Gendered Expectations; Moderate Deviance in Georgian London

Abstract

The Duchess of Devonshire was a passionate participant in the Westminster Election of 1784. Her experience is an illustrious example of a woman in history who faced ridicule due to failure to comply to her gender and social roles. The rich primary sources that document the event, including satire, memoirs and personal letters tell the story of a prestigious woman who battled against expectations for "proper" behavior of women in society. Her actions throughout the election were met with great discomfort thus; she was made a mockery. Reactions to the Duchess' political involvement was warped by the media making her out to be more deviant than she really was.