Albinia Hobart

Albinia Hobart
Albinia Bertie as a young girl, by Thomas Hudson
Born	Albinia Bertie 1738
Died	11 March, 1816 Nocton
Residence	Richmond, London
Nationality	Kingdom of Great Britain
Known for	Extravagance
Title	Countess
Spouse(s)	George Hobart
Children	7

Albinia Hobart (1737/8-1816) was a British 18th-century celebrity. She was the heiress of her father and she became the Countess of Buckingham in 1793. Her lifestyle and size made her the subject and victim of cartoons by James Gillray.

Hobart was born Albinia Bertie to Lord Vere Bertie and Lady Anne Casey. Her mother's father was Sir Charles Wray. She married George Hobart and through him became the Countess of Buckingham in 1793. The Buckinghams lived in a house that was based on the Frederick the Great's summer palace, Sanssouci. Here in Richmond, Albinia organised lavish parties which included performances by her and her daughters.

The fashion at the time was for gambling, particularly with the card game Faro. She and other celebrities like Charles James Fox and Georgiana Cavendish were renowned for their indulgent gambling. The Hobarts were known for this extravagance. Despite not having a license she allowed her house to be used for high stake gambling. By this device she managed to lose money and to fall foul of the authorities. She was having fun and losing money and so was her husband. He tried a number of careers with poor results and consoled himself with mistresses. Despite their other interests the couple had four daughters and three sons. Meanwhile the press saw her illegal gambling and indulgent parties as a legitimate target. The commentators at the time could not resist noting the growing size of Albinia and her love of extravagant fashion which was intended more for her daughters. In 1847 she became an icon of the political battle of the election in Westminster. One side had the glamorous Georgiana Cavendish and on the other Hobart, the Countess of Buckingham. The candidate in question was her mother's father Sir Charles Wray.

On her husband's death in 1804, she became the dowager countess of Buckinghamshire. She died on 11 March 1816 again in Nocton where she was buried with her husband.