Wives and Daughters: Women and Children in the Georgian Country HouseTold through the stories, journals and personal letters of the women of the powerful Fox family, Wives and Daughters is a window into the daily lives and experiences of women of eighteenth-century aristocratic society and the country houses that symbolized the power and taste of eighteenth-century Britain. Combining personality with historical setting and detail, Joanna Martin traces the lives of fifteen individual women in their four country houses through several generations, in society and at home. Taking an intimate and personal look at courtship, marriage, childbirth, education, houses and gardens, reading, hobbies, travel and health, this book is an engrossing account of woman's lives in this fascinating time. |
Contents
The Fox Strangways family | 8 |
The Fox and Digby families | 25 |
Map of the Fox Strangways country houses | 34 |
The memorial to William and Susan OBrien in Stinsford church | 51 |
The Talbot family | 57 |
Contents | 79 |
Melbury House north front 1732 | 81 |
Susanna | 108 |
The rock pool in Mary Talbots garden at Penrice by Emma Talbot | 270 |
Elizabeth | 369 |
Susan | 382 |
Country Houses | 391 |
Literature and Science | 408 |
Travel | 418 |
Patronage | 424 |
Bibliography | 431 |
Common terms and phrases
Abbotsbury Acland Age of Jane Agnes Porter Agnes Porter's journal April August Bath brother C. R. M. Talbot Caroline Fox chaise Charles Charlotte Digby Charlotte Traherne coach Countess of Ilchester D/FSI daughter death Dorset Earl of Ilchester eighteenth century Elizabeth Feilding February flowers fols Fox Talbot Museum garden girls Governess Harriot Strangways Henry Fox Hicks Beach household accounts Melbury housekeeper husband Ilchester to Lord Jane Austen January John July Lacock Lady Ilchester later letter lived London Lord Hervey Lord Ilchester Lord Ilchester's maid marriage married Mary Cole Mary Strangways Mary Talbot Mary's Melbury Sampford mother November O'Brien to Elizabeth October paid Penrice Redlynch Sarah Bunbury second Earl September servants Sherborne Castle sister Stavordale stayed Stephen Fox Stinsford Susan O'Brien Susan O'Brien's journal Susanna Strangways Horner Swansea Thomas Mansel Talbot Thomas Talbot told travelled whilst wife William O'Brien women