Dorset, in 1844. Character Duncannon usually made a favourable first impression: quiet, but with "the most mild and amiable manner". On the other hand, he was a notoriously cruel husband, fluctuating between sweet or obsessive attentiveness, neglecting Harriet entirely, or physically abusing her. His abuse of his wife was so public his family could not keep up appearances by pretending it was not occurring. In 1791 Harriet's serious illness gave rise to rumours, apparently quite unfounded, that he was trying to kill her. Like most of the Ton (le bon ton), Duncannon was a gambling addict. When he would lose, he would erupt into rages that terrified his wife. Duncannon's abuse and his gambling rages made Harriet's family fearful for her safety. Their fears were often proven, as when he threatened violence if Harriet did not hand over her marriage settlement to him after losing an especially ruinous gambling round. Luckily for the terrified Harriet, her kind brother George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer swept in and protected her from immediate violence by quietly giving Duncannon the money. References External links 1758 births 1844 deaths Ponsonby family Lords of the Admiralty Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 Frederick 03