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Wedlock
Moore resurrects history from dry names and dates, and vividly recreates this eerily familiar era with a historian's love for detail and a storyteller's passion for a good yarn.
With the death of her fabulously wealthy coal magnate father when she was just eleven, Mary Eleanor Bowes became the richest heiress in Britain. An ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II, Mary grew to be a highly educated young woman, winning acclaim as a playwright and botanist. Courted by a bevy of eager suitors, at eighteen she married the handsome but aloof ninth Earl of Strathmore in a celebrated, if ultimately troubled, match that forged the Bowes Lyon name. Yet she stumbled headlong into scandal when, following her husband’s early death, a charming young army hero flattered his way into the merry widow’s bed.
Captain Andrew Robinson Stoney insisted on defending her honor in a duel, and Mary was convinced she had found true love. Judged by doctors to have been mortally wounded in the melee, Stoney persuaded Mary to grant his dying wish; four days later they were married.
Sadly, the “captain” was not what he seemed. Staging a sudden and remarkable recovery, Stoney was revealed as a debt-ridden lieutenant, a fraudster, and a bully. Immediately taking control of Mary’s vast fortune, he squandered her wealth and embarked on a campaign of appalling violence and cruelty against his new bride. Finally, fearing for her life, Mary masterminded an audacious escape and challenged social conventions of the day by launching a suit for divorce. The English public was horrified–and enthralled. But Mary’s troubles were far from over . . .
Novelist William Makepeace Thackeray was inspired by Stoney’s villainy to write The Luck of Barry Lyndon, which Stanley Kubrick turned into an Oscar-winning film. Based on exhaustive archival research, Wedlock is a thrilling and cinematic true story, ripped from the headlines of eighteenth-century England.
With the death of her fabulously wealthy coal magnate father when she was just eleven, Mary Eleanor Bowes became the richest heiress in Britain. An ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II, Mary grew to be a highly educated young woman, winning acclaim as a playwright and botanist. Courted by a bevy of eager suitors, at eighteen she married the handsome but aloof ninth Earl of Strathmore in a celebrated, if ultimately troubled, match that forged the Bowes Lyon name. Yet she stumbled headlong into scandal when, following her husband’s early death, a charming young army hero flattered his way into the merry widow’s bed.
Captain Andrew Robinson Stoney insisted on defending her honor in a duel, and Mary was convinced she had found true love. Judged by doctors to have been mortally wounded in the melee, Stoney persuaded Mary to grant his dying wish; four days later they were married.
Sadly, the “captain” was not what he seemed. Staging a sudden and remarkable recovery, Stoney was revealed as a debt-ridden lieutenant, a fraudster, and a bully. Immediately taking control of Mary’s vast fortune, he squandered her wealth and embarked on a campaign of appalling violence and cruelty against his new bride. Finally, fearing for her life, Mary masterminded an audacious escape and challenged social conventions of the day by launching a suit for divorce. The English public was horrified–and enthralled. But Mary’s troubles were far from over . . .
Novelist William Makepeace Thackeray was inspired by Stoney’s villainy to write The Luck of Barry Lyndon, which Stanley Kubrick turned into an Oscar-winning film. Based on exhaustive archival research, Wedlock is a thrilling and cinematic true story, ripped from the headlines of eighteenth-century England.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2009
186 people are currently reading
2794 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Moore
34 books135 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Wendy Moore worked as a journalist and freelance writer for more than 25 years. She has always been interested in history, and as a result, began researching the history of medicine.
The Knife Man is her first book.
Wendy Moore worked as a journalist and freelance writer for more than 25 years. She has always been interested in history, and as a result, began researching the history of medicine.
The Knife Man is her first book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 290 reviews
April 21, 2011
WOW
THIS book is the perfect example of why I love historical non-fiction. Based on well researched and documented sources, author Wendy Moore has penned an incredible, almost-defies-belief account of the life of Mary Eleanor Bowes, an ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II (via the late Queen Mother). Just how well researched and documented can be attested by the 40 plus pages of meticulous end notes found at the end of the book. Wedlock is, quite simply, one of the most riveting books I've ever had the pleasure of reading, and gives added "ummph" to the old maxim: Truth is Stranger Than Fiction . In fact, if this were a work of fiction, I'd have thrown it against the wall for being too "out there".
In 1760, when she was only 11 years old, Mary Eleanor Bowes father died, leaving her his sole heiress with an estimated net worth of over $142 million (yes, you read that right). Mary Eleanor was the Doris Duke of her time period, and the title "Poor Little Rich Girl" could easily apply to her. Pampered, extremely well-educated for her sex and time period, attractive, yet lacking any real emotional stability or discernment in her life, Mary E. was one of the richest heiresses in Britain, if not the richest. At 18, she climbed many rungs up the social ladder of Georgian society by marrying the 9th Earl of Strathmore (heir of Scotland's Glamis Castle of Macbeth fame). Although this marriage wasn't the love match that naive Mary E. hoped it would be, it was actually Mary E's second marriage to Andrew Robinson Stoney that forms the core basis of this book. Stoney was, to put it bluntly, a charming sociopath, and makes Ted Bundy look like Pee Wee Herman in comparison (and if you imagine that I'm being too flippant with this description, then you obviously haven't read the book. I challenge anyone to read it and come back and tell me I'm wrong). Credulous Mary E. was tricked into marrying him, and spent the next 8 years living a hell only a battered woman, a holocaust survivor or Mrs. Saddam Hussein could relate to. Her eventual escape from her "loving" husband shocked Georgian society, and provided the press and public with an inexhaustable source of titillation for years to come. But it was her quest for a divorce and the custody of her children which make you truely understand just how limited the choices were for women in the 18th century, because for all of Stoney's sadistic actions, he was still a man, and therefore automatically superior in the eyes of the law, the Church and of society in general.
I cannot, cannot do this book justice with my review. Suffice it to say, it is horrifyingly good, and a must read for any reader who likes historical non-fiction. Readers of fiction would enjoy it as well, because no made-up story that they have read could compete with this real-life one. I think the only people I'd exempt from reading this would be brides-to-be. Might make them a bit nervy of walking down that aisle (heads up, Kate Middleton...)
THIS book is the perfect example of why I love historical non-fiction. Based on well researched and documented sources, author Wendy Moore has penned an incredible, almost-defies-belief account of the life of Mary Eleanor Bowes, an ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II (via the late Queen Mother). Just how well researched and documented can be attested by the 40 plus pages of meticulous end notes found at the end of the book. Wedlock is, quite simply, one of the most riveting books I've ever had the pleasure of reading, and gives added "ummph" to the old maxim: Truth is Stranger Than Fiction . In fact, if this were a work of fiction, I'd have thrown it against the wall for being too "out there".
In 1760, when she was only 11 years old, Mary Eleanor Bowes father died, leaving her his sole heiress with an estimated net worth of over $142 million (yes, you read that right). Mary Eleanor was the Doris Duke of her time period, and the title "Poor Little Rich Girl" could easily apply to her. Pampered, extremely well-educated for her sex and time period, attractive, yet lacking any real emotional stability or discernment in her life, Mary E. was one of the richest heiresses in Britain, if not the richest. At 18, she climbed many rungs up the social ladder of Georgian society by marrying the 9th Earl of Strathmore (heir of Scotland's Glamis Castle of Macbeth fame). Although this marriage wasn't the love match that naive Mary E. hoped it would be, it was actually Mary E's second marriage to Andrew Robinson Stoney that forms the core basis of this book. Stoney was, to put it bluntly, a charming sociopath, and makes Ted Bundy look like Pee Wee Herman in comparison (and if you imagine that I'm being too flippant with this description, then you obviously haven't read the book. I challenge anyone to read it and come back and tell me I'm wrong). Credulous Mary E. was tricked into marrying him, and spent the next 8 years living a hell only a battered woman, a holocaust survivor or Mrs. Saddam Hussein could relate to. Her eventual escape from her "loving" husband shocked Georgian society, and provided the press and public with an inexhaustable source of titillation for years to come. But it was her quest for a divorce and the custody of her children which make you truely understand just how limited the choices were for women in the 18th century, because for all of Stoney's sadistic actions, he was still a man, and therefore automatically superior in the eyes of the law, the Church and of society in general.
I cannot, cannot do this book justice with my review. Suffice it to say, it is horrifyingly good, and a must read for any reader who likes historical non-fiction. Readers of fiction would enjoy it as well, because no made-up story that they have read could compete with this real-life one. I think the only people I'd exempt from reading this would be brides-to-be. Might make them a bit nervy of walking down that aisle (heads up, Kate Middleton...)
not-for-me
April 9, 2020I give up. I cannot listen to the audiobook read by Rachel Atkins. She reads too fast. Lots of information is dumped on the reader. Given the rapid narration, nothing fastens in my head.
April 13, 2018
[April 13th, 2018: Cut-price now ($2.99). At least on Kobo, Apple and B&N.]
As I have written, this book was awesome, delightful, enjoyable, magnificent. A great historical work made by Moore.
A story was awesome. It is hard to believe that it was a true story.
Georgian Britain was described in the delightful and enjoyable way despite it was very brutal and unfair world especially for women. I can't still comprehend how long women meant almost nothing in law.
It was a magnificent piece of work through which you can learn about eighteenth-century Britain. And it was written in the way that you feel like you were reading a novel.
After this book, you will see historical novels from this period in a different way.
Let's hear Moore:
After Wedlock: How Georgian Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match and How to Create the Perfect Wife: Britain's Most Ineligible Bachelor and His Enlightened Quest to Train the Ideal Matee I will read every fiction or non-fiction book by Wendy Moore that falls into my hands.
As I have written, this book was awesome, delightful, enjoyable, magnificent. A great historical work made by Moore.
A story was awesome. It is hard to believe that it was a true story.
Georgian Britain was described in the delightful and enjoyable way despite it was very brutal and unfair world especially for women. I can't still comprehend how long women meant almost nothing in law.
It was a magnificent piece of work through which you can learn about eighteenth-century Britain. And it was written in the way that you feel like you were reading a novel.
After this book, you will see historical novels from this period in a different way.
Let's hear Moore:
After Wedlock: How Georgian Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match and How to Create the Perfect Wife: Britain's Most Ineligible Bachelor and His Enlightened Quest to Train the Ideal Matee I will read every fiction or non-fiction book by Wendy Moore that falls into my hands.
March 18, 2010
Mary Eleanor Bowes was a lucky girl. An only child, she was indulged and educated but was also an heiress. Her first marriage wasn't really much, Lord Strathmore or John Lyon, wasn't really a good match, he didn't really approve of her botanical studies (though he didn't stop her); and he was a little jealous of the wealth she brought into the relationship, along with stipulations. In 18th Century England a woman owned nothing, it was the males in her life that owned things, she was completely dependent. However Mary Eleanor's father ensured that she would have something. When Lord Stratmore died she wasn't heartbroken, and looked at this as an opportunity for a life without too much interference.
Little did she know what was going to happen next.
Andrew Robinson Stoney entered her life. He was a dashing soldier and when he had a duel over her honour and looked like he was a death's door she agreed to marry him. But it was all a lie. He recovered very quickly and proceeded to make her life a living hell. Beating her to unconsciousness (she describes in letters not being able to hear or see properly for a number of days after some of the beatings) forbidding her access to her gardens (and eventually ripping them out or selling them); parading his mistresses before her; raping the servants; starving her and generally being a horrible man.
One passage that stood out was a description by someone else about how she looked to him for permission to eat food offered to her. Permission he often denied. This man wanted full control over her and any other woman in his circle and was willing to do anything to create this. It reads sometimes like fiction but this is a true story.
Eventually Mary Elizabeth had an ally, a servant also called Mary who was horrified and helped her escape. These friends stood with her through the innumerable court cases, abduction and mud-slinging that Stoney engaged in until she won her freedom and Stoney's incarceration.
It's a riveting read, a moment in time where one woman stood up and said "enough" and started the ball rolling for more rights for women.
Little did she know what was going to happen next.
Andrew Robinson Stoney entered her life. He was a dashing soldier and when he had a duel over her honour and looked like he was a death's door she agreed to marry him. But it was all a lie. He recovered very quickly and proceeded to make her life a living hell. Beating her to unconsciousness (she describes in letters not being able to hear or see properly for a number of days after some of the beatings) forbidding her access to her gardens (and eventually ripping them out or selling them); parading his mistresses before her; raping the servants; starving her and generally being a horrible man.
One passage that stood out was a description by someone else about how she looked to him for permission to eat food offered to her. Permission he often denied. This man wanted full control over her and any other woman in his circle and was willing to do anything to create this. It reads sometimes like fiction but this is a true story.
Eventually Mary Elizabeth had an ally, a servant also called Mary who was horrified and helped her escape. These friends stood with her through the innumerable court cases, abduction and mud-slinging that Stoney engaged in until she won her freedom and Stoney's incarceration.
It's a riveting read, a moment in time where one woman stood up and said "enough" and started the ball rolling for more rights for women.
June 21, 2013
Here is another very kind donation to my reading pile by a neighbour of mine who was having 'a clear out'. She knows that I am a reader of historical non-fiction, so I was in receipt of a large collection of books, of which this one was included. To be honest I didn't quite fancy this, perhaps the title 'Wedlock-How Georgian Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match' didn't fire my interest. Don't judge a book by it's title, could be the maxim here.
Wendy Moore's biography of the Countess of Strathmore, published in 2009, contains all the ingredients I love about historical non-fiction. A story almost too fantastic to be true. Not very far into this tale, I really did check that the book was categorised as non-fiction/history/biography. 'As gripping as any novel' is the verdict of the Daily Telegraph, and I have to agree with that entirely.
The Countess of Strathmore, Mary Eleanor Bowes, one of the richest heiresses in eighteenth century Britain, and maybe in all of Europe, was duped into marriage with one Andrew Robinson Stoney, of whom posterity may well have given us the expression 'stoney broke'. No sooner was the ink dry on the marriage register, then did the groom transform into a psychotic and violent controller of his bride, her family, and her vast fortune.
Moore's journalistic background has produced a brilliantly researched historical reconstruction of jaw dropping detail, that follows the eight years of unspeakable abuse suffered by Mary Eleanor Bowes and the paternalistic norms of Georgian Britain. A story that inspired Thackeray's 'The Luck of Barry Lyndon'. Of course, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, was Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, a descendant of Mary Eleanor.
Wendy Moore's biography of the Countess of Strathmore, published in 2009, contains all the ingredients I love about historical non-fiction. A story almost too fantastic to be true. Not very far into this tale, I really did check that the book was categorised as non-fiction/history/biography. 'As gripping as any novel' is the verdict of the Daily Telegraph, and I have to agree with that entirely.
The Countess of Strathmore, Mary Eleanor Bowes, one of the richest heiresses in eighteenth century Britain, and maybe in all of Europe, was duped into marriage with one Andrew Robinson Stoney, of whom posterity may well have given us the expression 'stoney broke'. No sooner was the ink dry on the marriage register, then did the groom transform into a psychotic and violent controller of his bride, her family, and her vast fortune.
Moore's journalistic background has produced a brilliantly researched historical reconstruction of jaw dropping detail, that follows the eight years of unspeakable abuse suffered by Mary Eleanor Bowes and the paternalistic norms of Georgian Britain. A story that inspired Thackeray's 'The Luck of Barry Lyndon'. Of course, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, was Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, a descendant of Mary Eleanor.
February 27, 2017
I was intrigued by this biography after hearing a radio interview with its author, Wendy Moore, in which she outlined the history it is based upon, and that she herself researched. I read the first chapter, with its swashbuckling dual scene, and came close to ‘filing it in the bin’. I’m glad I didn’t, because by the end it had taught me so much that I hadn’t known about the social history of women in Georgian Britain.
Wealthy heiress to a coal fortune, Mary Eleanor Bowes, was a contemporary of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, whom she probably knew. Her wealth made her one of the nation’s most eligible catches, and unfortunately a magnet for dishonest charmers, rakes and chancers – the worst of whom she falls for and marries. The book covers first the sorry history of Andrew Stoney’s despicable conduct followed by Mary’s subsequent attempts to extricate herself from the bonds of ‘wedlock’ – attempts frustrated at every turn by the wholly inadequate laws of the time. It is our willing her on, our desire to see her get out of her situation, that make this such a page-turner.
We never quite get to the bottom of Mary’s naivety when it comes to handsome men in uniform – but her delay in escaping from the bonds of her marriage is well explored and explained in terms of the lack of rights and opportunities for women during the period. Nothing I’ve ever read has taught me the lesson of the importance of legal rights in protecting women quite as well as this book. I thoroughly recommend it – especially to readers who enjoyed the novel about Georgiana or the film ‘Duchess’.
Wealthy heiress to a coal fortune, Mary Eleanor Bowes, was a contemporary of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, whom she probably knew. Her wealth made her one of the nation’s most eligible catches, and unfortunately a magnet for dishonest charmers, rakes and chancers – the worst of whom she falls for and marries. The book covers first the sorry history of Andrew Stoney’s despicable conduct followed by Mary’s subsequent attempts to extricate herself from the bonds of ‘wedlock’ – attempts frustrated at every turn by the wholly inadequate laws of the time. It is our willing her on, our desire to see her get out of her situation, that make this such a page-turner.
We never quite get to the bottom of Mary’s naivety when it comes to handsome men in uniform – but her delay in escaping from the bonds of her marriage is well explored and explained in terms of the lack of rights and opportunities for women during the period. Nothing I’ve ever read has taught me the lesson of the importance of legal rights in protecting women quite as well as this book. I thoroughly recommend it – especially to readers who enjoyed the novel about Georgiana or the film ‘Duchess’.
January 19, 2012
An interesting and fascinating insight into marriage, life and love in the Georgian era, where the majority of the upper and middle classes married for money and bloodline and where most women had no say whatsoever in how their lives were run. At a time when mistresses and illigitimate offspring were accepted by spouses, though sometimes hidden away, women were owned by their menfolk and the rule of thumb was law; this is a story that will resonate with modern horror stories of spousal abuse but back then there was very little support, if any, for a victim of such terror.
After enduring, and barely surviving, 8 years of horrendous physical, mental and emotional abuse at the hands of her trickster husband, Mary Eleanor, with the support of a few servants finally found the strength and courage to leave her husband. That was only the start of many more years of fighting through the male dominated courts to win a legal separation from her husband who would stop at nothing to keep his hands on her money and life...a case that was and is notorious for the sheer volume of abuse directed at one woman but also for that one woman's strength and courage in continuing her fight.
It includes lots of history of that time of the laws of the land and stories of other well known historical figures which make it avery full and fascinating read.
After enduring, and barely surviving, 8 years of horrendous physical, mental and emotional abuse at the hands of her trickster husband, Mary Eleanor, with the support of a few servants finally found the strength and courage to leave her husband. That was only the start of many more years of fighting through the male dominated courts to win a legal separation from her husband who would stop at nothing to keep his hands on her money and life...a case that was and is notorious for the sheer volume of abuse directed at one woman but also for that one woman's strength and courage in continuing her fight.
It includes lots of history of that time of the laws of the land and stories of other well known historical figures which make it avery full and fascinating read.
October 11, 2015
This book tells the story of Mary Eleanor Bowes, who spent 8 years in a brutally abusive relationship and was one of the first women in England to successfully LEGALLY escape from such brutality. The descriptions are vivid and shocking, but something about the book seemed to plod. I was especially disappointed that there wasn't a section devoted to portraits, pictures of letters, copies of the caricatures, etc.
December 4, 2014
Another lengthy and researched work which pivots on some central questions of a woman's property rights and larger sense definition of personhood under the law during her 18th century life. Because of that, I was intrigued by our Countess's biographical story, and her own general answers to her predicaments. But it was nearly unreadable in form, IMHO. It jumped and it floated too. And always within a refraining mantra of "BUT IT ISN'T FAIR, so I'll buy a better lawyer!" type of hissy fit.
The woman was raised from infancy to be the one and only heir and to keep her last name. In fact, to insure that her husband would also take and share that distaff side moniker. So that enabled a mighty sense of bucking the normal from the get-go. Regardless, it was the 18th century and the laws did not jive with her father's naïve sensibilities or her own entitled hubris of believability to what she could manipulate.
There are people like her in every single society, but very few that are this degree of rich as to advertise the fact of their rather special category of particular exuberance. She marketed herself well for celebrity before it was a norm and I never got the personality or will of the woman herself to know if that's what she really wanted to do. Not from this book. It was personality and surface, and little about her cognition or soul.
Suffice it to say, in a society with few to no divorce reversals, do not marry a man with 3 or 4 bleeding sword stab wounds. Not even if the all the doctors and he himself, admit that he will be dying in just a few hours. Not even if his wounds occurred because of your flirting and associations, and you feel rather obligated and guilty.
You would think that dueling and such escapades would have made for high alert, interest level reading. Nope, it was mostly like reading a legal brief. Transitions were beyond bad and redundant author's opinion like being hit with a hubris stick. It ruined what could have been a better biography by at least 2 stars difference.
The woman was raised from infancy to be the one and only heir and to keep her last name. In fact, to insure that her husband would also take and share that distaff side moniker. So that enabled a mighty sense of bucking the normal from the get-go. Regardless, it was the 18th century and the laws did not jive with her father's naïve sensibilities or her own entitled hubris of believability to what she could manipulate.
There are people like her in every single society, but very few that are this degree of rich as to advertise the fact of their rather special category of particular exuberance. She marketed herself well for celebrity before it was a norm and I never got the personality or will of the woman herself to know if that's what she really wanted to do. Not from this book. It was personality and surface, and little about her cognition or soul.
Suffice it to say, in a society with few to no divorce reversals, do not marry a man with 3 or 4 bleeding sword stab wounds. Not even if the all the doctors and he himself, admit that he will be dying in just a few hours. Not even if his wounds occurred because of your flirting and associations, and you feel rather obligated and guilty.
You would think that dueling and such escapades would have made for high alert, interest level reading. Nope, it was mostly like reading a legal brief. Transitions were beyond bad and redundant author's opinion like being hit with a hubris stick. It ruined what could have been a better biography by at least 2 stars difference.
August 13, 2009
Excellent book set in the 1770's in England. A reminder that women previously had zero rights afforded to them by law during that time. Mary Eleanor Bowes was a wealthy woman who was swindled into marrying a lowly military officer, Richard Stoney. Once married, everything she owned became his to do with as he pleased. Over the course of eight years, he squandered all of her money on gambling, prostitutes; kept her as a prisoner, and beat her savagely on a regular basis. This was actually allowed - the law said that a man could use "correction" to keep his wife in line as long as he didn't beat her with a stick wider than his thumb (hence the saying "Rule of Thumb"). However, against all odds, she managed to escape and filed for divorce which was an immensely difficult thing to prove.
Highly recommended - easy to read and suspenseful. If you like Phillipa Gregory's The Other Boylen Girl and The Virgin Queen, you will like this book.
Highly recommended - easy to read and suspenseful. If you like Phillipa Gregory's The Other Boylen Girl and The Virgin Queen, you will like this book.
January 16, 2014
Well what can I say about this book
This is a story of a Georgian amazingly wealthy heiress (and ancestor of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and therefore Queen Elizabeth II) who was married off to the Earl of Strathmore. After the end of the loveless marriage she ends up marrying Captain Stoney (where the phrase 'stoney broke' comes from) whether she did this because she was naive, stupid or was manipulated by Captain Stoney (or a combination of all three) is not me to decide but the real story is how she was treated not only by her husband but how she got out of the situation.
In a society where she had no legal rights to her own property or inheritance and was considered the property of her husband she fought to not only struggle free of a disastrous situation which threatened her life but also fought society, prejudice, kidnap threats and even her own children to take back what was hers.
She is an inspiration and a born survivor
This is a story of a Georgian amazingly wealthy heiress (and ancestor of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and therefore Queen Elizabeth II) who was married off to the Earl of Strathmore. After the end of the loveless marriage she ends up marrying Captain Stoney (where the phrase 'stoney broke' comes from) whether she did this because she was naive, stupid or was manipulated by Captain Stoney (or a combination of all three) is not me to decide but the real story is how she was treated not only by her husband but how she got out of the situation.
In a society where she had no legal rights to her own property or inheritance and was considered the property of her husband she fought to not only struggle free of a disastrous situation which threatened her life but also fought society, prejudice, kidnap threats and even her own children to take back what was hers.
She is an inspiration and a born survivor
September 8, 2015
This is an exceptionally good book, reading at times like a novel it draws you in and doesn't let you go until you've finished it.
This is the story of Mary Eleanor a wealthy heiress and the richest woman in 18 Century Britain. Highly intelligent but sometimes very naive she was a poor judge of character. For this she had to pay dearly in her life, not once but two times. It is a story of Andrew Robinson Stoney, one of the worst Husbands of all times, so bad, that if he was the villain in a novel you would put down the book without even finishing it. He was so unimaginably cruel and deceitful their marriage so scandalous, the abuse so horrible.. If the later events were not so detailed documented with court records, Mary Eleanors own writings, as well as the writings of her friends and servants, it would strain credulity. Like a friend of Stoney said two years after his death the man was "a villain to the backbone," concluding: "To sum up his character in a few words, he was cowardly, insidious, hypocritical, tyrannic, mean, violent, selfish, jealous, revengeful, inhuman, and savage, without a countervailing quality."
At the time Mary Eleanor met Stoney she was already a widow and betrothed to another but Mary fell for a cunning and dramatic ruse staged by him.
Allegedly mortally wounded in a duel defending her honor, laying in his deathbed Stoney asked Mary to grant him one wish before parting from this world which was to marry him. Mary obliged, although reluctantly, thinking that she could hardly refuse the last request of a dying man. After his death she would be free to marry as planned before. But Stoney made a miraculous and rapid recovery and since in the 18 century women had to forfeit all their properties and wealth to their husbands, Stoney had now what he wanted the whole time. Stoney changed very fast from an attentive and loving man to his cruel and abusive self. Trough all the eight years she lived with him he pinched, starved, burned her, he attempted rapes, imprisoned her, threw food at her and forced her then to eat it, kept her children and family away, he forbid her every kind of joy in her life she wasn't even allowed a tiny bit of sugar or a cup of coffee. He punished her in the most cruel way for everything she did wrong in his eyes. Forbidden to buy herself new clothing she was wearing rags, was worse dressed than her servants. Stoney held a knife to her throat, forced her to drink laudanum, to kidnap her own daughter.
He even forced her to act crazy in front of visitors to make her look mad.. The staff was forbidden to come to her aid or was at once dismissed or learned to hold himself back because Mary was at once punished for this. For eight years Mary's life was devoid of love, she was denied any kind of tender touch. In the end he made her to an emotional wreck and a social outcast. He tried to strip her of her personality and nearly succeeded.
But he didn't abuse his wife only, he imprisoned his own sister too, hired beautiful young woman sometimes prostitutes but very often poor woman who had no choice than to stay and raped them, fathered countless illegitimate children with the promise to look after them and abandoned them then. The crimes this man committed against his own wife are countless.. Later in fear of her life, Stoney telling her that he didn't need her anymore and getting harsher per day, she decided to flee. The story of her escape and kidnapping, again reading like a fiction novel, kept me on the edge, fearing with Mary and hoping with her to succeed. But in the end this is a story of friendship and loyalty as well. Mary Eleanor found this in her hardest time in the most unexpected way. Without these special people that would stay her friends for the rest of her life she couldn't have escaped. (How i don't want to spoil here) I don't know how Mary got the strength to go in court against her husband. Though abused and beaten for years Stoney didn't succeed in destroying her.. After all these painful years where Mary was abused every day Mary Eleanor had still enough strength to go against social standards of this day and to accuse her husband risking to lose the case and being forced to live with him again, being laughed at and that people didn't believed her. After all Stoney was fully immersed in High Society then and even though she thought that everything that happened was punishment for the things she done wrong in life, she went on knowing that her chances to win were very few. That showed what an exceptionally strong and intelligent woman she was. Mary was no normal woman ultimately winning the law for her and winning against her husband. She even succeeded in getting some of her wealth back. Although Mary never got her place in Society back and never married again she had at last a reunion with her children and got some peaceful years of her life. By winning the court case she set the milestone for divorce laws and the rights for woman. Although it was still a long time before woman were treated equally to men in divorce cases it all started with Mary Eleanor. She showed that abused woman can fight back. But this gripping Biography couldn't have been so good without Mandy Moore writing which is one of a kind. This is already the second book from her on my favorite list and i'm sure that there will be more in the future. She does a great job and has a meticulous way of research which i appreciate a lot. This book could be read by people who don't normally read nonfiction as well. I highly recommend it.
This is the story of Mary Eleanor a wealthy heiress and the richest woman in 18 Century Britain. Highly intelligent but sometimes very naive she was a poor judge of character. For this she had to pay dearly in her life, not once but two times. It is a story of Andrew Robinson Stoney, one of the worst Husbands of all times, so bad, that if he was the villain in a novel you would put down the book without even finishing it. He was so unimaginably cruel and deceitful their marriage so scandalous, the abuse so horrible.. If the later events were not so detailed documented with court records, Mary Eleanors own writings, as well as the writings of her friends and servants, it would strain credulity. Like a friend of Stoney said two years after his death the man was "a villain to the backbone," concluding: "To sum up his character in a few words, he was cowardly, insidious, hypocritical, tyrannic, mean, violent, selfish, jealous, revengeful, inhuman, and savage, without a countervailing quality."
At the time Mary Eleanor met Stoney she was already a widow and betrothed to another but Mary fell for a cunning and dramatic ruse staged by him.
Allegedly mortally wounded in a duel defending her honor, laying in his deathbed Stoney asked Mary to grant him one wish before parting from this world which was to marry him. Mary obliged, although reluctantly, thinking that she could hardly refuse the last request of a dying man. After his death she would be free to marry as planned before. But Stoney made a miraculous and rapid recovery and since in the 18 century women had to forfeit all their properties and wealth to their husbands, Stoney had now what he wanted the whole time. Stoney changed very fast from an attentive and loving man to his cruel and abusive self. Trough all the eight years she lived with him he pinched, starved, burned her, he attempted rapes, imprisoned her, threw food at her and forced her then to eat it, kept her children and family away, he forbid her every kind of joy in her life she wasn't even allowed a tiny bit of sugar or a cup of coffee. He punished her in the most cruel way for everything she did wrong in his eyes. Forbidden to buy herself new clothing she was wearing rags, was worse dressed than her servants. Stoney held a knife to her throat, forced her to drink laudanum, to kidnap her own daughter.
He even forced her to act crazy in front of visitors to make her look mad.. The staff was forbidden to come to her aid or was at once dismissed or learned to hold himself back because Mary was at once punished for this. For eight years Mary's life was devoid of love, she was denied any kind of tender touch. In the end he made her to an emotional wreck and a social outcast. He tried to strip her of her personality and nearly succeeded.
But he didn't abuse his wife only, he imprisoned his own sister too, hired beautiful young woman sometimes prostitutes but very often poor woman who had no choice than to stay and raped them, fathered countless illegitimate children with the promise to look after them and abandoned them then. The crimes this man committed against his own wife are countless.. Later in fear of her life, Stoney telling her that he didn't need her anymore and getting harsher per day, she decided to flee. The story of her escape and kidnapping, again reading like a fiction novel, kept me on the edge, fearing with Mary and hoping with her to succeed. But in the end this is a story of friendship and loyalty as well. Mary Eleanor found this in her hardest time in the most unexpected way. Without these special people that would stay her friends for the rest of her life she couldn't have escaped. (How i don't want to spoil here) I don't know how Mary got the strength to go in court against her husband. Though abused and beaten for years Stoney didn't succeed in destroying her.. After all these painful years where Mary was abused every day Mary Eleanor had still enough strength to go against social standards of this day and to accuse her husband risking to lose the case and being forced to live with him again, being laughed at and that people didn't believed her. After all Stoney was fully immersed in High Society then and even though she thought that everything that happened was punishment for the things she done wrong in life, she went on knowing that her chances to win were very few. That showed what an exceptionally strong and intelligent woman she was. Mary was no normal woman ultimately winning the law for her and winning against her husband. She even succeeded in getting some of her wealth back. Although Mary never got her place in Society back and never married again she had at last a reunion with her children and got some peaceful years of her life. By winning the court case she set the milestone for divorce laws and the rights for woman. Although it was still a long time before woman were treated equally to men in divorce cases it all started with Mary Eleanor. She showed that abused woman can fight back. But this gripping Biography couldn't have been so good without Mandy Moore writing which is one of a kind. This is already the second book from her on my favorite list and i'm sure that there will be more in the future. She does a great job and has a meticulous way of research which i appreciate a lot. This book could be read by people who don't normally read nonfiction as well. I highly recommend it.
December 24, 2025
This is an account of the life of Mary Eleanor Bowes, a rich heiress of Georgian Britain and an ancestor of the Queen, substantiated by historical evidence. It brings home the fact that domestic violence is neither a modern phenomenon nor restricted to the lower rungs of society. Wendy Moore offers a very feminist perspective which is refreshingly interesting and yet not clichéd. It is a good read - recommended by Kate Lister for the November episode of the BBC radio 4 programme.
November 1, 2018
Fascinating as it's all true. Heavy on detail.
July 11, 2018
Wedlock has an extended title How Georgian Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match caught my eye back in 2009 when this book was first published but it wasn’t until August 2017 when I actually purchased a copy for myself.
Now regular readers have probably worked out I’m a big fan of the Victorian and Edwardian periods of history but I don’t tend to venture back as far as the eighteenth century too often so Wendy Moore was always going to educate me on the social mores of the time, and she did that in spades.
Mary Eleanor Bowes, who became Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne on her first marriage, was one of the richest heiresses of the time when she inherited her father’s fortune on his death when she was just eleven-years old. When she was sixteen she became engaged to John Lyon and because her father's will stipulated that her husband should assume his family name, the Earl addressed parliament with a request to change his name from John Lyon to John Bowes, which was granted. They married on her eighteenth birthday on 24 February 1767. Over time through their children the name was combined with a hyphen and the Queen Mother was a direct descendent of this union.
The couple lived an extravagant life, Mary often left alone whilst John concentrated on restoring the family seat, Glamis Castle, found amusement with other men but she was proud to announce that all five of their children were legitimate. Sadly, or perhaps not that sadly from Mary’s point of view as she wasn’t well-treated by John, he caught TB and died in 1776.
What happens next absolutely proves the saying fact is stranger than fiction with the "worst husband" being Mary’s second foray into marriage. We go from illegal abortions to duels to imprisonment and all manner of horrible happenings which I’m not going to recount at length because that would spoil the revelations of the book itself, if you haven’t already read it.
This book is billed as reading like fiction, and for a book that is so jam-packed with information which has clearly been meticulously researched (there are pages and pages of references at the end), it does. It’s always hard to fully put yourself in the shoes of someone whose life is of a different style to your own, and Mary Bowes was incredibly rich, she originally inherited over a million pounds and that was in 1760! It is even harder when society was so very different and I’ll be honest, when she was young Mary played to her strengths and whilst I wouldn’t suggest that she deserved all that happened next, she didn’t treat potential suitors well and so it’s not altogether surprising that she didn’t come up smelling of roses. She also wasn’t a maternal woman, and even given the times I was shocked that she openly wrote how much she despised her eldest son. But what I couldn’t help but admire was her tenacity in making sure her second husband John Stoney didn’t get away with his dastardly deed, and she did it! John Stoney was a cad, he spent money that he didn’t have and one of the more random facts I learnt while reading Wedlock was that his name is the reason where the saying ‘Stoney broke’ originated. As often happens when you learn something like that the next three, yes three, books used the phrase and each time I had a little smile about it.
This really is a remarkable piece of writing, the book is long, but so entertaining and let's be honest shocking; I wasn't being overly dramatic with my fact is stranger than fiction assertion. If I didn't know this was a true account, I wouldn't have believed some of the things that were revealed.
Now regular readers have probably worked out I’m a big fan of the Victorian and Edwardian periods of history but I don’t tend to venture back as far as the eighteenth century too often so Wendy Moore was always going to educate me on the social mores of the time, and she did that in spades.
Mary Eleanor Bowes, who became Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne on her first marriage, was one of the richest heiresses of the time when she inherited her father’s fortune on his death when she was just eleven-years old. When she was sixteen she became engaged to John Lyon and because her father's will stipulated that her husband should assume his family name, the Earl addressed parliament with a request to change his name from John Lyon to John Bowes, which was granted. They married on her eighteenth birthday on 24 February 1767. Over time through their children the name was combined with a hyphen and the Queen Mother was a direct descendent of this union.
The couple lived an extravagant life, Mary often left alone whilst John concentrated on restoring the family seat, Glamis Castle, found amusement with other men but she was proud to announce that all five of their children were legitimate. Sadly, or perhaps not that sadly from Mary’s point of view as she wasn’t well-treated by John, he caught TB and died in 1776.
What happens next absolutely proves the saying fact is stranger than fiction with the "worst husband" being Mary’s second foray into marriage. We go from illegal abortions to duels to imprisonment and all manner of horrible happenings which I’m not going to recount at length because that would spoil the revelations of the book itself, if you haven’t already read it.
This book is billed as reading like fiction, and for a book that is so jam-packed with information which has clearly been meticulously researched (there are pages and pages of references at the end), it does. It’s always hard to fully put yourself in the shoes of someone whose life is of a different style to your own, and Mary Bowes was incredibly rich, she originally inherited over a million pounds and that was in 1760! It is even harder when society was so very different and I’ll be honest, when she was young Mary played to her strengths and whilst I wouldn’t suggest that she deserved all that happened next, she didn’t treat potential suitors well and so it’s not altogether surprising that she didn’t come up smelling of roses. She also wasn’t a maternal woman, and even given the times I was shocked that she openly wrote how much she despised her eldest son. But what I couldn’t help but admire was her tenacity in making sure her second husband John Stoney didn’t get away with his dastardly deed, and she did it! John Stoney was a cad, he spent money that he didn’t have and one of the more random facts I learnt while reading Wedlock was that his name is the reason where the saying ‘Stoney broke’ originated. As often happens when you learn something like that the next three, yes three, books used the phrase and each time I had a little smile about it.
This really is a remarkable piece of writing, the book is long, but so entertaining and let's be honest shocking; I wasn't being overly dramatic with my fact is stranger than fiction assertion. If I didn't know this was a true account, I wouldn't have believed some of the things that were revealed.
May 10, 2014
Set against the background of Georgian England, this is an extraordinary family history as Mary Eleanor, Countess of Strathmore, is tricked into marriage with Andrew Robinson Stoney, an itinerant soldier.
How she paid for her mistake is almost unbelievable as her husband is not only a serial philanderer (how many illegitimate children he fathered is difficult to keep track of unless one has an abacus at one's side while reading the book) but an absolute brute of a husband who constantly beat his wife, imprisoned her and refused her access to their children. And the abiding rules of Georgian society did not help the situation at all as all her wealth was devolved on her husband on their marriage.
Mary endured terrific hardships, was constantly on the move as her husband dragged her around the country and was often humiliated in front of her servants, many of whom were put on her husband's payroll so as to take his side in the many disputes.
Eventually Mary managed to obtain a divorce of which the 'Gentleman's Magazine' reported, "Thus is Lady Strathmore, at length, fully restored to the large possessions of her family, and divorced from a marriage contracted in an evil hour." Her husband was jailed and she was free to live a more normal life once again, with her family riches, and to a degree her children, some of whom she had not seen for many years, returned to her.
All this is not to say that Mary was blameless because she, probably understandably, took a series of lovers throughout her traumatic marriage and ended up with a number of abortions as well as having illegitimate children.
There are lots more twists and turns in this superbly researched book that very definitely tells the heartrending story of a marriage forged in hell but lived on earth. And it all makes for a gripping read.
How she paid for her mistake is almost unbelievable as her husband is not only a serial philanderer (how many illegitimate children he fathered is difficult to keep track of unless one has an abacus at one's side while reading the book) but an absolute brute of a husband who constantly beat his wife, imprisoned her and refused her access to their children. And the abiding rules of Georgian society did not help the situation at all as all her wealth was devolved on her husband on their marriage.
Mary endured terrific hardships, was constantly on the move as her husband dragged her around the country and was often humiliated in front of her servants, many of whom were put on her husband's payroll so as to take his side in the many disputes.
Eventually Mary managed to obtain a divorce of which the 'Gentleman's Magazine' reported, "Thus is Lady Strathmore, at length, fully restored to the large possessions of her family, and divorced from a marriage contracted in an evil hour." Her husband was jailed and she was free to live a more normal life once again, with her family riches, and to a degree her children, some of whom she had not seen for many years, returned to her.
All this is not to say that Mary was blameless because she, probably understandably, took a series of lovers throughout her traumatic marriage and ended up with a number of abortions as well as having illegitimate children.
There are lots more twists and turns in this superbly researched book that very definitely tells the heartrending story of a marriage forged in hell but lived on earth. And it all makes for a gripping read.
April 4, 2012
So many facts! A Goodreads friend recommended this when I asked a question. I wanted to get back into biographies, which I had not read in years. I think she also knew that I liked historical fiction. So this was a good choice.
Wedlock is so full of facts that it did not read so much as a biography, but a history dissertation. How anyone would find this much information on one person is amazing to me. Information for this woman and the period.
What was transfixing was the nature of the news, journals, etc. There is so much available, including journals, court records, etc., that the author could come up with a shocking narrative. The story of 18th century wedlock, where wives were mere chattel (even Duchesses) and wife abuse was condoned even in law, is disturbing. I kept reading hoping that the Duchess could get out of the situation.
I would recommend it for people who like English history, social science students or practitioners, spousal abuse victims, and anyone else interested in the topic.
Wedlock is so full of facts that it did not read so much as a biography, but a history dissertation. How anyone would find this much information on one person is amazing to me. Information for this woman and the period.
What was transfixing was the nature of the news, journals, etc. There is so much available, including journals, court records, etc., that the author could come up with a shocking narrative. The story of 18th century wedlock, where wives were mere chattel (even Duchesses) and wife abuse was condoned even in law, is disturbing. I kept reading hoping that the Duchess could get out of the situation.
I would recommend it for people who like English history, social science students or practitioners, spousal abuse victims, and anyone else interested in the topic.
October 13, 2009
In biographies the author usually is rather sympathetic toward the subject, in this one, I wasn't so sure. Moore did a great job sticking to facts and presenting Mary Eleanor Bowes with all her flaws. As the book progresses, it doesn't veil the message of how unjust the laws were regarding women, marriage and their property/rights. I have to do a bit of research myself on this, but Moore implies that the laws changed (albeit slowly) thanks to court cases that emerged in the Countess' behalf.
The Countess is the 'Bowes' part of the Bowes-Lyon family that the present Queen of England's mother was from--thus the reason for my picking up this well-written book.
The Countess is the 'Bowes' part of the Bowes-Lyon family that the present Queen of England's mother was from--thus the reason for my picking up this well-written book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2011
As a woman, this is the kind of book that makes you glad you're alive now, and appalled by the inequality that those before us suffered through.
This is a truly remarkable tale of survival - the story in Mary Eleanor, Countess od Strathmore, who was tricked into marrying a monster. Written in a clear voice with the dramatic balancing the factual, this is a captivating biography that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
This is a truly remarkable tale of survival - the story in Mary Eleanor, Countess od Strathmore, who was tricked into marrying a monster. Written in a clear voice with the dramatic balancing the factual, this is a captivating biography that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
August 20, 2020
Wow, what a book. If it had been fiction, I would have said it was way over the top, but it is a true story! It covers the life of Mary Eleanor Bowes (the great-great-great-grandmother of the Queen Mum) from her birth in 1749 to her death in 1800. In that time when a woman married, all her wealth and possessions automatically transferred over to her husband. Mary Eleanor had a so-so 1st marriage which included the birth of 5 children, and a disastrous 2nd marriage. In her 2nd marriage she was kept captive, raped, denied access to her children, and horrifically beaten. After 8 years, she made a daring escape with the help of 4 servants. She ultimately fought to get a divorce, which was not common for a woman to be able to do.
August 13, 2017
A fascinating read , I cannot believe what a scoundrel Andrew Robinson Stoney was. His treatment of his wife , their servants and his stepdaughters was despicable and I'm glad he got his comeuppance in the end. a good historical read.
January 15, 2022
An amazing story, well researched and well told, of an abusive marriage in a period when there was virtually no way out and no protection for women in violent partnerships – not even for the rich and relatively powerful women of the upper classes. And what a feckless, selfish and morally bankrupt lot those upper classes were! When it came to extravagance, affairs and illegitimate children there didn’t seem to be much to choose between men or women – though of course the double standard and the power imbalance ensured it was the women who paid the highest price.
October 16, 2015
When a man can be described after his death by one of his closest friends as, "cowardly, insidious, hypocritical, tyrannic, mean, violent, selfish, jealous, revengeful, inhuman and savage, without a countervailing quality...a villain to the backbone", you know you're dealing with someone modern psychiatry would probably term a psychopath. It was the misfortune of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore and ancestor to the current Queen Elizabeth II through her mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, to be married to him.
Mary's story is a difficult one to read. For eight years she was systemically beaten, abused, tortured, imprisoned, starved, humiliated and persecuted by her husband, who had tricked her into marriage in a venal play for her fortune. Her husband Andrew Robinson Stoney isolated her from her children from her first marriage, brought his mistresses and prostitutes into their home, forbade her to leave the house, even to walk in the gardens, ran up huge debts against her estate, raped her maids and fathered any number of illegitimate children, turned the household staff against and installed spies wherever Mary went. He enticed his own sister into his clutches and kept her prisoner for over two years, in an attempt to make an advantageous marriage (advantageous for him) to a wealthy suitor. When Mary finally found the courage to make her escape, helped by her maids, he abducted her in broad daylight, despite innumerable cases pending against him in the courts, and prompted a nationwide hue-and-cry and one of the earliest police manhunts before Mary was rescued.
One would think this litany of horrifying abuse and domestic violence would be enough even in the eighteenth century, but it took four years of legal wrangling and public humiliation before Mary was finally free of him. The concept that a husband was entitled by law to reasonably chastise his wife was so engrained in English law that Mary's successful outcome was something quite exceptional - but then few husbands were quite so sadistic and brutal as Stoney, even in a era when wife-beating was not just permissible but perfectly socially acceptable.
I can't exactly say I enjoyed this book, although it is excellently reading and eminently sympathetic to Mary. Reading about such horrific domestic assault, even at a distance of 200+ years, isn't an enjoyable experience. But Mary Eleanor Bowes is a truly admirable figure, notwithstanding the promiscuous, reckless and irresponsible youth that led her into her ill-advised marriage to begin with. To withstand the torture she did for eight years and still find the strength to escape and then face her torturer in court, one cannot help but admire her whole-heartedly.
Mary's story is a difficult one to read. For eight years she was systemically beaten, abused, tortured, imprisoned, starved, humiliated and persecuted by her husband, who had tricked her into marriage in a venal play for her fortune. Her husband Andrew Robinson Stoney isolated her from her children from her first marriage, brought his mistresses and prostitutes into their home, forbade her to leave the house, even to walk in the gardens, ran up huge debts against her estate, raped her maids and fathered any number of illegitimate children, turned the household staff against and installed spies wherever Mary went. He enticed his own sister into his clutches and kept her prisoner for over two years, in an attempt to make an advantageous marriage (advantageous for him) to a wealthy suitor. When Mary finally found the courage to make her escape, helped by her maids, he abducted her in broad daylight, despite innumerable cases pending against him in the courts, and prompted a nationwide hue-and-cry and one of the earliest police manhunts before Mary was rescued.
One would think this litany of horrifying abuse and domestic violence would be enough even in the eighteenth century, but it took four years of legal wrangling and public humiliation before Mary was finally free of him. The concept that a husband was entitled by law to reasonably chastise his wife was so engrained in English law that Mary's successful outcome was something quite exceptional - but then few husbands were quite so sadistic and brutal as Stoney, even in a era when wife-beating was not just permissible but perfectly socially acceptable.
I can't exactly say I enjoyed this book, although it is excellently reading and eminently sympathetic to Mary. Reading about such horrific domestic assault, even at a distance of 200+ years, isn't an enjoyable experience. But Mary Eleanor Bowes is a truly admirable figure, notwithstanding the promiscuous, reckless and irresponsible youth that led her into her ill-advised marriage to begin with. To withstand the torture she did for eight years and still find the strength to escape and then face her torturer in court, one cannot help but admire her whole-heartedly.
March 25, 2018
This was quite an amazing story, events that would be almost unbelievable in fiction. Mary Eleanor is such a resilient character, a true heroine who, despite the constrictions of the age and the nature of her enemy, managed to overcome huge odds and helped to start to set new standards for women that would start an avalanche of changes across the years to come.
Women take it somewhat for granted all the freedoms that we do have nowadays, despite the fact that there is still such a long way to go towards true equality. Women are, for the most part, no longer commodities to be traded. We might long for all the culture and dresses of ages gone by, but we would want it with today’s standards, with all our current freedoms, and not to be owned by fathers or husbands. Riches are fine, in any age, but they cannot buy you freedom. Yet Mary Eleanor was willing to sacrifice her riches, albeit temporarily, for a chance of freedom. She proved that friends are anywhere, high or low, and she found her true friends amongst those that were more interested in her friendship and wellbeing than her wealth. The fact that it was those amongst the lowest in society that helped to gained her freedom is also something remarkable, as they gave up some of their little wealth to assist in her freedom.
I will write a fuller review later, once I have time, but this is definitely the sort of story that I’m surprised hasn’t as of yet been dramatised.
Final rating: ★★★★★ – Loved it/couldn't put it down
Women take it somewhat for granted all the freedoms that we do have nowadays, despite the fact that there is still such a long way to go towards true equality. Women are, for the most part, no longer commodities to be traded. We might long for all the culture and dresses of ages gone by, but we would want it with today’s standards, with all our current freedoms, and not to be owned by fathers or husbands. Riches are fine, in any age, but they cannot buy you freedom. Yet Mary Eleanor was willing to sacrifice her riches, albeit temporarily, for a chance of freedom. She proved that friends are anywhere, high or low, and she found her true friends amongst those that were more interested in her friendship and wellbeing than her wealth. The fact that it was those amongst the lowest in society that helped to gained her freedom is also something remarkable, as they gave up some of their little wealth to assist in her freedom.
I will write a fuller review later, once I have time, but this is definitely the sort of story that I’m surprised hasn’t as of yet been dramatised.
Final rating: ★★★★★ – Loved it/couldn't put it down
July 16, 2013
Review taken from my Blog Post #110 in April 2011, after borrowing the book from the library.
This should have been entitled "You Couldn't Make it Up .... Seriously" a masterpiece of a Biography on the Heiress Mary Eleanor Bowes and detailing her first marriage to the Earl of Strathmore (making them the great-great-great-grandparents of our deceased Queen Mother, Elizabeth (Bowes-Lyon) and her second marriage to Irishman Andrew Robinson Stoney ..... note I said Irishman, not gentleman .... he most definitely could not be accused of that!
A splendidly gripping tale of cruelty shown to this poor woman, her suffering and ultimate victory - it would surely tax any novelist to come up with the plot in a month of Sundays'.
On this of all days, it is interesting to also note that the Bowes Fortune was made in the coalfields of Durham, and our own Prince William has today married the descendant of a miner from Durham!
It's my humble opinion that this book is essential reading for any avid reader of historical fiction, and it is packed full of truly interesting facts, and would therefore strongly recommend you read it. A 5+ *****+ Star read.
This should have been entitled "You Couldn't Make it Up .... Seriously" a masterpiece of a Biography on the Heiress Mary Eleanor Bowes and detailing her first marriage to the Earl of Strathmore (making them the great-great-great-grandparents of our deceased Queen Mother, Elizabeth (Bowes-Lyon) and her second marriage to Irishman Andrew Robinson Stoney ..... note I said Irishman, not gentleman .... he most definitely could not be accused of that!
A splendidly gripping tale of cruelty shown to this poor woman, her suffering and ultimate victory - it would surely tax any novelist to come up with the plot in a month of Sundays'.
On this of all days, it is interesting to also note that the Bowes Fortune was made in the coalfields of Durham, and our own Prince William has today married the descendant of a miner from Durham!
It's my humble opinion that this book is essential reading for any avid reader of historical fiction, and it is packed full of truly interesting facts, and would therefore strongly recommend you read it. A 5+ *****+ Star read.
July 25, 2015
This is an amazing book. The thorough, well researched, extremely well-written document not only of an 18th century aristocrat, Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore (ancestor of the late Queen Mum) but also of the period, especially from the point of view of women's rights of which there were almost none. It's hard to believe things were this bad for women, but they were. She was tricked into marriage by the most heinous villain I've ever seen described. If there is a hell, surely he is roasting in it. Mary Eleanor was an amazing women aside from the physical and mental abuse she somehow withstood and survived, with little legal recourse. She was a brilliant, educated woman, a naturalist responsible for bringing species of plants from South Africa, a poetess and artist, but a little too impetuous for her own good. I'm not one to read history, but this reads like a can't-put-it-down thriller.
September 9, 2010
This recounts another tale of the scandalous 18th century through the story of Mary Eleanor Bowes' disastrous second marriage, which really underlines the truth of that old adage 'marry in haste, repent in leisure'. In 18th century Britain this was even more so as divorce was pretty much impossible and women's rights just did not exist.
The cover did promise that Wedlock read like a novel and I certainly agree with this. Wendy Moore's research is very solid and she was granted access to a wealth of primary sources. It is clear that the Bowes-Lyons family (including HM the Queen whose mother was a direct descendant of Mary Eleanor) were very generous in the access they gave her to material in their private family archives.
December 15, 2010
I love history, especially high profile characters and their crazy true lives. The subject of this book was great. I felt that the author did a lot of research and knew the subject very well. I learned a lot about the time. I am also reading "vanity fair" which takes place in this time.
Eventually I got a bit tired of the whole "women had no rights!!!" mantra. I mean, it was true, and that was bad, but do we have to say it on every page?
I felt that the writer talked down to me, occasionally overexplaining where it was not neccessary. I found two places where the writing was off; the writer was talking about one thing, moves on to the next subject and then talks about the first thing without any transition or explanation.
I suspect there was not enough editing.
Eventually I got a bit tired of the whole "women had no rights!!!" mantra. I mean, it was true, and that was bad, but do we have to say it on every page?
I felt that the writer talked down to me, occasionally overexplaining where it was not neccessary. I found two places where the writing was off; the writer was talking about one thing, moves on to the next subject and then talks about the first thing without any transition or explanation.
I suspect there was not enough editing.
March 22, 2016
Wendy Moore has written the most readable nonfiction I have yet to read - without sacrificing research or dumbing down her tone. I guess it helps that the story she is telling is so dramatic and the people in it with such extreme personalities that they inspired authors and artists to incorporate their lives into fiction and plays. But this isn't what I'd call fun drama. It's a story about how the system of marriage and social relations was set up so that women had no rights in Georgian England. So a man would have to basically be a monster for a woman to get a divorce. There was a little scream in the back of my head that just kept building over the narrative as it unfolded, and only the word "divorce" in the title kept me going, like a light at the end of the tunnel.
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