Person    | Female  Born 3/4/1776  Died 21/6/1852

Mary Anne Clarke

Categories: Friend / family

Countries: France

Mistress of Prince Frederick, Duke of York. Born in Ball and Pin Alley, White's Alley, Chancery Lane as Mary Anne Thompson, she married Clarke, a stonemason who became bankrupt. She 'went bad' but managed to become a courtesan (rather than a prostitute) and thus met the Duke who in 1803 set her up in her own home where she led an extravagant life. First she was in Tavistock Place and then moved to Gloucester Place.

The Duke may have been a thrifty man since financial disagreements led MAC to cause a public scandal which in turn led to the Duke resigning as Commander in Chief of the army for a time. MAC moved to Loughton (where there is another plaque we have not yet collected) and in 1813 was imprisoned for libel for 9 months. On release she moved to France, and died there.

A lot is known about the scandal because in 1809 she issued her memoirs and other publications, and she did not hold back.

Ellen, her daughter with Clarke, was the mother of George du Maurier.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Mary Anne Clarke

Commemorated ati

Mary Anne Clarke

Mary Anne Clarke, 1776 - 1852, mistress of Prince Frederick, Duke of York, li...

Read More

Other Subjects

Gunner Frederick George Gatward

Gunner Frederick George Gatward

Frederick George Gatward was born on 20 March 1890 in Bromley-by-Bow, London, the eldest of the eight children of George Frederick Gatward (1868-1922) and Sarah Gatward née Impey (1872-1943). His b...

Person, Armed Forces, Transport, France

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Lance Corporal Charles Henry Cannon

Lance Corporal Charles Henry Cannon

Charles Henry Cannon was born on 30 October 1881 in Brompton, London, one of the six children of Caleb Cannon (1850-1919) and Mary Louisa Cannon née James (1853-1936). His birth was registered in t...

Person, Armed Forces, France

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Stéphane Mallarmé

Stéphane Mallarmé

French symbolist poet. Born Paris, died Valvins, France.

Person, Poetry, France

1 memorial
Private William Alfred Andrade

Private William Alfred Andrade

William Alfred Andrade was the son of William David Andrade (1869-1920) and Esther Andrade. His birth was registered in the 1st quarter of 1896 in the Poplar Registration District, London. In the ...

Person, Armed Forces, France

War dead, WW1
2 memorials
Georges Malissard

Georges Malissard

Sculptor. The picture on the right is his work 'A Polo Player'.

Person, Sculpture, France

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Robert H. Pearson

Robert H. Pearson

Co-churchwarden of Mary Abbots Church, Kensington, June 1879.

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Evening Standard

Evening Standard

Founded as The Standard it was first printed at 5 New Bridge Street, Blackfriars. May 2024: Londonist reported: "Evening Standard To End Its Daily Newspaper ... the Standard's new-look weekly will...

Group, Journalism / Publishing

3 memorials
Alfred F. Barnard

Alfred F. Barnard

Mayor of Bethnal Green 1908 - 1909.

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Percy Cyril Bond

Percy Cyril Bond

Co-partner or employee of the South Suburban Gas Company. Civilian killed in WW2.

Person

War dead non-military, WW2
1 memorial
Driver Pickering

Driver Pickering

Royal Engineer killed by an exploding bomb while assisting in the attempt to disarm it. Andrew Behan has kindly carried out some research on this man (and points out that our source for the list o...

Person, Armed Forces, Tragedy

War dead, WW2
1 memorial