Caroline Grafton

Caroline, Marchioness of Raulings with Thomas, Lord Bridgeton (1753)

Caroline Hissop Grafton was the wife of Julian Grafton, 1st Marquess of Raulings, and the mother of the current Lord Raulings. Born in 1729 to James Hissop, 3rd Duke of Pennington, and his second wife, Mary, Lady Caroline was raised in an unorthodox household. Her father, repulsed by his first wife, embarked upon a longstanding affair with her mother, who was at the time married to the Earl of Hanworth. Three children were born to the duke and Lady Hanworth prior to their marriage: twin daughters born within 9 months of Lord Hanworth's death (and thus legally and publicly the daughters of the earl) and a son, born after the death of Lord Hanworth but before Lady Hanworth's marriage to the duke. Caroline's father's first wife died in 1723, and her parents married shortly after. After her parents' marriage, her brother Charles and Caroline were born as the couple's only legitimate children. All, however, were raised in a single household, including her older brother Thomas, who took the surname Smith after King George II refused the duke's petition of legitimacy.

Despite of her upbringing, or perhaps because of it, Caroline was known as a proponent of decorum and reservation. She married Lord Raulings in 1750 and gave birth to her first child, the then-Lord Bridgeton, in 1753. Lord Bridgeton was followed in birth by three sisters: Lady Francesca and Lady Miranda (twins, born January 1, 1756) and Lady Annabella (1760).

Caroline was surprised when her brother, Charles, took as his second wife a lady young enough to be his daughter. Ultimately, however, she conceded that the former Lady Eleanor D'Avray had fair enough taste in friends. Caroline approved of her sister-in-law's advocacy of Lady Margaret Eglinton for her nephew's bride. She suspect that Lady Margaret would prove a steadying influence on Lord St Elvans, who had grown from willful and sullen boy into a vindictive young man with a dreadful temper. She was pleased with the changes Lady St Elvans brought to the family and looked forward to the future generations.

Unfortunately, as she was rejoicing in the marriages and happiness of her own children, she marked with pain Lady St Elvans' declining health as well as that of her own. By 1790, she had noticed a slow increase in the size of one of her breasts as well as swelling under her arm. Her physician confirmed that she had developed a cancerous growth and suggested its removal, but Caroline declined. She died at her home, Raulings Park, in 1791 at the age of 62.