Lady of the House: Elite 19th Century Women and Their Role in the English Country House
My first book Lady of the House was published on the 2nd July 2018 and focuses on the lives of three women, Lady Mary Isham from Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire, Lady Elizabeth Manners, Duchess of Rutland from Belvoir Castle in Grantham, and Lady Harriet Leveson Gower, Countess Granville, daughter of the infamous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.
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This book tells the story of three genteel 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 the incredible women who endured tremendouse tragedy and worked alongside their husbands to create a legacy that we are still benefitting from today.
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Unmarried Women of the Country Estate - Four Stories from 17th - 20th Century
Unmarried Women of the Country Estate tells the stories of four women throughout history who chose not to marry and who led lives as "single" women. I say this in quotes because one of the women I study is Anne Lister who was actually married to her partner Ann Walker, however as the marriage was not recognised by law, legally she was considered a spinster.
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The book starts in the 17th century with the remarkable story of Elizabeth Isham who dedicated her life to God. We then meet Anne Robinson (the lady on the right on the cover) who gave up any chance of marriage to raise her sister's children when she died unexpectedly. In the 19th century we discuss the life of Anne Lister, made a household name by the recent Gentleman Jack tv adaptation. We look at her mining ventures and how she lived as a successful heiress. We finish the study with Rosalie Chichester a Victorian heiress who travelled the globe as a single woman and who wrote a number of (currently) unpublished fiction texts.