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    Wedlock: The True Story of the Disastrous Marriage and Remarkable Divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore
    Unavailable
    Wedlock: The True Story of the Disastrous Marriage and Remarkable Divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore
    Unavailable
    Wedlock: The True Story of the Disastrous Marriage and Remarkable Divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore
    Ebook555 pages8 hours

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

    By Wendy Moore

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateMar 10, 2009
    ISBN9780307452238
    Unavailable
    Wedlock: The True Story of the Disastrous Marriage and Remarkable Divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore

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    Reviews for Wedlock

    4/5

    108 ratings14 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Excellent biography of woman who managed to divorce her violent husband and regain her fortune in late 18th century England. Couldn't put it down.
    • 5/5
      Picked this book to take on holiday after seeing the review on TV Book Club. Initially I was put off as the cover makes it look like a 'bodice ripper' fiction book (not something i would go anywhere near). However once I started it I was gripped by this amazing TRUE story of an incredible lady who survived a horrendous ordeal at the hands of her husband and went on to fight convention and the law. It has it all villains, unlikely friendships, kidnap, abortion, money, courtroom drama and pioneering legal outcomes. I would recommed it to anyone who is interested in social history although it is written in such a way that anyone would find it entertaining and gripping read.
    • 4/5
      This is a horrifying tale set in the late 1700s of a wealthy, intelligent heiress tricked into marriage with one of the worst human beings who ever lived. "Wedlock" is truly the correct title for this book as it envokes the image of being chained, locked, stuck in marriage. Mary Eleanor has a loveless first marriage, but her marriage to Andrew Stoney (he takes her last name as stipulated in her very smart father's will) is truly horrific. Stoney physically and mentally abuses Mary: punching, kicking, burning, starving, isolating, etc. It's truly sickening. And then there's the fact that a woman had no legal protection from this sort of behavior. It was a husband's right to treat his wife as he chose. "Luckily" Stoney's behavior is so egregious that finally, after a decade of abuse, Mary Eleanor finds a friend in some servants who help her escape. Lengthy legal battles over the divorce, Mary's estate, and the children ensue over decades.This is a fascinating look at the horrific lack of legal rights that women had in the 1700s. It's very well written and in places reads like a novel. It will turn your stomach to read about this woman's life, but I am glad I read this book. Can't say I enjoyed it because of the subject, but it's worth reading. It will make you very grateful to live when and where we do!
    • 4/5
      A well put together and interesting read. Combining plenty of historical fact with a great story telling tone Wendy Moore brings the trials of eighteenth century marriage to life.
    • 5/5
      Falls under the "truth is stranger than fiction" genre.Wendy has produced a very readable story out of potentially complicated material - and this was a joy to read.Mary Eleanor Bowes, Dowager Countess of Strathmore, one of the richest women in Georgian England in the 1740s was tricked into marriage by Andrew Robinson Stoney Bowes, an soldier, Irish rogue, and sadistic abuser. How she survived and lived makes an amazing (and rather depressing) tale.
    • 3/5
      An out-and-out pageturner, 'Wedlock' is clearly aiming for the same market as the wonderful 'Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire'. However it is written in a somewhat more racy and sensationalist style and there were times when I found the 'little did she know...' and 'this was to be a fateful moment' phrases a bit wearing. I think that every last bit of this extraordinary and shocking story was exploited in 'Wedlock', whereas the effect in 'Georgiana' was a subtler: I felt it was a story that would not be believed if it were fictionalised (unless, as with the film, 'The Duchess' much of it were dropped). Nevertheless, highly recommended, and in both cases, makes you very glad to be alive now rather than in the 18th Century.
    • 5/5
      I acquired this book with hesitation. Stories about epic domestic abuse are not my idea of fun reading. Instead, I discovered the story of a woman who epitomised the expression "wed in haste, repent at leisure." In an age when women were a mere extension of their husbands, Mary Eleanor Bowes managed to gain the sympathy and support of a very mysogynistic legal system. The sheer scale of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband, Andrew Robinson Stoney set her in a class apart, even in the minds of her contemporaries. Ultimately sacrificing her health in her bid to escape him, forgoing her fortune and depending on the kindness, loyalty and support of her servants, Mary Bowes gained her freedom from her vile captor.The story is one of triumph and Wendy Moore manages to shake some of the stuffiness off the Georgians.
    • 4/5
      An accessible mixture of journalism and history. It is the extraordinary story of a terrible marriage which brings home how powerless Georgian wives and mothers were, no matter how well-connected. I was fascinated by how the law and lack of enforcement made it so easy for the awful husband to evade justice for so long. This all makes it sounds a bit dry - it isn't, it's a very enjoyable and readable story.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      have Just finished this fascinating book written by Wendy Moore, about the disastrous marriage of Lady Mary Eleanor Bowes an extremely rich heiress from the Georgian era.It tells the true story of her marriage to Andrew Stoney ( an officer on half pay in the Army). He was after her vast fortune. The marriage can only be described as horrendous. Mary was tricked into the marriage by Stoney on the pretext that he was about to die from wounds received in a sham duel fought over her. As he only appeared to have days left to live and out of a sense of duty Mary consented to the marriage (even though she was engaged to be married to someone else at the time!) Then low and behold Stoney had a miraculous recovery when the marriage was finalised .He changed from a seeingly honourable and kindly man into what can only be described as a psychopath, unbelievably cruel and conniving, and what is even more scarey he had the law on his side for the most part! As women of the time had very few rights, once married every thing they had reverted to their husbands control.He beat her constantly, paraded his numerous mistresses in front of her, witheld food and clothing from her, so she was half starved and hardly any better dressed than the lowest maid. He inherited her very large estate and ruined her lifes work (she was a well renowned botonist, and had wonderful gardens and grounds) He raped numerous servants engaged to look after the children and had so many illegitimate children he lost track of them! she endured 8 years of constant torment from him before a new maid was engaged called Mary Morgan who proved to be the greatest friend that Mary Eleanor could ever have had along with 3 other servants who helped her eventually to escape.Mary's ordeal was not over yet though, she was kidnapped and dragged through the countryside for 3 months which was nearly the death of her. It took a full 2 years of constantly looking over her shoulder and legal wrangling to finally get free of the monster she had married.The book was an excellently researched by the author and although contains a lot of notes and bibliography it is a very enjoyable read, giving you an insight into Georgian England, duels, divorce and so on. It shows us how far we have come in the past 200 years since then.I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the social history of this country, or even if you enjoy an fantastically good read.
    • 5/5
      This is the amazing story of a wealthy widow who was tricked into marrying an Irish fortune hunter in Georgian England. Mary Eleanor Bowes was an heiress (at one time one of the wealthiest individuals in Europe) who was widowed when her first husband, the Earl of Strathmore died in 1776. She was about to get married to a long-time lover when she was duped into marrying Andrew Stoney through the artifice of a “mortal wound” suffered in a duel fought for Mary’s honor.Thus begins the horrific tale of eight years of the violent abuse and captivity of Mary Eleanor by a brutish psychopath. Stoney (who changed his name to Bowes after his marriage) was almost unbelievably cruel and depraved. He threatened Mary’s life repeatedly with both pistols and knives and beat her on a regular basis. There was almost no recourse for wives in this era to win freedom from abusive husbands. Divorce was almost unheard of (especially for a female plaintiff), and extremely difficult to obtain; taking years of suits through various ecclesiastical courts before being (rarely) granted. Mary Eleanor was extremely charming and intelligent and won over the hearts of many supporters to her cause. First and foremost among these was a remarkable servant, Mary Morgan whom Bowes (Stoney) had hired to watch over Mary Eleanor. Morgan turned out not to be the usual servant Bowes hired (there were a succession of women he had hired over the years, seduced or raped, and then fired). Morgan was able to fight off Bowes, and helped Mary Eleanor to escape. Then she helped Mary Eleanor to find a solicitor to take her case and supported her in secret lodgings. Mary Eleanor also had the unwavering support of numerous other servants and tenants who risked their livelihoods, and very lives, in their loyalty to her. At one point, Bowes discovers where Mary Eleanor is hiding and has her kidnapped in broad daylight. He forces her on a grueling journey to Scotland, and attempts to get her to Ireland. Amazingly, her supporters rescue her, though it takes her many months to recover from the ordeal. As the title suggests, she does win her divorce, but the story of her courage and that of her supporters as better than anything I’ve read in fiction. In fact, William Makepeace Thackeray was inspired to write his first significant novel, The Luck of Barry Lyndon, after being told Mary Eleanor’s tale by one of her grandchildren. The author is a skilled researcher, but has still managed to write a compellingly readable book. The notes and bibliography are very thorough. I learned a lot about not only marriage and divorce in Georgian England, but also about duels, abortifacients, laudanum dosage, botany, etc. The only other biographical history I have enjoyed nearly as much was Mrs. Jordan’s Profession by Claire Tomalin. I highly recommend this book.
    • 3/5
      This is the story of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, and her disasterous marriage to an abusive adventurer. Her sufferings, and her struggles to secure a divorce in the late 18th century are heartbreaking. What tempered my enjoyment of this book was the lack of empathy which I felt for the Countess - her misery was in large measure her own doing. Yes, she married a rogue, but she would never have been in such risk in the first place if she had not flouted convention to such an extent. An interesting read.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      This is the third book of what seems to be a newish genre that I have read recently. I think they could be described as popular social history and appear to be marketed alongside the best sellers. This one focuses one the life and unfortunate marrage of one woman at a time when British women especcially married women had no rights or ability to own property, think Saudi Arabia in crinolines. She is tricked into marriage , abused, escapes and is kidnapped by her husband who has absolute rights to her money, body and children. She manages to prevail in the end after an exciting, implausabe but well documented series of escapades.Appears well researched and an enjoyable read , I would have liked a map but I expect that would not have fitted into the costing equations for a mass market book.