Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston

Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston ( 8 Mar 1721 – 26 August 1788), sometimes called Countess of Bristol, was an English noble and courtier, known by her contemporaries for her adventurous life style. She was the daughter of Colonel Thomas Chudleigh (died 1726), and was appointed maid of honour to Augusta, Princess of Wales, in 1743, probably through the good offices of her friend, William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath. She was found guilty of bigamy at a trial by her peers at Westminster Hall that attracted 4,000 spectators.

Elizabeth Chudleigh was born on 8 Mar 1721. Her father was lieutenant governor of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, but he died while she was still a small child.

Being an attractive woman, Chudleigh did not lack admirers, among whom were James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton, and Augustus Hervey, later 3rd Earl of Bristol, but at that time a younger grandson of the first Earl. On 4 August 1744 she was privately married to Hervey at Lainston House, a private country house with its own parish church (St Peter's, now a ruin), near Winchester. The wedding was held at night to preserve the secrecy. Both husband and wife lacked the financial support they needed, and their union was kept secret to enable Chudleigh to retain her post at court, while Hervey, who was a naval officer, rejoined his ship, returning to England towards the close of 1746.

The marriage proved to be an unhappy one, and for years the pair did not live together. Having married in secret, their marriage did not seem to need to be dissolved. Chudleigh cut a prominent figure in London society, and in 1765 in Berlin she was honoured by the attentions of Frederick the Great. She later became the mistress of Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull. However, when it appeared likely that Hervey would succeed his brother as Earl of Bristol, Chudleigh took steps to establish proof of her marriage to him by forging an entry in the parish register at Lainston, unbeknownst to him.

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