Ladies of the Country House: Irish Aristocratic Women, 1870-1918
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LADIES OF THE COUNTRY HOUSE: IRISH ARISTOCRATIC WOMEN, 1870-1918 by ITA M. MURPHY THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF M. LITT DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY HEAD OF DEPARTMENT: Dr. Jacinta Prunty Supervisor of Research: Professor Terence Dooley 2017 Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ i Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... ii Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Women and marriage ...................................................................................... 9 ‘Marriage is a very serious affair’ ................................................................................. 9 The preamble to marriage: Ralph Wicklow & Gladys Hamilton ................................ 16 Motherhood ................................................................................................................. 21 Pregnancy and childbirth ............................................................................................. 23 Children ....................................................................................................................... 26 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 31 Chapter 2: Marriage, scandal, and Irish aristocratic women ........................................... 32 Scandal and affairs ...................................................................................................... 37 The political clout of Baron Connemara ..................................................................... 46 Private musings and censorship .................................................................................. 51 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 53 Chapter 3: The American Influence ................................................................................ 55 ‘American colony in London’ ..................................................................................... 55 ‘Exceptional advantages and introductions’ ................................................................ 57 ‘Swallowed by members of the British aristocracy’ ................................................... 60 ‘Outside fairyland one must have bread and butter’ ................................................... 63 ‘Romance vanishes before the reality of their habits’ ................................................. 66 Americans in Ireland ................................................................................................... 69 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 78 Chapter 4: Noblesse oblige: the spirit of charity and benevolence ................................. 80 ‘Each estate was a kingdom’ ....................................................................................... 80 Pleas for assistance ...................................................................................................... 84 The move into the public sphere ................................................................................. 90 Mary, countess of Meath ............................................................................................. 94 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 100 Chapter 5: ‘The sword of Damocles’: death, grief and daily life during the Great War ....................................................................................................................................... 102 ‘Everybody is mad about the war’: perceptions and facts ......................................... 102 ‘Cheerfully sacrificed on the altar of patriotism’: death and bereavement ............... 108 ‘A brave face on our sorrow’ .................................................................................... 114 Impositions of the war on daily life ........................................................................... 116 ‘A supreme moment’ ................................................................................................. 123 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 124 Chapter 6: Aristocratic women and the Great War ....................................................... 125 Response to war: Lady Beatrix Beresford, Lady Augusta Dillon and Lady Henrietta MacDonnell ............................................................................................................... 125 Belgian Refugees ....................................................................................................... 136 Voluntary Aid Detachments ...................................................................................... 140 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 148 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 150 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 153 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Terence Dooley, for his support, encouragement and patience throughout this process. Members of the History Department at Maynooth University, both teaching and administrative staff, also deserve acknowledgement for their encouragement and support, in particular the exceptional lecturers who inspired me. I would also like to thank Professor Marian Lyons for her kindness and support throughout my journey and Dr. Jacinta Prunty for her invaluable assistance. My fellow students deserve my appreciation for their friendship and support. Last but by no means least to Joe, Conor, Lee, Adam and Rory, my sincerest thanks, for their sacrifices, steadfast support, patience, and love. i Abbreviations BRCS British Red Cross Society DGVO Director General of Voluntary Organisations GWFA Galway War Funds Association HRH His / Her Royal Highness ICA Irish Countrywomen’s Association IWA Irish Women’s Association IWHSD Irish War Hospital Supply Depot JWC Joint War Committee N.L.I. National Library of Ireland OBE Order of the British Empire POW Prisoner of War PRONI Public Record Office of Northern Ireland RTO Railway Transport Officer SSFA Soldiers and Sailors Family Association UI United Irishwomen VAD Voluntary Aid Detachment YMCA Young Men’s Christian Association ii Introduction Far from being an insignificant sub-group, aristocratic women played important roles within their country homes and in wider society. This research, which focuses on the period of great social, political and economic change, 1870-1918, examines the role of women in relation to their feminine duties, how aspects of their social lives including marriage arrangements and leisure activities changed over the period, and the diversity of roles they assumed during the Great War. The role of aristocratic women and the Irish country house has been an overlooked aspect of Irish history with the result that few published works exist on the topic. By means of a case study, aristocratic women step forth from the dusty letters and diaries of family archives lending their words to provide a more nuanced understanding of their roles and experiences in a staunchly patriarchal society. Aims & Objectives The aim of this study is to elucidate the important role and significance of noble women within their own class during the period 1870-1918. Three areas of their lives in which they played pivotal roles - the home, the locale and the nation – are examined. This qualitative case study uses a combination of statistical and primary source analysis leading to an understanding of the perspectives and experiences of aristocratic women. The approaches to marriage and the role and function of marriage within the endogamous ruling class are examined from the viewpoint of the female. In its traditional form marriage was being undermined with an increase in marital scandals and divorce.1 Additionally, the frequency with which American heiress’ and actresses married into the aristocracy heralded a change in the social order where the purity of bloodlines was threatened and had the potential to breach long established familial ties and networks. The private charitable endeavours of aristocratic women highlight their central role within the landlord system. Their activities within the home, the demesne and the wider community, forged and cemented bonds and sustained a reciprocal system of loyalty and deference which had been practised for generations. With the outbreak of the Great War in 1914 aristocratic women played a crucial role by undertaking charitable activities, and providing leadership to a variety of patriotic organisations. These war-time activities, 1 See David Cannadine, The decline and fall of the British aristocracy (New York, 1990), pp 341-87. 1 focused on soldiers and prisoners of war and their dependents, involved a diverse array of undertakings by women. Such activities can be considered an extension of women’s roles, but also a broadening