Harriette Wilson
Harriette Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Portrait engraved by Cooper, from original drawing by Birch | |
| Born | 22 February 1786 |
| Died | 10 March 1845 (aged 59) Chelsea, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Courtesan, poet, memoirist |
| Spouse | William Henry Rochfort |
| Parent(s) | John James Dubouchet Amelia Cook Dubochet |
Harriette Wilson (22 February 1786 – 10 March 1845) was a celebrated British Regency courtesan, whose clients included the Prince of Wales, the Lord Chancellor and four future Prime Ministers.
Life
Harriette Dubouchet was one of the fifteen children of Swiss John James Dubouchet (or De Bouchet), who kept a small shop in Mayfair, England, and his wife Amelia, née Cook. Her father is said to have assumed the surname of Wilson about 1801. She began her career at the age of fifteen, becoming the mistress of William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, 7th Baron Craven. Among her other lovers with whom she had business arrangements was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who commented "publish, and be damned" when informed of her plans to write her memoirs. Her decision to publish was partly based on the broken promises of her lovers to provide her with an income in her older age. The memoirs are still in print.
Her sisters Amy, Fanny and Sophia also became courtesans. Sophia married respectably into the aristocracy, when she wed Lord Berwick at age 17.
Fictional portrayal
- Harriette Wilson appears in the Jane Austen mystery novel, Jane and the Barque of Frailty, by Stephanie Barron. (Harriette and Jane Austen were contemporaries.)
- Harriette Wilson's memoirs Publish and Be Damn'd: The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson was adapted for the BBC Radio 4 series Classic Serial by Ellen Dryden and broadcast in June 2012
References
- Frances Wilson (2003) The Courtesan's Revenge: The Life of Harriette Wilson, the Woman Who Blackmailed the King. London: Faber & Faber ISBN 0-571-20504-6
- Harriette Wilson's Memoirs: The Greatest Courtesan of her Age; selected and edited with an introduction by Lesley Blanch. London: John Murray, 1957[1]
- Valerie Grosvenor Myer (with an introduction by Sue Limb): Harriette Wilson, Lady of Pleasure. Ely: Fern House, 1999
Footnotes
- ^ Also published as: The Game of Hearts: Harriette Wilson and her Memoirs (edited and introduced by Lesley Blanch), London: Gryphon Books, 1957.--Harriette Wilson's Memoirs; selected and edited by Lesley Blanch (introduction: pp. 3-59; The lady and the game; Harriette Wilson's memoirs: pp. 61-442). London: Phoenix Press, 2003
External links
- Works by Harriette Wilson at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Harriette Wilson at the Internet Archive
- The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson, Volumes One and Two by Harriette Wilson - Project Gutenberg
- The Memoirs Of Harriette Wilson Volume I - Internet Archive
- The Memoirs Of Harriette Wilson Written By Herself Volume Two - Internet Archive
- Short biography and picture
- Guardian biography review
