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History Great Britain

Aristocracy, Temperance and Social Reform

The Life of Lady Henry Somerset

by (author) Olwen Claire Niessen

Publisher
I.B. Tauris
Initial publish date
Dec 2007
Category
Great Britain
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781845114848
    Publish Date
    Dec 2007
    List Price
    $109

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Description

Lady Isabella (Isabel) Caroline Somerset embodied social reform in the nineteenth century. The failure of her traumatic marriage to Lord Henry Charles Somerset after revelation of his homosexual affairs and ensuing child-custody battle provide background to her metamorphosis from an aristocratic socialite into a temperance activist, social reformer and women's-rights campaigner, internationally recognized and feted for her contributions to society. In her first biography for over 80 years,Olwen Niessen brings to life Lady Somerset's progression from a local temperance worker to leadership of the British Women's Temperance Association (BWTA) and her transformation of this organization, from a reactionary, single-issue entity, into one committed to female emancipation and broader social reform. She provides a fascinating insight into Isabel Somerset's participation in the women's suffrage and lab our movements and Liberal politics and her impact upon Anglo-American and international reform movements, stemming from her close relationship with American temperance and woman's rights icon, Frances Willard.

About the author

Contributor Notes

Olwen Niessen completed her PhD at the University of Waterloo, Canada, where she was Assistant Professor of History. She is now retired.