Mistress: A History of Women and their Country Houses [Hardcover]

An insightful, hugely engaging new history of elite women and the country house from the sixteenth to the twentieth century
 
Grand houses can be found across the countryside of England and Wales. From the Stuart and Georgian periods to the Edwardian and Victorian, these buildings were once home to the aristocratic families of the nation. But what was life like for the mistresses of these great houses? How much power and influence did they really have?
 
Anthony Fletcher and Ruth M. Larsen explore the lives of country house mistresses. Focusing on eighteen women, and spanning five centuries, they look at the ways in which elite women not only shaped the house, household, and family, but also had an impact on society, culture, and politics within their estates and beyond. We meet Brilliana Harley, who defended her castle at Brampton Bryan; Frances Boscawen, who oversaw the building of Hatchlands; and Lady Mary Elcho, who preserved her secret life as mistress to Arthur Balfour. This is a fascinating account of the country house that puts women’s experiences centre stage.A significant addition to the substantial literature on women and country houses.Michael Hall,Times Literary Supplement

An enjoyable and important addition to the genre.Adrian Tinniswood,Literary Review

This is a book first and foremost about lives and the expectation of the roles women could play between the 16th and early 17th centuries. What the characters deftly presented here had in common was their determination to defy those expectations.Michael Prodger,New Statesman

“Fascinating! Fletcher and Larsen explore the many roles that women have played in the history of the country house with flair and authority.”—Adrian Tinniswood, author ofThe Power and the Glory

“Fletcher and Larsen use a treasure-trove of previously undiscovered archival sources to expl