Consuelo Montagu, Duchess of Manchester

Updated on Oct 21, 2023

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Full Name Consuelo Yznaga Name Consuelo Duchess		Parents Ellen Maria Clement

Born 1853 New York City, New York, United States Died November 20, 1909, Westminster, United Kingdom Spouse George Montagu, 8th Duke of Manchester (m. 1876) Children William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester Grandchildren Alexander Montagu, 10th Duke of Manchester Similar People George Montagu - 8th Duke, Alexander Montagu - 10th Duk, Louisa Cavendish - Duchess

Consuelo Montagu, Duchess of Manchester (1853 – 20 November 1909), née Consuelo Yznaga (also spelled Iznaga by some sources) was a Cuban-American woman who married George Montagu, Viscount Mandeville. and later became the Duchess of Manchester.

Consuelo Montagu, Duchess of Manchester Consuelo Montagu Duchess of Manchester Polyvore

Early life

Consuelo Yznaga was born in 1853, in New York City, the second of four children of diplomat Antonio Modesto Yznaga del Valle (1823-1892) and Ellen Maria Clement (1833-1908). Her father was from an old Cuban family who owned a large plantation (Torre Iznaga) and sugar mills in the vicinity of Trinidad, Cuba; they had connections to several Spanish aristocratic families.

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Her mother, Ellen Maria Clement, was the daughter of Samuel Clement, a steamboat captain, and Maria Augusta Little. She grew up at Ravenswood Plantation in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, which she inherited when her parents died. Her parents acquired properties in New York and in Newport, Rhode Island, while retaining the plantations in Cuba and Louisiana. Her sister, Naticia Yznaga, married Sir John Pepys Lister-Kaye, 3rd Baronet (1853–1924) in 1881. Her brother, Fernando Yznaga (1869–1901), was married to Mary Virginia "Jennie" Smith, sister of Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont, Consuelo's childhood best friend.

Life

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In her teenage years Consuelo became known on New York's social scene as one of the group called the Buccaneers.

Consuelo Montagu, Duchess of Manchester The Tragic Tubercular Twins From Kimbolton Castle Lady

During her marriage, Lady Mandeville, as she was known, engaged herself in charitable organizations. Poverty was a cause that concerned her, and she was also interested in education and health.

The Duchess of Manchester was a renowned beauty as were her sisters, Emilie Yznaga and Natividad (Natica) Yznaga. The latter was the wife of Sir John Pepys Lister-Kaye, 3rd Baronet. The Duchess was a celebrated society figure, belonging to the intimate circle of Edward VII of the United Kingdom, formerly the Prince of Wales. Shortly before her death, she entertained King Edward and Nicholas II, the Czar of Russia, while the Czar was on a visit in England.

Upon her brothers death in 1901, he left her $2,000,000.

Personal life

In the fall of 1875, she met George Montagu, Viscount Mandeville (1853–1892) at her father's country home in Morristown, New Jersey.

On 22 May 1876 in Grace Church, New York, Consuelo married Viscount Mandeville. After their marriage, they settled on the Duke of Manchester's estate in Ireland. They had a son and twin daughters:

William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester (1877–1947), who married, firstly, Helena Zimmerman, in 1900, and had issue. They divorced in 1931, and later that same year, he married Kathleen Dawes (d. 1966), on 17 December 1931.

Lady Jacqueline Mary Alva Montagu, known as May (1879–1895), who, although not diagnosed before she died, it is commonly believed she died of consumption.

Lady Alice Eleanor Louise Montagu, known as Nell (1879–1900), who died of consumption.

The Duchess died of Neuritis on 20 November 1909. At her bedside upon her death were her sisters, Lady Naticia Lister-Kaye and Emily Yznaga. Her estate, valued at $2,493,131, was left to her various family members.