In the 1950s Alice Fairfax Lucy, who was then virtually mistress of
Charlecote Old Hall in Warwickshire under the wing of the National
Trust, was chronicling the history of Charlecote and the Lucy
family, who had lived there for over 600 years. She came across
five black notebooks written by Mary Elizabeth Lucy in her 80s, and
found them so interesting that she prepared them for publication.
Mary had come to Charlecote as a reluctant bride in 1823. Her
mother had told her, 'Love WILL come when you know all of Mr Lucy's
good qualities', and these memoirs, written so many years later
with her grandchildren in mind, suggest that she did attain love
and happiness. Charlecote became her beloved home, and eight
children were born to her. Five of these children died within her
lifetime, causing great anguish, but her life as mistress of
Charlecote continued. There are lively accounts of balls and
outings, visits, matchmaking and gossip, and brief descriptions of
many personages mostly within the landed aristocracy, all recounted
with vigour and humour. Divine Providence, the Social Order and the
Empire were all fixed poles in Mary's life, and she shows no
excitement about the Age of Progress, the literary giants of the
time (although Sir Walter Scott does make a brief appearance), or
currents of political thought, even thought her husband was an MP.
She accepts completely and unthinkingly the way things were. The
memoirs make a fascinating sourcebook for anyone interested in the
Victorian era. Much that would astonish us is taken for granted: a
burglar who had broken into Charlecote and stolen some important
valuables was sentenced to transportation for 15 years, and the
lightness of the sentence surprised the prisoner, as indeed 'it did
all in court more particularly myself'. A journey to Europe for a
period of two years, with four small children and a baby,
accompanied by five staff, now seems much more like an endurance
test, as very early on the baby became ill and died, and another
was born in Nancy a year later. First-hand accounts of aristocratic
life written by women are rare, and this is a remarkable insight
into the time, and enjoyable reading for its own sake. (Kirkus UK)
A delightful memoir of Mary Elizabeth Lucy and her life at
Charlecote. Mary Elizabeth Williams, an heiress from North Wales,
was only twenty when in 1823 she reluctantly married George Lucy
and became mistress of Charlecote Old Hall in Warwickshire. Sixty
years later she wrote this engaging account of her life for her
grandchildren. It was a life of great happiness, for she grew to
love her husband deeply. Her country home, her children, the London
season and a tour abroad all brought joy and fulfilment. But her
contentment was marred by tragedy as few of her many children
survived her. Her words reveal a character of great strength and
determination. High-spirited, discerning and delightfully free from
prudishness, Mary Elizabeth Lucy draws pen-portraits of the people
she met - Queen Victoria and Sir Walter Scott among them - and
provides an authentic view of life in fashionable 19th-century
society.
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