Social Victorians/People/Roxburghe

Also Known As

 * Family name: Innes-Ker
 * Misspelled variously as Roxburgh, Roxbrough, Roxborough, etc.
 * Duke of Roxburghe (peerage of Scotland, created 1707)
 * James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 7th Duke (23 April 1879 – 23 October 1892)
 * Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke (23 October 1892 – 29 September 1932)
 * Duchess of Roxburghe
 * Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill Innes-Ker,
 * Mary (May) Goelet Innes Ker (1903–1932)
 * Courtesy Titles
 * Marquis of Bowmont and Cessford, the Duke of Roxburghe's eldest son
 * Earl of Innes (this one is UK peerage)
 * Lord Kerr

Overview
Henry, 8th Duke of Roxburghe became duke when his father died in 1892, when Henry was 16 years old; his mother remained duchess until he married May Goelet in 1903. Matthew Thompson, Operations Manager of Floors Castle Archives, says of Henry:"the impression that I’ve always had of him is that he was rather a quiet man. Quite stoical. He had quite high standards, in lots of ways. But he was very loyal, dedicated to duty, dedicated to his family and in common actually with a lot of his predecessors as the Duke of Roxburghe, he was a bit of a homebody. Floors Castle is one of those places that kind of makes you want to not roam very far. And I think Henry certainly had that in him, too. I mean, he travelled all over the world, but he always sort of had a yearning to return. I think that’s very common amongst other people that have held the position [of Duke of Roxburghe] over the years – the family generally have always been very fond of where they are and their roots. "The photograph (top right) shows Henry, Duke of Roxburghe in 1913, in uniform as a Lieutenant in the "Blues," the Royal House Guard. He served in South Africa and in World War I.

Henry, Duke of Roxburghe

 * Prince George of Wales and Mary of Teck (later King George V and Queen Mary): George was godfather to Henry and May's son, the 9th Duke of Roxburghe.

Anne, Duchess of Roxburghe

 * Queen Victoria's household, Mistress of the Robes (1883–1885, appointed by Gladstone; 1892–1901, served in role with the Dowager Duchess of Atholl though neither took the position)
 * Lady of the Bedchamber

Henry, Duke of Roxburghe

 * Eton (in 1892 when his father died)
 * Sandhurst (1895–1897), graduated as 2nd Lieutenant
 * The Blues, a regiment of the Household Cavalry, also called Grenadier Guards (1897–)

Timeline
1874, Owen Williams became owner of Sandown Park, a horse racecourse managed by Hwfa Williams, by way of Blanche Mary Williams' husband Lord Charles John Innes-Ker.

1874 June 11, Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill and James Henry Robert Innes-Ker married.

1895 November 6, Sunny (Charles Richard John) Spencer-Churchill and Consuelo Vanderbilt married at St. Thomas Church, New York City, New York. Was Henry, Duke of Roxburghe present? He was first-cousin of Sunny Spencer-Churchill and, because Miss Mary Goelet was in the wedding party, might have met her there.

28 June 1897, Monday, Queen Victoria hosted an enormous garden party at Buckingham Palace that included many royals and foreign dignitaries who were in London for the Diamond Jubilee. Both Miss May Goelet and Henry, Duke of Roxburghe were present. Even though the party was so large, the fact that she was so wealthy and eligible and that he was so high status and eligible means they could have met if they had not met before.

1897 July 2, Friday, Anne, Duchess of Roxburghe though her son was Duke, attended the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball along Henry, 8th Duke of Roxburghe, her son, as well as two of her daughters, Lady Margaret Innes-Ker and Lady Victoria Innes-Ker. Anne, Duchess of Roxburghe is #22 in the list of people who were present; Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe is #49; Lady Margaret Innes-Ker is #23; Lady Victoria Innes-Ker is #383.

1898 July 25, Lady Margaret Frances Susan Innes-Ker and James Alexander Orr Ewing married in St. Thomas Church, New York City, New York. The public interest in the wedding meant that crowds followed the couple, even meeting Henry and then his mother as they arrived at the port as well as on their way to the wedding ceremony itself. Matthew Thomas describes the scene at the port:"Roxburghe hates the whole thing. He rocks up in New York and the press are there waiting for him when he gets of the boat and he being a relatively unassuming Brit – it doesn’t happen in Britain like that at all. He can walk around in Britain relatively unnoticed by everyone. But it seems that the boats, as they’re on their way in, get hold of somebody at the port and give them a list of prominent passengers so the press know who’s coming and the same thing happens when his mother arrives for the wedding. He goes to pick her up from the port and there’s just press everywhere and he hates it. He’s just appalled by the whole affair. He just finds it completely unacceptable. You know, his wedding as far as he’s concerned is his affair and it’s nothing to do with anyone else. ‘Why does the press want to know and why do they want to know who my mother is? Why are they pointing that at me and why are they asking me this?’ Yeah a difficult thing for him I think to get his head round."1900 May 26, James Alexander Orr Ewing died in South Africa.

1901 March 16 through late October, Henry, Duke of Roxburghe was Aide de Camp to the Prince of Wales (later George V) on the 1901 Royal Tour of the Commonwealth.

1901 August 17, Lady Victoria Alexandrina Innes-Ker and Charles Hyde Villiers married.

1903 August 20 and 25 and September 3, Henry, Duke of Roxburghe attended the America's Cup in New York; the Goelets were present as well.

1903 November 10, Henry John Innes-Ker and Mary Goelet married.

1904 June 23, Lady Isabel Innes-Ker and Guy Greville Wilson married.

1907 October 10, Lord Alastair Robert Innes-Ker and Anne Breese married.

Costume at the Duchess of Devonshire's 2 July 1897 Fancy-dress Ball
Anne Spencer-Churchill Innes-Ker was in 1897 still the Duchess of Roxburghe even though her son was Duke. Both attended the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball. Also attending were two of Anne, Duchess of Roxburghe's daughters: Lady Margaret Innes-Ker, who would have been about 22, and Lady Victoria Innes-Ker, who was about 20.

Anne, Duchess of Roxburghe
Anne, Duchess of Roxburghe sat at Table 4 in the first seating for supper. Not all the sources agree about who the Duchess of Roxburghe was dressed as, but the only source that says she was dressed as Queen Elizabeth is the Belfast News-Letter. The Duchess of Tweedmouth was Queen Elizabeth. Most newspaper reports says the Duchess of Roxburghe was in Elizabethan dress; the Album presented to the Duchess of Devonshire says she was Bess of Hardwicke, possibly more likely than a newspaper report. The Gentlewoman, among others, says she was dressed as the Countess of Shrewsbury and "looked very effective."
 * The Duchess of Roxburghe was "in an Elizabethan costume — black velvet gown with white satin front, embroidered in pearls; pointed bodice, jewelled girdle, and lace ruff; the big satin sleeves were inserted with white satin squares edged with pearls, and the black velvet cap and tulle veil were bordered with the same."
 * She "was dressed in an "Elizabethan costume. Black velvet gown, with white satin front, embroidered in pearls; pointed bodice, jewelled girdle, and lace ruff; the big satin sleeves were inserted with white satin squares, edged with pearls, and the black velvet cap and tulle veil were bordered with the same."
 * She "wore a splendid Elizabethan dress, which, like all the gowns of that period, as well as the Louis XVI. dresses, was well bunched out on the hips."
 * She "was a Queen Elizabeth in black velvet and white satin, embroidered in pearls."
 * She was "in an Elizabethan costume."
 * She wore "(lady of Elizabethan period), black velvet and white satin, and pearls."
 * The Queen published a line drawing by C. Rook of the Duchess of Roxburghe's costume: numbered 1 below the drawing, top left, the Duchess of Roxburghe is facing slightly to her left; her dress in the drawing is very similar to her costume as photographed and described. Here is the Queen 's description of her costume:"Made by Mrs Mason, 4, New Burlington Street, W. … D UCHESS OF ROXBURGH [sic], a Lady of the Elizabethan Court. — Rich black velvet gown, with stomacher, petticoat, and sleeves embroidered with pearls and gold, and ruff of old point lace, and gold blonde.”"

Lafayette's portrait of "Anne Emily (née Spencer-Churchill), Duchess of Roxburghe as Bess of Hardwick" in costume is photogravure #159 in the album presented to the Duchess of Devonshire and now in the National Portrait Gallery. The printing on the portrait says, "The Duchess of Roxburghe as Bess of Hardwick," with a Long S in Duchess and Bess.

Bess of Hardwick
Bess of Hardwick (c. 1527 – 13 February 1608) was a successful woman in Elizabethan England, amassing a fortune that lasted and establishing a name for herself, in part through 4 judicious marriages. The children from her second marriage, to Sir William Cavendish, are the ancestors of the Dukes of Devonshire; Sir William Cavendish bought the Chatsworth estates, and Chatsworth House was one of her building projects. Queen Elizabeth detained Mary, Queen of Scots in the custody of Bess and her 4th husband, George, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury for 15 years.

Henry, Duke of Roxburghe
Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe, Anne's unmarried son, sat at Table 8 in the first supper seating. He was in the Queen Elizabeth procession. The Duke of Roxburgh was dressed as a halberdier attending on Queen Elizabeth. His original costume appeared in the Drury Lane production of The White Heather.
 * "Four yeomen held a canopy over Her Majesty's head. Their uniforms were exactly copied from the picture of the Field of the Cloth of Gold at Hampton Court. These were the Duke of Roxburghe, the Hon. Dudley Marjoribanks, Captain Maunde Thompson, and Mr. Rose attired in scarlet and black."
 * "One of the six Halberdiers attending on Queen Elizabeth, from Holbein's picture in Hampton Court Palace."
 * The London Daily News has almost exactly the same description: "The Duke of Roxburghe was one of the six halberdiers attending on the Queen, their costumes copied from Holbein's picture at Hampton Court."
 * He walked as a Yeoman in the Queen Elizabeth procession

Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1497 – fall 1543) was in England 1526–1528 and 1532–1540, and by 1536 he was Henry VIII's King Painter. However, he does not seem to have been the artist of The Field of the Cloth of Gold, which is still at Hampton Court (right and detail). The painting, c. 1545, is the name of a meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I of France in June 1520, with both sides exhibiting wealth.

Lady Margaret Innes-Ker and Lady Victoria Innes-Ker
Also present were Lady Margaret Innes-Ker and Lady Victoria Innes-Ker, identified in the newspapers as "the Ladies Innes-Ker," confirmed by their portrait in the Album given to the Duchess of Devonshire. The Ladies Innes-Ker were in the Cosway Quadrille with the Ladies Villiers. They were dressed as a group based on miniatures probably by late 18th-, early 19th-century painter Richard Cosway:


 * "The Ladies Innes-Ker wore dresses copied from Cosway miniatures, made of soft white satin, covered with lisse, with short-waisted sash of narrow blue satin ribbon; the hair powdered and threaded with blue ribbon."
 * "Very artistic was the "Cosway" quadrille, in which the Ladies Ker and the Ladies Villiers took part. The long clinging gowns of Oriental cream satin were veiled in pink muslin, and had very short waists and coloured silk sashes — two of blue and two of pink."
 * "Very artistic was the "Cosway" quadrille, in which the Ladies Ker and the Ladies Villiers took part. The long, clinging gowns of Oriental cream satin were veiled in sink [sic] muslin, and had very short waists and coloured silk sashes — two of blue and two of pink."

The dresses worn by Lady Margaret and Lady Victoria Innes-Ker look very similar to the one worn by Miss Madeline Stanley (at 552), as well as the dress worn by Lady Edith Villiers (at 282).

Miss Stanley was probably dressed as Elizabeth, Lady Hopetoun, also based on a portrait by Richard Cosway. She was not a Miss Villiers, so possibly she was not part of the Cosway quadrille, and her dress is not identical to the one worn by Lady Edith Villiers, especially the sash; the shawl, however, does seem similar. Violet Manners was also dressed in a costume after Cosway and seems clearly not to have been part of that quadrille.

Lafayette's portrait of "Lady Margaret Frances Susan Orr-Ewing (née Innes-Ker) as Lady Eglinton and Lady Victoria Alexandrina Villiers (née Innes-Ker) as Elizabeth Linley, after miniatures by Cosway" in costume is photogravure #160 in the album presented to the Duchess of Devonshire and now in the National Portrait Gallery. The printing on the portrait says, "Lady Margaret Innes-Ker as Lady Eglinton. Lady Victoria Innes-Ker as Elizabeth Linley / after miniatures by Cosway."

Richard Cosway (5 November 1742 – 4 July 1821) painted a miniature of Lady Eleanor Eglinton, who may be Eleanor, daughter of Susanna Montgomerie, Countess of Eglinton (1690 – 18 March 1780). Well-known soprano Elizabeth Linley (September 1754 – 28 June 1792), who eventually married Richard Brinsley Sheridan, was the subject of portraits by Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds besides Cosway; she was friends with Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

Demographics
Nationality
 * The Roxburghes: Scots
 * May Goelet: American, from New York

Residences

 * Floors Castle, near Kelso, Scotland

Family

 * James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe (5 September 1839 – 23 October 1892)
 * Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill (14 November 1854 – 20 June 1923)
 * 1) Lady Margaret Frances Susan Innes-Ker Ewing (1875–1930)
 * 2) Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe (24 July 1876 – 29 September 1932)
 * 3) Lady Victoria Alexandrina Innes-Ker Villiers (1877– 22 May 1970)
 * 4) Lady Isabel Innes-Ker Wilson (1879–1905)
 * 5) Lord Alastair Robert Innes-Ker (1880–19??)
 * 6) Lady Evelyn Anne Innes-Ker (1882–1958)
 * 7) Lord Robert Edward Innes-Ker (22 July 1885 – 19 July 1958)


 * Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe (24 July 1876 – 29 September 1932)
 * Mary Goelet (6 October 1878 – 26 April 1937)
 * 1) George Victor Robert John Innes-Ker, 9th Duke of Roxburghe (7 September 1913 – 26 September 1974)

Relations

 * Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill was the daughter of the 7th Duke of Marlborough, so siblings include Lord Randolph Churchill and Sarah Spencer-Churchill Wilson.
 * Lord Charles John Innes-Ker was the son of James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe, brother of the 7th duke.
 * Lt.-Col. Lord Charles John Innes-Ker (31 December 1842 – 19 November 1919)
 * Blanche Mary Williams (1844 – 1 July 1914)
 * Charles James Innes-Ker (19 January 1867 – 13 April 1906)
 * Bertram Harry Innes-Ker (5 April 1870 – 1 April 1951)

Questions and Notes

 * 1) The Duchess of Roxburghe was the mother of the Ladies Innes-Ker — not sure how many of her daughters attended: Lady Margaret Innes-Ker would have been about 22 and Lady Victoria Innes-Ker about 20. These are the Ladies Innes-Ker associated with the Cosway Quadrille in the Album.
 * 2) Lady Isabel Innes-Ker was about 18 and Lady Evelyn Innes-Ker about 15.