Mary Anne Clarke
Mary Anne Clarke | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Mary Anne Clarke, by Adam Buck, 1803 | |
| Born | Mary Anne Thompson 3 April 1776 London, England |
| Died | 21 June 1852 (aged 76) |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | Courtesan Author |
| Known for | Mistress of Frederick, Duke of York |
| Spouse(s) | Joseph Clarke (m. 1792) |
| Children | Mary Anne Clarke (1794) Edward Clarke (1795–c.1800) Ellen Jocelyn du Maurier, née Clarke (1796–1870) George Clarke (1797–1861) |
Mary Anne Clarke (born Mary Anne Thompson; 3 April 1776 – 21 June 1852) was the mistress of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Their relationship began in 1803, while he was Commander-in-Chief of the army. Later in 1809, she wrote her memoirs which were published. She was the subject of a portrait by Adam Buck, and a caricature by Isaac Cruikshank; ten days after the latter's publication, the Duke resigned from his post as Commander of the British Army. In 1811, she commissioned Irish sculptor Lawrence Gahagan to sculpt a marble bust of her; this is now housed in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Through her daughter Ellen, who married Louis-Mathurin Busson du Maurier, Clarke was a great-great-grandmother of author Daphne du Maurier, who wrote the novel Mary Anne about her life.