Georgiana Chatterton

Georgiana, Lady Chatterton, later Mrs Dering (née Iremonger; 11 November 1806 – 6 February 1876) was an English aristocrat, traveller, and author. Her first travelogue, Rambles in the South of Ireland, was published in 1839. Life Henrietta Georgiana Marcia Lascelles Iremonger was born at 24 Arlington Street, Piccadilly, London, on 11 November 1806, the only child of the Rev. Lascelles Iremonger (died 6 January 1830), a prebendary of Winchester Cathedral, and his second wife, the former Harriett Gambier, youngest sister of Admiral Lord James Gambier. Her mother's family had been acquainted with Samuel Johnson, William Wilberforce, Madame de Staël, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and Hannah More, among other public figures, who visited their seat at Barham Court. According to parish records, Georgiana was baptised on 2 December 1805 at St George's Hanover Square Church, suggesting that her reported year of birth may be inaccurate. Georgiana's family travelled frequently, visiting various relatives. They more commonly stayed with her Uncle William Pitt Morgan and Aunt Margaret, who often had lunch with King George III. On 3 August 1824, Georgiana was presented before the Court to the King and Queen in a formal ceremony. At her debutante's ball, she met Sir William Abraham Chatterton, 2nd Baronet of Castle Mahon, County Cork, who was 18 years her senior. She married him aged 17 on 3 August 1824 at St George's Hanover Square Church. They spent their early married years at his home in Castle Mahon, Cork, Ireland, and in Winchester with Georgiana's parents. While living in County Cork, Georgiana's poor health caused her to move to Florence, Italy, a city which at the time was expanding with cultural and social diversity and ideas. This increased her interest in writing novels. She spent several subsequent winters abroad. After her father's death, the couple moved to Seamore Place in Mayfair where they were known for their wealth and were regular guests of King William IV. Georgiana often visited Princess Victoria at Tunbridge Wells. There she wrote her first work of fiction, entitled Aunt Dorothy's Tales, and published it anonymously. Soon after, in 1839, she published a second novel, Rambles in South Ireland, which was well received, selling out within weeks. She would continue writing novels every two years, while keeping up a thriving social life with London's literary intelligentsia.