Jane Cathcart


Jane, Lady Cathcart was a Scottish aristocrat who was the wife of Lord Cathcart, the British ambassador to the Russian Empire. She was a personal friend of Catherine the Great and a patron to Josiah Wedgwood.

Life

Cathcart, born in London in 1726 in London, was he daughter of Lord Archibald Hamilton, the governor of the Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich and youngest son of Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton. Her mother, Lady Jane Hamilton, was his second wife and was also said to be the mistress of Frederick, Prince of Wales
On 24 July 1753, at her father's Royal Naval Hospital, she married Charles Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart.
Her husband was offered the role of Ambassador to Russia despite his lack of diplomatic experience as it was not an attractive appointment. He is thought to have accepted it, because he needed the money. He was there for some years but he made significant mistakes. However Jean fared better and she became a personal friend of Catherine the Great. She told the Empress about the work of her brother, Sir William Hamilton, who was an antiquarian. Cathcart was a patron to Josiah Wedgwood and her influence helped to create the sale of the Wedgwood Frog Service. The service was created in 1773-4 and is considered to be one of Josiah Wedgwood's greatest achievements. The pottery was stamped with a frog and the pieces contained views of notable British buildings, gardens and antiquities. The majority of the service is now in the Hermitage Museum.

Personal life and children

On 24 July 1753 she married Charles Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart.
They had nine children and six survived: