Elizabeth Chudleigh: Duchess or Bigamous Countess? - The Scandalous Trial of an 18th Century Noblewoman

In 1776 the work of the English parliament and law courts paused for a week to hear the unusual case of a woman being tried for bigamy. Elizabeth Chudleigh had married the Duke of Kingston, but before that she had married - and never divorced - the Earl of Bristol. The entire country was agog to see the outcome - was she a Duchess or a Countess? For Elizabeth, there was more at stake than just a title - her husband the Duke had left her an enormous fortune, and his relatives wanted it back. Sources/Further Reading:Chudleigh, Elizabeth: An Authentic Detail of Particulars Relative to the Late Duchess of KingstonGervat, Claire: Elizabeth - the Scandalous Life of the Duchess of KingstonOstler, Catherine: The Duchess Countess, the Woman Who Scandalised 18th Century LondonA Most Scandalous Lady https://janeaustenslondon.com/2016/01/22/a-most-scandalous-lady/The Bigamous Duchess of Kingston https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/exhibitions/online/fromparchmenttopixels/duchessofkingston.aspxWikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Pierrepont,_Duchess_of_Kingston-upon-Hull Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.