UCC Library and UCC researchers have made this item openly available. Please let us know how this has helped you. Thanks! Title Home, family and society: women of the Irish landed class, 1860-1914. A Munster case study Author(s) O'Riordan, Maeve Publication date 2014 Original citation O'Riordan, M. 2014. Home, family and society: women of the Irish landed class, 1860-1914. A Munster case study. PhD Thesis, University College Cork. Type of publication Doctoral thesis Rights © 2013, Maeve O'Riordan http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Item downloaded http://hdl.handle.net/10468/1557 from Downloaded on 2021-10-10T21:43:50Z Home, family and society: women of the Irish landed class, c.1860-1914. A Munster case study. Maeve O’Riordan Submitted to the National University of Ireland, Cork, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of History Under the supervision of Dr Clare O’Halloran Head of School: Prof. Geoffrey Roberts Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... iv Declaration ................................................................................................................... v List of Illustrations ...................................................................................................... vi List of Tables............................................................................................................ viii Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. ix Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 The Project ............................................................................................................... 1 Literature Review ..................................................................................................... 3 Timeline of study ................................................................................................... 11 Sample .................................................................................................................... 15 Sources ................................................................................................................... 21 Limitations of study ............................................................................................... 25 Outline .................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 1:Home and Duty ......................................................................................... 29 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 29 The role of wife ...................................................................................................... 31 Wife as manager ............................................................................................................ 33 Wife as hostess .............................................................................................................. 37 Wife as local leader ........................................................................................................ 47 The roles of women who were not wives............................................................... 65 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 76 Chapter 2: World and Leisure .................................................................................... 82 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 82 The physical world ................................................................................................. 83 Physical activity .............................................................................................................. 83 Sport ............................................................................................................................... 83 Travel.............................................................................................................................. 92 Dress............................................................................................................................. 101 Cultural Activity .................................................................................................. 103 Women as artists and writers ............................................................................... 107 Women‘s movement ............................................................................................ 116 Philanthropy ......................................................................................................... 120 The political world ............................................................................................... 128 ii Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 130 Chapter 3: Marriage and Love ................................................................................. 137 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 137 A note on the legal status of married women ....................................................... 139 Choosing a partner ............................................................................................... 141 Who they married ........................................................................................................ 141 Mercenary considerations ........................................................................................... 144 Emotional considerations ............................................................................................ 152 Sexual activity ...................................................................................................... 156 Love and lust outside marriage .................................................................................... 159 Family involvement ............................................................................................. 167 Wedding as an event ............................................................................................ 173 Impact on family .................................................................................................. 177 Married life........................................................................................................... 181 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 184 Chapter Four: Childbearing and Motherhood .......................................................... 186 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 186 Fertility ................................................................................................................. 187 Pregnancy and childbirth...................................................................................... 203 Early care ............................................................................................................. 211 The role of mother ................................................................................................ 216 Education.............................................................................................................. 221 Other parents ........................................................................................................ 226 Death of children .................................................................................................. 229 Adult Children: Adult mothers............................................................................. 233 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 234 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 240 Appendix 1: Biographical Information .................................................................... 249 Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 259 iii Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the support and assistance of a number of individuals and organisations. First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Clare O‘Halloran, who has taught me a great deal. From the first meeting to the very final draft she has been a constant mentor, guide and friend, and it has been a great support to know that her wisdom was always just an email away. The School of History at UCC, and especially the head of school, Prof. Geoff Roberts, have made me most welcome and provided me with important teaching experience, and the funding opportunities provided by the School were an important support. I would especially like to thank Charlotte, Deirdre, Geraldine and Maeve for being so helpful with every possible query. Thanks also to Andy Bielenberg for his advice on statistical analysis and fertility patterns, and Carmel Quinlan and Sandra McAvoy for valuable references. The funding of the Irish Research Council was essential