The Countess
The Scandalous Life of Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey
Published on 15. July 2016
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-1-4456-5626-7 (ISBN)
Description
One of the great beauties of Georgian society, Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, was a woman of enormous style and spirit whose life revolved around her pleasures. Clever and witty, her charm was legendary, earning her the nickname in the contemporary press of 'The Enchantress'. She glittered in an aristocratic century.
However, she was also unprincipled and malevolent. After providing her husband with an heir, she duly abandoned the dull respectability of married life for the whirl of the faster set of society and a number of high-profile and scandalous affairs. Through her relationship with the Prince Regent, she enraged the country and threatened the monarchy, blackening the prince's reputation for posterity.
Despite being demonised by historians and subjected to rumour and myth, this is the first biography ever written of her extraordinary and dramatic life. Tim Clarke skilfully pieces together the truth about the Countess of Jersey, and dispels many of the assumptions that, even in the highest academic circles, continue to surround her to this day, leaving us with a very intimate portrait of a life lived in defiance of social convention.
However, she was also unprincipled and malevolent. After providing her husband with an heir, she duly abandoned the dull respectability of married life for the whirl of the faster set of society and a number of high-profile and scandalous affairs. Through her relationship with the Prince Regent, she enraged the country and threatened the monarchy, blackening the prince's reputation for posterity.
Despite being demonised by historians and subjected to rumour and myth, this is the first biography ever written of her extraordinary and dramatic life. Tim Clarke skilfully pieces together the truth about the Countess of Jersey, and dispels many of the assumptions that, even in the highest academic circles, continue to surround her to this day, leaving us with a very intimate portrait of a life lived in defiance of social convention.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chalford
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
16 Plates, color
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
680 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4456-5626-7 (9781445656267)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Tim Clarke was educated at St John's College, Cambridge University, where he won a scholarship in history. He chose, however, to spend his career working in the City of London as a partner in one of the world's leading international law firms. Honouring a promise he had made to himself when he went up to Cambridge, he retired early from the law to become, once more, a historian. His biography of Frances, Countess of Jersey, is his first book.