Tart of the Week: Nancy Parsons

Another humble tart from humble beginnings, Annabella was said to be the daughter of a tailor on Bond Street. If this is the case, her family took care in Annabella receiving a good education, possibly abroad. Perhaps, her father serviced the well-to-do which made little Annabella accustomed to the cultured set. Unlike some of our favourite tarts, Annabella was deeply religious with a calm temperament. It was said that any harsh words said against her left deep scars; she was a gentle soul at heart.

At a young age she eloped to the West Indies with a Captain Horton. The whole idea probably seemed romantic at the time but once she began her new life in Jamaica she was soon to discover the true nature of Captain Horton. He abused her so much that she ran away, first boarding a ship to the Americas and then finally managing to make her way back to London.

Now going by the name of Mrs Nancy Horton (widow), our heroine found herself completely penniless and out of luck. Praying wasn't gonna help her put food in her stomach and find a place to live, Nancy had to act fast. She managed to find a series of men to take care of her in exchange for, ya know, the goods. One of these men just happened to be the newly separated Duke of Grafton who had had enough of his wife's gambling. The Duke was head over heels for Nancy and the two were the example of the perfect couple for years. Nancy even acted as the incumbent wife, hosting dinners and such-all while the Duke was serving as Prime Minister. They saw each other as equals and the Duke was never adverse to seeking Nancy's advice in political matters. The breakup came as quite a shock to everyone including Nancy. The press was quick to report that while the Duke wanted to keep things amiable, Nancy was too hurt. Soon afterward, the Duke remarried.

Nancy was no longer in the height of her beauty and although she was getting an annuity, her future security was still uncertain. However, she still had her charms and networking skills so she wasn't without a list of admirers. One of these admirers was the young Duke of Dorset who would later be known as quite the ladies' man. He and Nancy were a couple for more than a year before he moved on to the much younger Elizabeth Armistead.

Then suddenly Nancy was the Viscountess Maynard. The fact that Nancy and Charles, Viscount Maynard were even seeing each other had slipped under everyone's radar until the marriage announcement was in the Morning Post. Even more surprising, Charles was 15 years younger than Nancy. Whispers surfaced that Nancy's intelligence made up for Charles' lack of it. Now in her older years, it was her smarts that attracted many men, not her beauty; and that sexy brain of hers got her a title.

Men of all ages and ranks continued to fall in love with Nancy up until the time of her death in 1792 at the age of 69.

Bingley Brains

I've been wandering over to Seth Grahame-Smith's blog on Amazon quite regularly now. For those who don't know this mildly unknown name, Grahame-Smith is one of the authors of the upcoming Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Based on the funny anecdotes of the blog, I now have higher 'LOL' expectations for the book. He's a funny guy! Of course, this may come as no shock since this is the same guy who came up with the concept of combining zombies and Bennets.

In other Meryton zombie news, the NY Times has a pretty good article about the upcoming book and it's surprising internet response (which I'm just adding too, aren't I?).

Book Review: Wedlock

When I heard that a new biography for Mary Eleanor Bowes was coming out I was more than excited. The Countess of Strathmore was a feisty, vivacious woman of the Enlightenment. Her love of pets and interest and patronage in botany were only overshadowed by her tragic marriage to what can only be described as a horrible sociopath. Mary and her story are very interesting to me but I craved more juicy details; so as luck would have it Wendy Moore provides just those in her new book Wedlock: The True Story of the Disastrous Marriage and Remarkable Divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore. That may be a long title, but it's also a great summery and sale pitch for Mary's harrowing tale.

Mary was the richest heiress in Great Britain at the time of her marriage to the Earl of Strathmore. She settled down to married life and to motherhood, which proved to be disappointing. When her husband died not long afterward, the widowed (and still filthy rich) countess made up for lost time by partying in London, having numerous boyfriends, and finally engrossing herself in her educational interests. Unfortunately, one of her lovers turned out to be a schemer who would form a series of the most diabolical plots in order to capture her wealth. Andrew Robinson Stoney faked a duel in her honour and a fatal wound in order for her promise to marry him. Mary, wanting to grant a dying man his last wish, obliged. This proved to be a near fatal error. Mary soon became a prisoner to her new husband who tortured her for the fun of it. The once glamourous countess was forced to wear rags and be severely beaten on a daily basis [pictured right during the height of her abuse] while her husband brought home mistress after mistress and raped their servants. As jaw dropping as Mary's abuse is, her divorce trial is even more amazing, considering the little rights women had in this era.

"...[Judge] Buller had become the laughingstock by suggesting that a husband could lawfully beat his wife as long as he used a stick no bigger than his thumb. Yet even "Judge Thumb" was scandalized at the depraved extremes of [Andrew Robinson Stoney]'s conduct, which now unfolded before the court."

I will admit, this book started out slow, and therefore disappointingly for me. Moore has a good sense of narrative but also a tendency to drone on about all sorts of things in an effort not to leave out any information. A totally understandable concern, but not always the best commodity for non-fiction. This would gradually bore and then veer me away from the main context. But with introductions out of the way the book picked up and the real dirt began to be revealed; that's when Moore began to shine.

There are many challenges in writing Bowe's biography. Moore documents almost every case of the poor woman's abuse that she could find. She does this all while avoiding making the individual cases sound too repetitive or like a Lifetime movie. The true and awful nature of Stoney is also revealed in full force and with thoughtful analysis. Where Georgian court trials can get long-winded and tedious, Moore manages to cut out the dispensable aspects to keep the story going.

Wedlock is definitely worth reading, even if it is a little tough to get through the first third of the book. Mary Eleanor is an amazing woman, who, without realizing it, became a pioneer in women's divorce settlements, and therefore, individual rights. I'm proud to say that her biographer does her justice. Wedlock is already available in the UK under the sumptuous subtitle: How Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match and will be on US Shelves on 10 March.

Oscar Update

I just managed to catch the end of Michael O'Connor's teary Oscar speech (sorry, was watching Oliver Twist!). The Duchess just won for the best costumes. A deserved honour but I can't help but notice The Duchess seems to only be recognized for costumes and no other honours in terms of awards.