A Lady (? Harriet Mellon) as a Sibyl c.1805 Richard Cosway 1742-1821 Purchased 1985 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T04114
The Lady’s Monthly Museum, May 1822
The Cosmopolitan, 1896 (Volume 20)
In keeping with the recent discussion of Duke and courtesans, I thought I would present another actress who married a Duke.
Harriet Mellon first married banker Thomas Coutts in 1815, after a successful acting career. When he died in 1822, she inherited his estate, a 50% stake in Coutts and Co, and became senior partner lady boss. She leant money, apparently, to the artistocracy and was skilled at finances.
In 1827, she married the Duke of St. Albans. When she died in 1837, she left her husband a 10,000 pound allowance, while Thomas’ youngest granddaughter got the lions share of her odd 1.8 million pound estate. (https://clancoutts.ning.com/page/harriet-mellon). There is a book that was written about her in 2002 by Joan Perkin (The Merry Duchess). Although I couldn’t find any direct evidence that she was a known courtesan, her heiress created a fund for helping prostitutes and thieves. I have included some snippets from her era and several decades later that tell of her history and fame.
