Lady Hertford presented a bell to the parish of Amesbury. An inscription on it runs thus:—
“Be stronge in faythe, prayes God well.
Frances, Countess Hertford’s bell.”
After the Seymour period, the Amesbury estates passed through different hands, belonging in 1720 to Henry, Lord Carleton; he having purchased them from Charles, Lord Bruce, son of the Earl of Ailesbury. Lord Carleton left them by will to his nephew, Charles, Duke of Queensberry, in 1724, who married the charming Lady Catherine Hyde in 1720. This couple spent much time at Amesbury, altering and improving it in various ways, and entertaining their friends.
The poet Gay was a devoted friend and admirer of the Duchess, who, indeed, seems to have been an attractive woman of immense spirit and wit. She offended George II. and his Queen by her defence of Gay’s play, the Beggars’ Opera, and was forbidden the Court for some time; but she, standing firmly by her friend, refused to retract or alter her sentiments, and finally forced the Court to receive and forgive her. Here is a copy of her message to the King:—
“That the Duchess of Queensberry is surprised and well pleased the King has given her so agreeable a command as to stay from Court, where she never came for diversion, but to bestow a civility upon the King and Queen. She hopes, by such an unprecedented order as this, that the King will see as few as he wishes at his Court, particularly such as dare to think or speak truth. I dare not do otherwise, and ought not nor could not have imagin’d that it would not have been the very highest compliment that I could possibly pay the King, to endeavour to support truth and innocence in this house.
(Signed) “C. Queensberry.”
The following is an extract from a letter from Gay to Swift:—“To the lady I live with I owe my life and fortune; think of her with respect, value and esteem her as I do. She hath so much goodness, virtue, and generosity, that if you knew her you would have a pleasure in obeying her as I do.” In another letter from Gay to Swift, the former presses his coming to join the party at Amesbury, saying (speaking of the Duchess):—“I think her so often in the right, you will have great difficulties to persuade me she is in the wrong. The lady of the house is not given to show civility to those she does not like. She speaks her mind and loves truth, for the uncommonness of the thing. I fancy your curiosity will prevail over your fear, and you will like to see such a woman. But I say no more till I know whether her Grace will fill up the rest of the paper.” P.S. by the Duchess: “Write I must, particularly now, as I have an opportunity to indulge my predominant passion of Contradiction. I do, in the first place, contradict most things Mr. Gay says of me to deter you from coming here, which, if ever you do, I hereby assure you that, unless I like my own way better, you shall have yours; and in all disputes you shall convince me if you can. But, by what I see of you, this is not a misfortune that will always happen, for I find you a great mistaker. For example, you take prudence for imperiousness. ’Tis from this I first determined not to like one who is too giddy-headed for me to be certain whether or no I shall ever be acquainted with him. I have known people take great delight in building castles in the air; but I should choose to build friendship on a more solid foundation. I would fain know you, for I often hear more likeable things than ’tis possible any one can deserve. Pray come that I may find out something wrong, for I, and I believe most women, have an inconceivable pleasure to find out any faults except their own.” P.S.—“Mr. Gay is very peevish that I spell and write ill, but I don’t care, for neither the pen nor I can do better!”
This Duchess also attracted the attention of Prior, who wrote the well-known ballad:—