The Extraordinary Life of a Georgian Courtesan: Grace Dalrymple Elliott, her family, and friends by Joanne Major & Sarah Murden.
* Gifted. A huge thank you to Rosie Crofts @what_rosie_read from Pen & Sword for sending me this book to review, I am very grateful!
Synopsis:
Divorced wife, infamous mistress, prisoner in France during the French Revolution and the reputed mother of the Prince of Wales' child, notorious eighteenth-century courtesan Grace Dalrymple Elliott lived an amazing life in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century London and Paris.
Strikingly tall and beautiful, later lampooned as 'Dally the Tall' in newspaper gossip columns, she left her Scottish roots and convent education behind, to re-invent herself in a 'marriage à-la-mode', but before she was even legally an adult she was cast off and forced to survive on just her beauty and wits.
The authors of this engaging and, at times, scandalous book intersperse the story of Grace's tumultuous life with anecdotes of her fascinating family, from those who knew Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, and who helped to abolish slavery, to those who were, like Grace, mistresses of great men.
Whilst this book is the most definitive biography of Grace Dalrymple Elliott ever written, it is much more than that; it is Grace's family history that traces her ancestors from their origin in the Scottish borders, to their move south to London. It follows them to France, America, India, Africa and elsewhere, offering a broad insight into the social history of the Georgian era, comprising the ups and downs, the highs and lows of life at that time.
This is the remarkable and detailed story of Grace set, for the first time, in the context of her wider family and told more completely than ever before.
The first time I saw a portrait of Grace Dalrymple Elliott -
wearing her signature ribbon choker, I thought how striking she must have
looked in real life. With her slight smile, prominent features, heavily rouged
face, and artificially darkened eyebrows, she is an unforgettable face of the
18th century. Willowy and unusually tall for her time, Grace’s
nickname was Dally the Tall! I was so happy to be sent a biography published by Pen & Sword, detailing this extraordinary woman's life.
Married to Sir John
Eliot and then divorced while she was still young, Grace was a courtesan with
captivating beauty, who often featured in the gossip pages of her day. She was
a mistress to several powerful men, including the Prince Regent, Duc d’Orleans
and Lord Cholmondeley. Her child was widely accepted as the prince’s daughter. Whilst
living in France, she was suspected of espionage and imprisoned several times
during the French Revolution. During her stay, she hid Champcenetz between her mattresses
and wall. The patrol arrived and searched through her house armed with
bayonets, when they reached Grace’s room, she calmly asked the forty or so men
whether they might like some wine and cold pies!
The book also follows the lives of Grace’s family, who had
equally fascinating lives. The authors use their genealogy skills with amazing
results, piecing together information previously unknown or confirmed. I knew
little about her relatives, so it was interesting to learn more about them and
how they may have influenced and shaped Grace’s life and the decisions she made.
The Extraordinary Life of a Georgian Courtesan is incredibly
detailed and impeccably researched, I highly recommend this fantastic biography.
I hope this book will someday be made into a drama or film; it would make for great
viewing!
I reviewed another book by the same authors here.
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