Court Lady and Country Wife: Two Noble Sisters in Seventeenth-Century England

by Lita-Rose Betcherman

Born during the reign of Elizabeth I, Lucy and Dorothy Percy came to prominence at the court of Charles I. Lucy, the Countess of Carlisle, dominated the royal scene. Her beauty was immortalized in magnificent Van Dyck portraits, her political skills attracted many famous lovers, and her talent as a gossip ensured her inclusion in the queen's inner circle—until civil war and its machinations led to her imprisonment in the Tower of London.

Her sister, Dorothy, Countess of Leicester—wife of a diplomat and an ancestor of Princess Diana—managed the family estates and raised twelve surviving children. Though brilliant, with a keen eye and special purview of European politics, she had a reputation as a shrewish wife and, when her husband rebelled after thirty-five years of marriage, it caused a public scandal.

Viewing a tempestuous era through the exceptional lives of Lucy and Dorothy Percy, Lita-Rose Betcherman's Court Lady and Country Wife offers a perfect window into a remarkable world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, 17th Century, British Literature, Biography Memoir, Royalty

400 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Indiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It tells the story of two sisters, Dorothy and Lucy Percy, who were born at the end of Elizabeth I’s reign and lived through James I, Charles I and the English Civil War. Their parents were the 9th Earl of Northumberland and Dorothy Devereux. Their father spent most of their childhood in the Tower of London for his supposed involvement in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and as a result he played very little role in their upbringing and had little influence over them. Both girls made marriages of their own doing and married for love.

Lucy married the future Earl of Carlisle, a Scottish gentleman who had come down to England with King James and was quite engrained in the court and its society. Most of her subsequent life revolved around the court with all its scandals and goings on. She went on to become the mistress of the Duke of Buckingham and was an in an out favorite of Queen Henrietta Maria. In later life, Lucy did not slow down and while she engrained herself with the Puritans at the beginning of the Civil War she eventually found herself imprisoned in the Tower of London for her support of King Charles.

Her sister Dorothy on the other hand married the future Earl of Leicester. They lived most of their life in the country raising 12 children although there was a stint to Paris while Leicester was England’s ambassador. The two of them had quite a passionate relationship that grew harder and harder to maintain towards the end. Dorothy was in charge of the family finances and every year there would be an all out battle between husband and wife as Leicester tried to pry as much money out of his wife’s hands as he could and she held as firmly onto it as she could! Eventually Leicester decided to leave Dorothy and went to the trouble to start negotiations with her brother (the then current Earl of Northumberland). However before things could be finalized, Dorothy grew gravely ill. And rather ironically, after Dorothy died, Leicester grieved her for the rest of his life.

This is a very easy to read biography so even if history and biographies aren’t your usual thing but you enjoy a good story you probably would enjoy this book. The research seems accurate…sometimes when I read these “easy to read” biographies they come at the expense of the history but I didn’t feel that was the case with this book. What I liked best about this book was I felt the author did a good job representing the two sisters as they really were. The author doesn’t try to impress us with how important they were or try to make them seem like really nice people. Lucy seems like quite a flake at times (almost the Paris Hilton of her day) and Dorothy really comes across as a shrew. But that doesn’t make them less interesting to read about and I think I liked them more for seeming realistic as opposed to having them subjected to “heroine syndrome.”

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting historical perspective on the years immediately preceeding Queen Elizabeth I's death through the Civil War and Restoration. These 2 sisters lived during a cataclysmic period in history, and through their life stories you get a real feel for the time period, the power players and the events of the day.

Overall I enjoyed this piece of non-fiction, but found it a bit dry and uneven in places. This isn't one of the best books of non-fiction history that I've read, but it's certainly worth a read for people who enjoy this time period.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of the two Percy sisters in first half (or somewhat more) of the 17th century in England, Dorothy and Lucy. They are at the absolute top of the social ladder, daughters of the earl of Northumberland. They lived in turbulent times, and saw both the highest and the lowest of what life had to offer (especially Lucy). They are also good examples of the different roles open to women of their social status, Dorothy lived in the country in a big house with a big family and Lucy at the centre of court life with both its splendour and its intrigues.

They are definitely a well chosen subject for a historical biography of this kind, both in depicting the life of women and giving a slightly different angle of the general British history of the time. There are shorter sections that are written somewhat "dramatized" - but the author stays really close to what we do know and what would be very plausible actions for the sisters so it just gives some extra flavour to their story.

All in all a quite good book - and it also gives ample evidence for both marriages based on love (even in those upper circles where politics and economy also were so important that you sometimes believe it to be the only thing that mattered) and that the loss of a child was something that really could upset the parents emotionally (it is far too easy to believe that was not the case in times with high child mortality - but things weren't so simple).

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read through all the Phyllipa Gregory books about the English monarchy Mom thought I would appreciate this work of historical fiction Court Lady and Country Wife only for this Lita-Rose Betcherman book to turn out to be non-fiction. It was written well, more like a novel than flat biography which is why it is finished and the Jane Austen Biography is still laboring along.
This book starts off in the early 1600’s and follows two sisters as they rise and fall with the high and mighty of England. This story picks up about the time Elizabeth the first dies and moves us through the English revolution. I found this very interesting as I could look back to the Baroque cycle and remember this story from the other side. These women though paved their own way showing that women could have power and though often they acted foolish, they were exceedingly uneducated and yet controlled their households and were movers and shakers in the political field.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was slow moving; it started quite off interestingly, but it slowed down. It rapidly was about politics and not about the sisters- I understand that politics played a large part in their lives but they were largely missing in the second half.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an easy read but I found this book fascinating because it reveals that even at a time when women were oppressed, a few managed to weld influence on politics and family life. The Percy sisters were in the thick of court politics during the English Civil Wars and Reformation, using their intelligence, perseverance and sometimes feminine wiles to gain power for their families and financial success. The two women were very different but remained loyal to each other despite many disagreements. This book was even more interesting after reading a fictional account of Shakespeare and his wife during Elizabethan times. There were some complicated plots and it was sometimes hard to follow who was related to who and what title belonged to what family, but I learned a lot about an unfamiliar time period in English history.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book would have more of a story but it is pretty much like reading a history book...a very interesting history book but a history book nevertheless. The author does a wonderful job of keeping things going - I really appreciate that! I thought I'd be able to finish this book in 3 weeks but, alas, it seems to be never ending! So, I do recommend this book to those folks who love to read facts about historical people. For those (like me) who prefer a little "bubblegum" in their history, I suggest passing this one over.

[Carolyn Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography of the Percy sisters, Lucy and Dorothy, during the 17th Century, and the contrast in their lives. Lucy, as Countess of Carlisle, became a leader of fashion and one of the Queen's favourites, whilst Dorothy married the Earl of Leicester and raised her family at Penshurst Place. It gives an insight into the inner workings of Charles I's court and events leading up to the English Civil War.

A must-read for those interested in 17th Century history.

[Coleen Dailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read about two sisters, daughters of the Earl of Northumberland during the reign of Charles I. One marries well and lives at court and becomes a major player in the intrigues of Charles I switching sides briefly and then back. The other marries well but lives a life further from court managing the estates of her husband. I didn't know much about this period and found this to be a very interesting, informative read.

[JodiP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been wanting to learn more abot the EnglishCivil War and this book was a first-hand look through the eyes of the Percy sisters. I loved reading about all the political intrigue. My only ocmplaint is that Betcherman could come across as catty at times towards her subjects. She could also use a make-ver; her look is 1967 librarian! Oh, wait, that was really catty.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good background for understanding the mid 1600's in British history that I've been learning more about.
My ultimate goal is to better understand the world of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series which is a century later, which means understanding the Stuart monarchy, religious changes, and what happened around the Stuart claim to the throne.

[Judie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This history of England revolves around the lives of the Percy sisters during the reign of Charles I. They were from an influential family and involved in the court and intrigue of their time. It is a history, and needs to be read in small doses.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love the author's writing style. It just flows and kept me interested. It was like a story instead of a ton of facts thrown together in sequence. The sisters lead very interesting lives, especially the sister (Lucy) that was at court most of her life.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written and keeps the readers attention. The story line covers several years through many family and political events. There were times that it made me laugh out loud. I really enjoyed this book.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I was not enthralled with Ms. Betcherman's writing style, the story she told was very interesting and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the history of Stuart England.

[Jemahl Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful bio of two very overlooked but incredibly important women in the Seventeenth Century. Very highly reccomended for anyone interested in the period, and well written and engaging for the casual reader.

[Tammy]

A very enjoyable book that gives the reader a look into the upper-class world of England during the reigns of James I and Charles I.

[Jenny Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not get through this book. There was far too much political history for my tastes.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Try as I might I couldn't finish this book. It wasn't bad but it just couldn't hold my attention for long. Plus I kept getting lost in remembering who was who, especially when their title and thus their name would change, I just couldn't keep it straight. I only read about halfway and then deiced after trying to finish well over a year I should just give up.

[Tam Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the lives of two women in Stuart England and how their lives intertwined with the rise, fall, and re-rise of the Stuart Dynasty.

[heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 1/3-1/2 of the book was interesting. The rest was dry as dust, save for a few shocking tidbits.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up because I haven't read a lot about the early Stuart dynasty, and thought it would be interesting to learn about some non-royal, but important players in the reigns of James I and Charles I. I learned a great deal through this book about not only the early Stuart Kings, but about the Civil War, and the Commonwealth. Lucy and Dorothy Percy, their brothers, husbands, and children all played a large role in this period of history. Betcherman does a great job conveying the history without getting too bogged down in extraneous details, and showing the two sisters as real and compelling actors on the historic stage. I am glad to have read this book and I recommend it to those interested in this period of history.

[Mattia]

I tried many times to pick this up again, but I'm on 225/400 after a month and not going to finish it. The author's research on the topic was very thorough and the book is well written from a technical standpoint...but most of it consists of one long infodump of details and nobles with changing titles and not a lot of reason to care. I was excited about this book but found it too dry to keep going. And I normally read academic histories; the writing in this one was unusually boring.

[Hillary]

Decent, but not fantastic. The phrase "we can imagine" was used way too often for a biography.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read!