Horton, Ann (1743–1808)

Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn. Name variations: Ann or Anne Luttrell. Born on January 24, 1743 (some sources cite 1742), in St. Marylebone, London, England; died on December 28, 1808, in Trieste, Italy; daughter of Simon Luttrell, Lord Irnham, 1st earl of Carhampton, and Judith Maria Lawes ; married Christopher Horton, on August 4, 1765 (died); married Henry Frederick (1745–1790), duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, on October 2, 1771; children: (first marriage) one son.

Ann Horton was a widow when she married Henry Frederick, duke of Cumberland, brother to King George III, in 1771. Her father Simon Luttrell, who sat in the Irish House of Lords and British House of Commons, was considered somewhat of a scoundrel. Because of this, the marriage was a joke in higher circles. George III had objected to the impending nuptials because "in any country a prince marrying a subject is looked upon as dishonorable." When Henry Frederick married Ann Horton without the king's consent, George demanded that his brother never mention the marriage and never let Ann Horton take his name publicly. Henry refused. It was announced from the palace that any who paid court to the duke and duchess would not be received by the king and queen. Wrote John Brooke in George III: "Ann Horton was a good wife to the Duke of Cumberland. She kept him straight—after his marriage he never looked at another woman—and she did her best to prevent him making a fool of himself in politics. It was not her fault if she failed." Allegedly, Henry had previously been married to Olivia Wilmot , who died in 1774.

sources:

Brooke, John. George III. London: Constable, 1972.