Lady of the House: Elite 19th Century Women and their Role in the English Country House
Jun 2018 · Pen and Sword
Ebook
176
Pages
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About this ebook
Three accounts of remarkable women who oversaw their own households, stamped their authority on the estates they managed, and overcame misfortune.
This book tells the true stories of three gentile women who were born, raised, lived and died within the world of England’s Country Houses. This is not the story of ‘seen and not heard’ women, these are incredible women who endured tremendous tragedy and worked alongside their husbands to create a legacy that we are still benefitting from today.
Harriet Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville—second-born child of the infamous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire—married her aunt’s lover, raised his illegitimate children and reigned supreme as Ambassadress over the Parisian elite.
Lady Mary Isham lived at Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire with her family where, despite great tragedy, she was responsible for developing a house and estate while her husband remained ‘the silent Baronet.’
Elizabeth Manners, Duchess of Rutland, hailed from Castle Howard and used her upbringing to design and build a Castle and gardens at Belvoir suitable for a Duke and Duchess that inspired a generation of country house interiors.
These women were expected simply to produce children, to be active members of society, to give handsomely to charity and to look the part. What these three remarkable women did instead is develop vast estates, oversee architectural changes, succeed in business, take a keen role in politics as well as successfully managing all the expectations of an aristocratic lady.
“The book looks at both the lives of the women and the buildings that they transformed.” —The Creative Historian
This book tells the true stories of three gentile women who were born, raised, lived and died within the world of England’s Country Houses. This is not the story of ‘seen and not heard’ women, these are incredible women who endured tremendous tragedy and worked alongside their husbands to create a legacy that we are still benefitting from today.
Harriet Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville—second-born child of the infamous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire—married her aunt’s lover, raised his illegitimate children and reigned supreme as Ambassadress over the Parisian elite.
Lady Mary Isham lived at Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire with her family where, despite great tragedy, she was responsible for developing a house and estate while her husband remained ‘the silent Baronet.’
Elizabeth Manners, Duchess of Rutland, hailed from Castle Howard and used her upbringing to design and build a Castle and gardens at Belvoir suitable for a Duke and Duchess that inspired a generation of country house interiors.
These women were expected simply to produce children, to be active members of society, to give handsomely to charity and to look the part. What these three remarkable women did instead is develop vast estates, oversee architectural changes, succeed in business, take a keen role in politics as well as successfully managing all the expectations of an aristocratic lady.
“The book looks at both the lives of the women and the buildings that they transformed.” —The Creative Historian
About the author
Charlotte Furness was born and raised in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
After completing a Bachelor Degree in English, and a Masters Degree in Country House Studies at the University of Leicester, she started a career in heritage, working for English Heritage and the trust-managed Lamport Hall. She has also worked at Harewood House, Temple Newsam House and Renishaw Hall.
Whilst working in this field, she has come across many stories which, unless told, would have been lost in the annals of time. She now works as a full-time writer and sees it as her mission to bring these forgotten stories to the attention of as many readers as possible, to preserve them so that they can be enjoyed in their full glory.
She also writes a blog, The Country House Hag, which shares snippets of her experience of working in heritage and her knowledge surrounding heritage and history.
After completing a Bachelor Degree in English, and a Masters Degree in Country House Studies at the University of Leicester, she started a career in heritage, working for English Heritage and the trust-managed Lamport Hall. She has also worked at Harewood House, Temple Newsam House and Renishaw Hall.
Whilst working in this field, she has come across many stories which, unless told, would have been lost in the annals of time. She now works as a full-time writer and sees it as her mission to bring these forgotten stories to the attention of as many readers as possible, to preserve them so that they can be enjoyed in their full glory.
She also writes a blog, The Country House Hag, which shares snippets of her experience of working in heritage and her knowledge surrounding heritage and history.
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