Georgiana Dorothy Howard, Countess of Carlisle (née Cavendish; 12 July 1783 – 8 August 1858) was a British noblewoman. She was born after nine years of childless marriage between William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, and his wife, Lady Georgiana Spencer, the political hostess and socialite. As such, she was a member of one of the country's grandest and richest families. In 1801, the young Georgiana married George Howard, Viscount Morpeth, later becoming Countess of Carlisle upon her husband's accession in 1825. Their twelve children included the 7th and 8th Earls of Carlisle. Another child, the Duchess of Sutherland, was Mistress of the Robes and a close friend to Queen Victoria. Family and early life Lady Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish was born on 12 July 1783 at Devonshire House, the eldest child of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, who controlled one of the largest fortunes in England and belonged to one of the country's leading families. Her mother was Lady Georgiana Spencer, the famous political hostess and socialite. The new baby, born during a difficult labour, arrived after nine years of childlessness and six days after her first cousin Frederick. Called "Little G" by her mother, the baby was named after Lady Georgiana and her aunt the Duchess of Portland, who also served as a godparent alongside Lord John Cavendish and the Prince of Wales, later George IV. The Duchess of Devonshire chose to breastfeed the infant herself and did not employ a wet nurse, an unusual decision for a member of the upper class; her husband's family was displeased with her choice, as they felt it conflicted with the task of birthing a male heir. A month after her birth, "Little G" was christened alongside her cousin Frederick at the church in Wimbledon Park – the same place the Duke and Duchess married nine years earlier. The Duke had predicted their first child would be a girl and was disappointed, though the Duchess asserted that at least it proved her capable of bearing a son. The Devonshire title and wealth was still destined to pass to a separate branch of the family unless the couple produced a male heir. A sister, Harriet, was born two years later; the two sisters would remain close all their lives. In 1790 the Duke and Duchess finally had a son, William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington. In the early 1790s, the Duke and Duchess