Consuelo Montagu, Duchess of Manchester

Her Grace The Duchess of Manchester
Personal details
Born	Consuelo Yznaga 1853 New York City, New York, United States
Died	20 November 1909 (aged 56) 5 Grosvenor Square Mayfair,[1] London, United Kingdom
Spouse(s)	George Montagu, 8th Duke of Manchester
Children	William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester Lady Jacqueline Montagu Lady Alice Montagu
Parents	Antonio Modesto Yznaga del Valle Ellen Maria Clement

Consuelo Montagu, Duchess of Manchester (1853 – 20 November 1909), née Consuelo Yznaga^[2][3][4] (also spelled Iznaga by some sources^[5]) was a Cuban-American woman who married George Montagu, Viscount Mandeville. and later became the Duchess of Manchester.

Biography

Parents

Consuelo was born in 1853, in New York City, the second of four children of diplomat Antonio Yznaga del Valle and Ellen Maria Clement.^[6] Her father was from an old Cuban family who owned a large plantation (Torre Iznaga)^[7] and sugar mills in the vicinity of Trinidad, Cuba; they had connections to several Spanish aristocratic families.

Ellen Maria Clement, was the daughter of Samuel Clement, a steamboat captain and Maria Augusta Little. She grew up at Ravenswood Plantation^[8] in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, which she inherited when her parents died. Mr. and Mrs. Yznaga acquired properties in New York and in Newport, Rhode Island, while retaining the plantations in Cuba and Louisiana.

Marriage

On 22 May 1876 in Grace Church, New York, Consuelo married George Montagu, Viscount Mandeville. After that they settled on the Duke of Manchester's estate in Ireland. They had a son and twin daughters:^[9]

• William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester (3 March 1877 – 9 February 1947).
• Lady Jacqueline Mary Alva Montagu, known as May (27 November 1879 – 15 March 1895). ^[10] She was not diagnosed before she died, but it is commonly believed she died of consumption.
• Lady Alice Eleanor Louise Montagu, known as Nell (27 November 1879 – 10 January 1900). ^[11] Died of consumption.

Life

In her teenage years Consuelo became known on New York's social scene as one of the group called the Buccaneers.

During her marriage Lady Mandeville engaged herself in charitable organizations. Poverty was a cause that concerned her, and she was also interested in education and health.

The Duchess of Manchester was a renowned beauty as were her sisters, Emilie Yznaga and Natividad (Natica) Yznaga.^[12] The latter was the wife of Sir John Pepys Lister-Kaye, 3rd Baronet. The Duchess was a celebrated society figure, belonging to the intimate circle of Edward VII of the United Kingdom, formerly the Prince of Wales.

Legacy

On her death in 1909^[13] the Duchess bequeathed a bracelet to her friend Queen Alexandra.^[14]

The Manchester tiara, created for the Duchess by Cartier in 1903, is now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.^[15]

Her diamond and emerald necklace was auctioned by Sothebys in 2015.^[16]

Titles and styles

• 1853 – 1876: Miss Consuelo Yznaga
• 1876 – 1890: Viscountess Mandeville
• 1890 – 1892: Her Grace The Duchess of Manchester
• 1892 – 1909: Her Grace The Dowager Duchess of Manchester

References