Katharine Steele
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| Portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard | |
| Full Name | Katharine Elaine Grafton Steele |
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| Associated Noble House(s) | Marquessate of Raulings, Earldom of Carrington, Duchy of Wycombe |
| Date of Birth | February 18, 1789 |
| Father | Thomas Grafton |
| Father's Rank | Marquess of Raulings |
| Mother | Theodora Grafton |
| Mother's Rank | Marchioness of Raulings |
| Town Residence | {{{residence}}} |
| Year of Debut | 1807 |
| Dowry | £30,000 |
| Year of Marriage | 1807 |
| Spouse | Gregory Steele |
| Spouse's Rank | Earl of Carrington |
| Year of Widowhood | 1810 |
| Issue | None |
Katharine, Countess of Carrington, born Lady Katharine Grafton, is the widow of Gregory Steele, the late Earl of Carrington and sister to debutante Lady Julianne Grafton. She is played by Liz.
Early Life
Katharine Elaine Steele was born the first daughter of Thomas Grafton, 2nd Marquess of Raulings and his second wife, Theodora Grafton. She was born at Raulings Park in Leicestershire on February 18, 1789. She is the couple's fourth child, with older brothers Henry and Richard (twins born January 1786) and an infant brother Lord Thomas Grafton (stillborn, March 6, 1787) preceding her. She was followed by two sisters, Lady Theodora Grafton (born April 19, 1790 and died June 2, 1790) and Julianne (born February 14, 1792). The couple each had a son from a previous marriage: William Grafton, Earl of Bridgeton, from her father's first marriage and John Quinn, Duke of Wycombe, from her mother's first marriage.
Her parents hired tutors for her and her younger sister. Lord and Lady Raulings saw to it that their daughters had some of the best education available, sending for an Austrian tutor to teach them how to play a pianoforte, a Paris-educated French tutor, and a Flemish watercolorist, just to name a few.
For their part, Kate's four older brothers viewed their sister as yet another brother. True, she wore dresses and used a funny saddle, but she could keep up with them on fox hunts and footraces at Raulings Park. This resulted in her being viewed as an entirely separate species than the youngest Grafton child (Julianne) and Kate always felt closer to her brothers than her only sister.
London Debut
As time passed, however, Kate's interests began to fall more inline with those more appropriate to a young noblewoman. She began to enjoy staying inside and working on samplers with her sister. She began passing up opportunities to go riding with her brothers for staying in and accepting callers with her sister and mother. By the time she turned eighteen and debuted in London in 1807, Kate had morphed into a veritable diamond of the first water.
She was declared a hit by the granddames and had her fair share of suitors, receiving no less than five marriage proposals in her first two months on the scene. However it was not a dashing young dandy that caught her eye, but rather the much older Earl of Carrington. Nearly twenty years her senior, Lord Carrington was intelligent, mature, and attentive (at first). He never made Kate feel silly for not knowing things her education neglected and seemed to appreciate her strengths. The pair was married in a lavish July ceremony in 1807 in Westminster Abbey . He was 37; she was 18.
Married Life
"The Scandal" and Its Aftermath
Present Day
William Grafton, Earl of Bridgeton (half-brother, born September 1782)
John Quinn, Duke of Wycombe - half-brother, born April 1784, married Lady Penelope Beckett
--Lady Genevieve Quinn (born 1809)
Lord Henry Grafton and Lord Richard Grafton (elder brothers, twins, born January 1786)
Lord Thomas Grafton (stillborn, March 1787)
Lady Theodora Grafton (deceased as infant, born April 1790)
Lady Julianne Grafton (younger sister, born February 14, 1792)
Gregory Steele, 2nd Earl of Carrington (husband, born 1768, died July 1810)