Wedlock : The True Story of the Disastrous Marriage and Remarkable Divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore

From Publishers Weekly How did a wealthy, self-absorbed adulteress who despised her eldest son and aborted three pregnancies by a man she didn't love, transform into a devoted mother and pioneer of women's liberty? British author Moore (_The Knife Man_) examines this remarkable conversion in Mary Eleanor Bowes (1749–1800), England's richest heiress, whose impulsive marriage to a violent Irish fortune seeker revolutionized divorce in Georgian England. A published poet-playwright and accomplished botanist, Mary expected to live an indulgent life. Yet she was lured into marriage to army captain Andrew Robinson Stoney, who proved to be a rapist, liar, kidnapper and philanderer who half-starved and beat Mary into submission. Stoney's own best friend called him inhuman and savage, without a countervailing quality. Moore offers a well-informed if dispiriting glimpse into 18th-century marriage and the patriarchal legal and church systems as experienced by Mary—still her husband's property and financially supported by her devoted servants—as she fought to regain her fortune, her children and, especially, her status as a person. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review “To call the truth stranger than fiction is, in the case of Mary, Countess of Strathmore, an outrageous understatement. Wedlock is the incredible story of her transformation from one of eighteenth-century England's richest, most free-wheeling heiresses into a piteous victim of a cruel, manipulative abuser into an improbable poster-child for modern women's rights. This book is what all history should be: exciting, inspiring, impossible to forget. ” —Caroline Weber, author of Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution “What a story! A beautiful, wealthy countess, accustomed to a life of cosseted privilege, is deceived by an almost impossibly dastardly scoundrel. In Wendy Moore's skillful hands, the decadent and complex world of eighteenth century England, from the broad lawns and exquisite gardens of vast country estates to the Dickensian murk of the London courts, springs to life in all of its gorgeous detail. A darkly fascinating tale of seduction and domestic abuse.” —Nancy Goldstone, author of _Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe _ “Drawing on her extensive research and sure grasp of the period, Wendy Moore has produced a gem. Her compelling account of the feisty Countess of Strathmore is a beautifully written page-turner of a book.” —Julia Fox, author of _Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford _“A gripping story, brilliantly told. The tragic history of Mary, Countess of Strathmore, is more than a cautionary tale. Mary is a true heroine: a survivor and a fighter against a brutish husband and an uncaring society. Wendy Moore succeeds admirably in describing a marriage that was forged in hell but lived on earth.” —Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire 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... 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. 1 An Affair Of Honour London, January 13, 1777 1 -- 2 Downright Girlishness Gibside, County Durbam, 1757 15 -- 3 A Worthy Little Woman Newcastle, 1767 45 -- 4 My Imprudencies Newcastle, 1767 66 -- 5 Powerful Pleading London, April 1776 93 -- 6 Bowes And Freedom London, December 1776 118 -- 7 Loathsome Weeds Cape Town, January 1778 145 -- 8 Improper Liberties Newcastle, September 1780 173 -- 9 An Artful Intriguing Woman London, May 1784 199 -- 10 Vile Temptations London, February 3, 1785 225 -- 11 Say Your Prayers London, May 25, 1786 249 -- 12 The Taming Of Bad Wives Westminster Hall, London, November 28, 1786 274 -- 13 Out Of The World Southwark, London, March 5, 1790 302. Wendy Moore. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [367]-375) And Index. 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 husbands early death, a charming young army hero flattered his way into the merry widows 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 Marys 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 horrifiedand enthralled. But Marys troubles were far from over . . . Novelist William Makepeace Thackeray was inspired by Stoneys 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.From the Hardcover edition. A cinematic and thrilling true story exploring the life and catastrophic marriage of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore—“a tale of wealth, status, and privilege, laced with lust, greed, [and] pride” (The Times) “Spectacular... Serious, perceptive, thoughtful and—by no means least—compulsively readable.”—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post With the death of her fabulously wealthy coal magnate father, 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. 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. Freed from this unhappy marriage by her husband's early death, she stumbled headlong into scandal when a charming Irish soldier, Captain Andrew Robinson Stoney, flattered his way into the merry widow's bed. When Mary heard that her gallant hero was mortally wounded in a duel defending her honor, she could hardly refuse his dying wish; four days later they were married. Yet 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 dared to plan an audacious escape and an even more courageous battle to reclaim her liberty and her fortune.Based on meticulous archival research, Wedlock is a gripping, addictive biography, ripped from the headlines of eighteenth-century England. Traces the dramatic story of Mary Eleanor Bowes, the richest heiress in 18th-century Britain and an ancestor of the current queen, as she stumbles headlong into scandal when, following her first husband's death, a charming young army hero flatters his way into the widow's bed, marries her, and embarks on a campaign of violence, and cruelty against his bride to take control of her vast fortune. "Wedlock" tells the dramatic true story of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, whose abuse at the hands of her second husband shocked 18-century Britons and revolutionized divorce laws