Lady Madelina Gordon was born on June 10, 1772,
the daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, and Jane Maxwell, at
Gordon Castle, Bellie, Moray, Scotland. Her first husband was Robert Sinclair,
7th Baronet Sinclair; they married in 1789 and had one child, John Gordon
Sinclair. Her second husband was the Reading Whig politician
Charles Fyshe Palmer. They married in 1805 at
Kimbolton Castle in Kimbolton, Herefordshire. They lived at Luckley House,
Wokingham, Berkshire and at East Court, Finchampstead, Berkshire. Through her
siblings, Lady Madelina was connected to several of the most influential
aristocratic families in the country. Her sister Charlotte Gordon became
Duchess of Richmond through her marriage to Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of
Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox and 4th Duke of Aubigny. Her sister
Susan Gordon became Duchess of Manchester through her
marriage to
William Montagu, Duke of Manchester. Her
sister
Louise Gordon became Marchioness Cornwallis through
marriage to
Charles Cornwallis, Marquess of Cornwallis.
Her sister
Georgiana Gordon became Duchess of Bedford
through marriage to
John Russell, Duke of Bedford. Her
brothers were
George Duncan Gordon, who became 5th Duke of
Gordon, and
Lord Alexander Gordon.
Charles Fyshe Palmer’s marriage to Lady Madelina
thus gained him access to aristocratic houses, including the Holland House. Lady Madelina’s name is
variously spelled Madelina and Madalina, although Madelina
appears to be the more common and standard spellling of the name, as an
anglicization of the French Madeline. For more on the Palmers, see note 2 in
The Browning’s Correspondence rendering of Mitford’s letter
of
12 March 1842 to
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
.