The Mad Duchess Lives | History Today

Born in 1654 to the 2nd Duke and Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Elizabeth Cavendish was the eldest of six children. Granddaughter to both Civil War general William Cavendish and prominent MP William Pierrepont, Elizabeth, or ‘little Betty’, grew up in a privileged world, born to one of the most influential and wealthy families of the time. During her lifetime she was made a duchess twice over, played hostess to monarchy, and amassed a great fortune in both wealth and property. Yet by the end of her life she had been declared a lunatic under law, known to her contemporaries and historians alike as ‘the mad duchess’.