Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of Walsingham

British Countess
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroBritish Countess
A.K.A.Melusina Stanhope Petronilla Melusina Stanhope Countess of Walsingham Petronilla Melusina von der Schulenburg
A.K.A.Melusina Stanhope Petronilla Melusina Stanhope Countess of Walsingham Petronilla Melusina von der Schulenburg
PlacesUnited Kingdom Great Britain
wasPolitician
Work fieldPolitics
Gender
Female
Birth1 April 1693, Hanover, Germany; London, UK
Death16 September 1778London, UK (aged 85 years)
Star signAries
Family
Mother:Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal
Father:George I of Great Britain
Siblings:George II of Great Britain Sophia Dorothea of Hanover
Spouse:Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
The details

Biography

Petronilla Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of Walsingham (1 April 1693 – 16 September 1778) was the natural daughter of King George I of Great Britain and his longtime mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal.

In 1722, Melusina was created Baroness Aldborough and Countess of Walsingham as a life peer. After the death of her father in 1727, she lived mainly with her mother at Kendal House in Isleworth.

In Isleworth, Middlesex, on 5 September 1733 she married Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, a leading Whig politician.

The couple had no children, but it is said that "family letters" suggest that Melusina may have been the mother, through an intimacy with Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, of Benedict Swingate Calvert. Calvert was born in England in around 1730-32, the illegitimate son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore. His mother's identity is otherwise unknown.

The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 12 Mar 2020. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.