Henrietta Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough

The Countess of Bessborough
1793 portrait by Angelica Kauffman
Born	(1761-06-16)16 June 1761 Wimbledon, London
Died	11 November 1821(1821-11-11) (aged 60) Florence
Spouse(s)	The 3rd Earl of Bessborough
Children	John, 4th Earl of Bessborough Sir Frederick Cavendish Lady Caroline Lamb William, 1st Baron de Mauley George Stewart Harriet Godolphin Osborne, Duchess of Leeds
Parent(s)	John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer Margaret Georgiana Poyntz

Henrietta Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough (16 June 1761 – 11 November 1821), born Lady Henrietta Frances Spencer (generally called Harriet), was the wife of Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough, and mother of the notorious Lady Caroline Lamb. Her father, John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer, was a great-grandson of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her sister was Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.

Being the youngest child, Harriet was often left in England when her parents and older sister Georgiana would visit the continent for her father's health. As a child, Harriet was frail and sickly, which led her mother to send her abroad for schooling, thinking that foreign air would help strengthen her. However, she grew into a young woman of exceptional beauty and intelligence, witty, well-read and self-assured.

On 27 November 1780, Harriet married Viscount Duncannon, an Anglo-Irish nobleman who later became The 3rd Earl of Bessborough. Their marriage was a difficult one; because Harriet and her husband were both avid gamblers, they often found themselves in debt. Frederick, Lord Bessborough, was also known to be abusive of Harriet, often humiliating her at public gatherings, as well as demanding that she find money to pay for the debts which he had incurred. In 1790, her husband began divorce proceedings, but, under intense pressure from both families, agreed to drop them. Their marriage produced four children: John William, later 4th Earl of Bessborough; Frederick Ponsonby; Lady Caroline Ponsonby, more commonly known by her married name as Lady Caroline Lamb; and William Ponsonby, who became The 1st Baron de Mauley.