About

Georgiana Cavendish - the Duchess of Devonshire

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire was born Lady Georgiana Spencer on June 7th, 1757. Georgiana Cavendish was the first wife of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire. Her father, John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer, was a great-grandson of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her niece was Lady Caroline Lamb. Among her descendants is the present Duke of Devonshire (via her granddaughter). Another was Diana, Princess of Wales (born Lady Diana Spencer), who was descended from Georgiana's brother, the 2nd Earl Spencer.

Georgiana Cavendish was a celebrated beauty and a socialite who gathered around her a large circle of literary and political figures. She was also an active political campaigner in an age when women's suffrage was still over a century away.

Georgiana married William Cavendish on June 6, 1774. They has a son , William George Spencer Cavendish who became the 6th Duke of Devonshire and 2 daughters. They were Georgiana Cavendish (1783-1858) and Harriet Cavendish (1785-1862).

Georgiana was famous not only for her marital arrangements, her beauty and sense of style, her political campaigning, but also for her love of gambling. She was reported to have died deeply in debt, even though her own family the Spencers and her husband's family the Cavendishes were immensely wealthy.
During her years in the public eye, Georgiana was painted by Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds. Gainsborough's famous painting of her in a large French hat was lost for many years. It was purchased a decade ago by Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire for the Chatsworth collection.
The life of Georgiana Cavendish is being made into a movie called 'The Duchess' and filmed at Chatsworth House and Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire later in 2007. It is being directed by Saul Dibbs and stars Keira Knightley as Georgiana.

return to top of page                                      return to Filmographgy

The Book "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire"

Amanda Foreman was born in London in 1968. She attended Sarah Lawrence College and Columbia University in New York.In 1993 she was awarded the Henrietta Jex Blake Senior Scholarship at Oxford University.She received her doctorate in Eighteenth-Century British History from Oxford University in 1998.

She won the Whitbread Prize for Best Biography in 1999

Since the publication of "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire", Amanda Foreman has worked as a presenter on English television and radio. She also writes regularly for newspapers and magazines in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire has already been the subject of a television documentary and a highly successful radio play, staring Dame Judi Dench.

Amanda Foreman (author)
Format: Paperback , 198 x 130mm, 496pp
Publication date: 07 Jun 1999
Publisher: Flamingo
ISBN-10: 0006550169
ISBN-13: 9780006550167

To read reviews of the book from the Time, Telegraph, BBC, New Yorker and many more click here

return to top of page                                      return to Filmographgy

Filming

Click below to view two YouTube videos of stills of the early filming of the Duchess 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cKHfm61nANo

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uElDJVDtgus

   

 

 

 

 

return to top of page                                      return to Filmographgy

Press Coverage (with kind permissions of This is Bath and all rights reserved by them)

WHY PATHE CHOSE THE CITY 08 November 2007

ON LOCATION WITH THE TEAM TAKING BATH BACK TO THE 18TH CENTURY 08 November 2007

CAMERAS ROLL FOR KEIRA FILM  12 November 2007 
STARS IN BATH FOR BIG-BUDGET MOVIE 15 November 2007

 

WHY PATHE CHOSE THE CITY
08 November 2007
 

Film company Pathe said the city's links with the script made it an obvious location choice.The film features the real-life visits to Bath of the Duke, played by Fiennes, and Duchess, played by Knightley.

Location manager Jamie Lengyel said: "The decision to use Bath as a location was mainly story-driven. Our characters come to Bath several times throughout the film, and whole sequences take place there. A huge party scene takes place in the Assembly Rooms which was originally scheduled to take place elsewhere in London. We are also doing a large crowd scene at Bristol Old Vic. We have had a great deal of help from people in Bath. The film office and the staff at the Assembly Rooms have been very co-operative."
 

ON LOCATION WITH THE TEAM TAKING BATH BACK TO THE 18TH CENTURY
08 November 2007
 

This Sunday will see two of the country's biggest movie stars arrive in Bath to film period epic The Duchess.But while the stars of the big screen pull in the crowds, the hard work behind the cameras is often forgotten.

The film, due for release next year, stars Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, and is based on the story of the 18th-century Duchess of Devonshire, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and a regular visitor to Bath. Bath Film Office has spent the last six months preparing for film crews to descend on the city. The Bath and North East Somerset Council office acts as the link between production companies and the authority's departments as well as other local organisations.

Film commissioner Maggie Ainley said: "Once we have given permission we do our absolute best to make sure filming runs smoothly. It is like a military operation. We are like the front desk or reception. There are so many things that need to be considered, like the highways and what impact filming has on commuters. Once we receive an inquiry, we make an assessment and contact whatever departments need to be involved. There are a lot of minor issues like refuse collection. It all goes into consideration because things can and do go wrong. The production company want the best possible outcome and we need to ensure that health and safety is adhered to and all the residents are consulted."

Pathe will be filming some of the key scenes of The Duchess in Bath from Sunday. One of the locations will be the council-run Assembly Rooms which will be used to recreate a glamorous ball. More than 200 extras provided by Gay Street-based Mad Dog Casting will be used in the scene.

Pat Dunlop, the council's manager for heritage services, explained how the Tea Room would be transformed for filming. She said: "The room was used for taking tea as far back as 1771 so would be the room the Duchess would have used. It absolutely fits with the period. These are the most elegant assembly rooms in the entire country. We have to ensure that the facilities are available to the crew in and out of hours, and also make sure there is a support infrastructure for all the extras. They have also asked that there is no sound from anywhere else, and no sign of electricity."

Miss Dunlop said door handles and emergency exit signs would be removed and the bulbs in the chandeliers replaced with candles. The building has previously appeared in two BBC Jane Austen adaptations: Northanger Abbey in 1987, which starred Katharine Schlesinger and Peter Firth, and the 1995 Persuasion, starring Ciaran Hinds.

The Holburne Museum will also feature as the rented property of the Duchess during her visits to Bath, and will be closed on Sunday. The main focus of the filming there will be a close-up of the couple's carriage arriving at the museum. Some temporary changes will be made to the external appearance of the museum. The Holburne has previously featured in the film Vanity Fair.

The Royal Crescent, which attracts TV and film crews every year from dramas, documentaries and travel programmes will also feature in the new film. Chairman of the Royal Crescent Society, Stephen Little, said residents enjoyed the experience. "We quite enjoy watching the filming and we were told well in advance. It's quite nice seeing the crescent without cars for once.

"Bath will be shown in its best light."

CAMERAS ROLL FOR KEIRA FILM
Bath Chronicle  12 November 2007
 

Filming has begun in Bath for the period movie The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley.Security was tight as filming started at the Holburne Museum at the head of Great Pulteney Street and roads around the area were closed on Sunday.

Although Ms Knightley and co-star Ralph Fiennes were not involved in Sunday's scene, crowds watched horses pulling carriages from the gates of the museum to the door. The first carriage was pulled by four black horses and was accompanied by extras in their white wigs, brown and beige cloaks and white socks with patent black heeled shoes while the second was pulled by two white horses.

 

The museum will star as the rented property of the Duchess of Devonshire during her 18th century visits to Bath and the main focus of the filming was a close-up of the couple's carriage arriving there.

Some temporary changes were made to the external appearance of the museum. A change in location happened in the afternoon and filming, with more extras and horses pulling carriages, started in front of the Royal Crescent, in the city. Security was still tight but tourists were able to watch from a reasonable distance.

The film, due for release next year, is based on the story of the 18th-century duchess, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and a regular visitor to Bath.

Bath Film Office has spent the last six months preparing for film crews to descend on the city. Production company Pathe will be filming some of the key scenes of The Duchess in Bath this week.

One of the locations will be the council-run Assembly Rooms which will be used to recreate a glamorous ball. More than 200 extras provided by Gay Street-based Mad Dog Casting will be used in the scene.

The building has previously appeared in two BBC Jane Austen adaptations: Northanger Abbey in 1987, which starred Katharine Schlesinger and Peter Firth, and the 1995 Persuasion, starring Ciaran Hinds.

 

STARS IN BATH FOR BIG-BUDGET MOVIE
15 November 2007

Hundreds of people have been enjoying their moment of movie limelight as cameras roll in Bath for a period production. But as more than 200 extras promenade in 18th-century costume, there has been little sign of the star of The Duchess. Actress Keira Knightley has been keeping the lowest of low profiles as she comes and goes for scenes in the movie, which also stars Ralph Fiennes.

The Assembly Rooms, the Royal Crescent and Holburne Museum are all being used as backdrops in the production, based on the real life story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was a frequent visitor to the city. Amid tight security, Knightley arrived in Alfred Street in a silver Audi van with blacked-out windows. Wearing her trademark crocheted beret, she was then quickly ushered into the building for filming. Fiennes, who plays Knightley's husband, the Duke, has proved more of a crowd-pleaser. After arriving in a blacked-out Mercedes he circled the building, casually chatting on his mobile phone.

Onlooker Paul Denning, a senior art worker at city design firm Armadillo, said: "It was surprising to see Keira up close as she's much shorter than I imagined, but she is very pretty. And Ralph seemed happy to hang around for a while, not caring who saw him."

Knightley's boyfriend, the actor Rupert Friend, is also staying in Bath with her.

One extra taking a break on the set said: "I saw Keira and she is much better looking in real life than she is in the papers. She was being friendly and nice but mostly kept herself to herself."

The extras, recruited by Bath firm Mad Dog Casting, were being catered for in a tent in front of the Assembly Rooms. But tourists and passers-by who have been gathering in some numbers, were asked not to take pictures of any of them. The women were dressed in stunning Regency gowns and tall wigs which were covered in plastic to protect them from the rain. The men were dressed in traditional breeches, waistcoats and top hats.

Extra Paul Howlett, of Oldfield Park, said: "I used to be a tour guide in Bath but I have been doing this for over 50 years. I really enjoy dressing up in the period costume because you are transported back to that era. I have seen Keira Knightley but like many of these big stars, she doesn't really get involved with us."

Filming began in Bath on Sunday and was due to finish today, with the cast also being taken to Bristol for other scenes. The production has also seen filming in London and Norfolk.

The city's film commissioner, Maggie Ainley, said the filming for the movie, which is due out next year, had gone well. Ms Ainley, who runs Bath and North East Somerset Council's Bath Film Office, said yesterday: "It looks wonderful. I have had a call from someone on set this morning who said it was all going well. "It is like seeing ghosts at the Assembly Rooms because you see these wonderful costumes from the mid-1700s and you think, 'My God this is what would have happened at the time,' and there is always a frisson seeing that. It is great for Bath. The city was in the script anyway but I think it is one more achievement for the way that the different departments of the council can facilitate filming of this scale, and this sends a very clear message out to the industry that we do operate a film-friendly policy."

At the weekend, crowds flocked to watch carriage scenes involving extras being shot at the Holburne Museum in Great Pulteney Street. The museum will feature as the rented property of the Duchess on her visits to Bath.

The film office has spent the last six months preparing for crews to descend on the city. Jamie Lengyel, location manager with the movie, said: "We have had to work closely with the traffic police to enable filming to go ahead with as few problems as possible for both the filming team and people travelling through Bath. "The police have been very helpful and we have had a lot of support from the film office."

return to top of page                                      return to Filmographgy