marchant]], ''Memoirs of the Reign of King George the Third'', vol. iv (London, 1845) [https://archive.org/stream/memoirsreignkingg04walp#page/357/mode/1up p. 357].</ref> While she was considered a great beauty, Walpole thought her merely "pretty", except for her green eyes, which he admitted were enchanting. That her eyes were remarkably expressive is confirmed by the several portraits of Anne by [[Thomas Gainsborough]], one of which is in the [[Hugh Lane]] collection.

==Citations== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{NPG name}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Anne}} [[Category:1743 births]] [[Category:1808 deaths]] [[Category:People from Marylebone]] [[Category:Daughters of Irish earls]] [[Category:British duchesses by marriage|Cumberland and Strathearn]] [[Category:Wives of British princes]]