Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey ("née" Twysden; 25 February 1753 – 23 July 1821) was one of the more notorious of the many mistresses of King George IV when he was Prince of Wales, "a scintillating society woman, a heady mix of charm, beauty, and sarcasm". Through marriage she belonged to the Villiers family. She was born Frances Twysden, in London, second and posthumous daughter of The Rt Rev. Dr Philip Twysden (c.1714–52), Church of Ireland Lord Bishop of Raphoe (1746–1752; died 2 November 1752, allegedly shot while attempting to rob a stagecoach near London),
Diseases and epidemics of the 19th century Diseases and epidemics of the 19th century Diseases and epidemics of the 19th century reached epidemic proportions in the case of one emerging infectious disease: cholera. Other important diseases at that time in Europe and other regions included smallpox, typhus and yellow fewer. Epidemics of the 19th century were faced without the medical advances that made 20th-century epidemics much more rare and less lethal. Micro-organisms (viruses and bacteria) had been discovered in the 18th century, but it was not until the late 19th century that the experiments of Lazzaro Spallanzani and Louis Pasteur disproved spontaneous generation conclusively, allowing germ theory