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Anna Maria Stanhope, Duchess of Bedford (3 September 1783 - 3 July 1857), was the daughter of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington, and June Fleming. She became the wife of Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford, and sister in law of the British Prime Minister John Russell. She was a life long friend of Queen Victoria^[1] and between 1841 and 1847 served as a Lady of the Bedchamber ^[2]. The Duchess and her husband entertained the Queen at the Bedford's country house Woburn Abbey in 1841.

The Duchess is best remembered as the creator of the British meal "afternoon tea" ^[3] During the 18th century, dinner was served at a gradually later and later time until by the early 1800s, the normal time was between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. and an extra meal called luncheon had been created to fill the midday gap, since this new meal was very light, the long afternoon with no refreshment at all left people feeling rather hungry, as a consequence of her hunger pangs the Duchess is credited with the invention of afternoon tea, which when in residence at Woburn Abbey she took in the Blue Drawing Room. She found this afternoon snack such a perfect refreshment that she soon started inviting her friends to join her for this new social event. Afternoon tea quickly became an established and convivial repast in many middle and upper class households.

The Duchess was the mother of William Russell, 8th Duke of Bedford. She died in 1857 and is buried in the Bedford chapel at Chenies in Buckinghamshire.

1. ^ Bedford, Duke of. The History and Treasures of Woburn Abbey. Page 11. Pitkin Pictorials Ltd London
2. ^ [1] The peerage. The Hon. Anna Maria Stanhope
3. ^ Tavistock, Marquess of. Woburn Abbey. 1995. Woburn Abbey and Jarold Publishing

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