Biography

Born and raised in England, Harriet was the third daughter of George Howard, later sixth Earl of Carlisle. She married her cousin, George Granville Leveson-Gower at 16 years of age. Gower was twenty years her senior. Harriet had four sons, and seven daughters, three of whom died in infancy. She was staunchly anti-slavery, and held meetings at her house in support of the abolition movement in America. She was named mistress of the robes for Queen Victoria, and was a close confidante of the Queen.