Mistress
A History of Women and their Country Houses
Published on 12. August 2025
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-0-300-16381-0 (ISBN)
Description
An insightful, hugely engaging new history of elite women and the country house from the sixteenth to the twentieth century
Grand houses can be found across the countryside of England and Wales. From the Stuart and Georgian periods to the Edwardian and Victorian, these buildings were once home to the aristocratic families of the nation. But what was life like for the mistresses of these great houses? How much power and influence did they really have?
Anthony Fletcher and Ruth M. Larsen explore the lives of country house mistresses. Focusing on eighteen women, and spanning five centuries, they look at the ways in which elite women not only shaped the house, household, and family, but also had an impact on society, culture, and politics within their estates and beyond. We meet Brilliana Harley, who defended her castle at Brampton Bryan; Frances Boscawen, who oversaw the building of Hatchlands; and Lady Mary Elcho, who preserved her secret life as mistress to Arthur Balfour. This is a fascinating account of the country house that puts women's experiences centre stage.
Grand houses can be found across the countryside of England and Wales. From the Stuart and Georgian periods to the Edwardian and Victorian, these buildings were once home to the aristocratic families of the nation. But what was life like for the mistresses of these great houses? How much power and influence did they really have?
Anthony Fletcher and Ruth M. Larsen explore the lives of country house mistresses. Focusing on eighteen women, and spanning five centuries, they look at the ways in which elite women not only shaped the house, household, and family, but also had an impact on society, culture, and politics within their estates and beyond. We meet Brilliana Harley, who defended her castle at Brampton Bryan; Frances Boscawen, who oversaw the building of Hatchlands; and Lady Mary Elcho, who preserved her secret life as mistress to Arthur Balfour. This is a fascinating account of the country house that puts women's experiences centre stage.
Reviews / Votes
"A significant addition to the substantial literature on women and country houses."-Michael Hall, Times Literary Supplement"An enjoyable and important addition to the genre."-Adrian Tinniswood, Literary Review
"This is a book first and foremost about lives and the expectation of the roles women could play between the 16th and early 17th centuries. What the characters deftly presented here had in common was their determination to defy those expectations."-Michael Prodger, New Statesman
"Fascinating! Fletcher and Larsen explore the many roles that women have played in the history of the country house with flair and authority."-Adrian Tinniswood, author of The Power and the Glory
"Fletcher and Larsen use a treasure-trove of previously undiscovered archival sources to explore how much power and influence elite women wielded over their husbands and households. We have always known that women played a key role in the management of the country house. Now we know in much more precise terms exactly how significant that role was."-Stephanie Barczewski, author of How the Country House Became English
"Fletcher and Larsen's rich use of examples brings to life the diverse and changing experiences of mistresses of country houses across nearly five centuries."-Elaine Chalus, author of Elite Women in English Political Life c. 1754-1790
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
29 b-w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
568 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-16381-0 (9780300163810)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Anthony Fletcher was formerly professor of history at the Universities of Sheffield, Durham, and Essex, and professor of English social history at the University of London. His previous works include Gender, Sex and Subordination in England 1500-1800 and Growing up in England. Ruth M. Larsen is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Derby. An expert on gender and the country house, she has contributed to several books on the subject.