Mistress
A History of Women and their Country Houses
Anthony Fletcher author Ruth M Larsen author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Yale University Press
Published:12th Aug '25
Should be back in stock very soon
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 of The Power and the Glory
“Fletcher and Larsen use a treasure-trove of previously undiscovered archival sources to explore how much power and influence elite women wielded over their husbands and households. We have always known that women played a key role in the management of the country house. Now we know in much more precise terms exactly how significant that role was.”—Stephanie Barczewski, author of How the Country House Became English
“Fletcher and Larsen’s rich use of examples brings to life the diverse and changing experiences of mistresses of country houses across nearly five centuries.”—Elaine Chalus, author of Elite Women in English Political Life c. 1754–1790
ISBN: 9780300163810
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
352 pages