Love, madness and scandal : the life of Frances Coke Villiers, Viscountess Purbeck

239 Pages·2017·5.255 MB·English

by  Luthmann, Johanna

LOVE, MADNESS, AND SCANDAL

JOHANNA LUTHMAN
LOVE, MADNESS,
AND SCANDAL
the life of frances coke villiers,
viscountess purbeck
1
3
GreatClarendonStreet,Oxford,OX26DP,
UnitedKingdom
OxfordUniversityPressisadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’sobjectiveofexcellenceinresearch,scholarship,
andeducationbypublishingworldwide.Oxfordisaregisteredtrademarkof
OxfordUniversityPressintheUKandincertainothercountries
©JohannaLuthman2017
Themoralrightsoftheauthorhavebeenasserted
FirstEditionpublishedin2017
Impression:1
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedin
aretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,withoutthe
priorpermissioninwritingofOxfordUniversityPress,orasexpresslypermitted
bylaw,bylicenceorundertermsagreedwiththeappropriatereprographics
rightsorganization.Enquiriesconcerningreproductionoutsidethescopeofthe
aboveshouldbesenttotheRightsDepartment,OxfordUniversityPress,atthe
addressabove
Youmustnotcirculatethisworkinanyotherform
andyoumustimposethissameconditiononanyacquirer
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyOxfordUniversityPress
198MadisonAvenue,NewYork,NY10016,UnitedStatesofAmerica
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
Dataavailable
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016948391
ISBN 978–0–19–875465–7
PrintedinGreatBritainby
ClaysLtd,StIvesplc
LinkstothirdpartywebsitesareprovidedbyOxfordingoodfaithand
forinformationonly.Oxforddisclaimsanyresponsibilityforthematerials
containedinanythirdpartywebsitereferencedinthiswork.
To Marko, with love

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ThroughouttheseveralyearsthatIhaveworkedonthisproject,Ihavereceived
invaluableassistancefrommanyquarters.Itisagreatpleasuretoacknowledge
thathelphere.MycolleaguesattheUniversityofNorthGeorgiahavesupportedme
innumerousways.ReceivingtheUNGPresidentialSummerScholarAwardallowed
meextratimetodevotetoresearchandwriting.ManythanksareduetoJeffPardue,
chairoftheUNGHistory,AnthropologyandPhilosophyDepartment,forensuring
thatIreceivedaverytimelycourse-release,andforprovidingthefundstocoverthe
cost of the permissions to reproduce the portraits that appear in the book. My
department colleagues in the Works in Progress writing group commented on
draftsoftwochapters,whichhelpedmerestructureandfine-tunetheorganization
ofboththechaptersandthebookforthebetter.ThanksalsotoAmyeSokadjofor
assistance with a French translation. Furthermore, the group of historians, and
honorary historians, at the El Sombrero Thursday ‘meetings’ is the best support-
groupanyacademiccanhave.
I also want to thank the anonymous readers of two manuscript chapters, who
made very useful and astute suggestions for clarifications and improvements.
Audience members at conferences (Georgia Association of Historians, Southern
Conference of British Studies, and Renaissance Society of America) where I have
presented parts of the work have also given me good feedback, helping me to
furtherfine-tunemyinterpretations.BigthanksareduetoAlokNath,whohelped
me create the two maps, cheerfully, expertly, and with short notice. The editing
teamat Oxford has been immenselyhelpfulin sorting outmy prose andcatching
mistakes.IespeciallywanttothankLucianaO’FlahertyandJoannaNorth.Allerrors
thatremainaremyown,ofcourse.
Finally,Iwanttoacknowledgemyfamily(themembersoftheextensiveLuthman
clan are too numerous to name individually here) for providing unending moral
support and cheers. My husband, Marko Maunula, deserves special thanks. An
accomplished historian, he always believes in my abilities, even when I doubt
myself. He is the one who has put up with my obsessing about sections slow to
come together, elusive sources, and difficult interpretations, and he has done so
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
withoutcomplaining.(Much.)Mostsignificantly,hehasreadtheentiremanuscript
multipletimesinallitsvariousstagesofcompletion,makinginvaluablesuggestions
for improvements of my prose and the clarity of the organization. He has gone
above and beyond what anyone could reasonably expect of a spouse, reading and
editing my text even while in his sickbed. He is my true partner in every way and
thereforeIdedicatethebooktohim.
viii
OUPCORRECTEDPROOF–FINAL,2/12/2016,SPi
CONTENTS
ListofIllustrations xi
ListofAbbreviations xiii
NoteonDatesandSpelling xv
ListofPersons xvii
Prologue xix
1. Contentious Origins 1
2. The MarriageMerry-Go-Round 22
3. Marriage and Madness 45
4. The Lover 65
5. The Legal Troubles 81
6. Counters and Conviction 97
7. Town and Country 118
8. Frances in France 140
9. Endings 154
Epilogue 171
Appendix:FamilyTrees 173
Coke 174
Cecil 175
Villiers 176
Howard 177
TheRoyalHouseofStuart 178
BibliographicEssay 179
Notes 181
SelectBibliography 201
PictureCredits 209
Index 211