1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to steph you missed in history Class from how 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracey Vie Wilson. Today's show 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: is a listener request that is from Katie from quite 5 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,080 Speaker 1: a while back. So my apologies that it takes so long, 6 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: but as you guys know, our list is a mile long. Uh. 7 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: And this particular show is about a woman who was 8 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: born into England's aristocracy in the nineteenth century and whose 9 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: work breeding horses has had an impact that has still 10 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,639 Speaker 1: felt today. And this is part one of two. This 11 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: is also an example of not a sad royal childhood, 12 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:45,279 Speaker 1: but a sad aristocratic childhood and adulthood. It serves, at 13 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: least for me, as one of those great reminders that 14 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: even people who seem to live a charmed life and 15 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: have the ultimate in privilege are often dealing with plenty 16 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: of their own problems. So also a heads up if 17 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: you are listening with younger history buffs. There is a 18 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: lot of talk of adultery in both of these episodes, 19 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: so be prepared. We are going to talk today about 20 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: a woman who came to be known as the Lady 21 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: of horses. Lady Anne Blunt. She was born September thirty 22 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: seven and anything but humble beginnings. Her parents were Lord 23 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: and Lady King, the Earl and Countess of Lovelace. Her mother, 24 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: you would know more commonly as Ada Lovelace, the daughter 25 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: of George Gordon, Lord Byron. Lady Anne, the granddaughter of 26 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: Lord Byron, was born Lady Anne Isabella Noel King was 27 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: called Annabella as a child. She later chose to go 28 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: by Anne. And if you listen to the episode in 29 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: our archive that Katy and Sarah did about Ada Lovelace, 30 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: you know that she continued to study numbers and her 31 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: scientific interests after her children were born, and both Aida 32 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: and her husband, William King, wanted Anne to be more 33 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: than an idle woman of privilege and to be a thinker. 34 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: Ada Lovelace's mother, Lady Byron, who had been married to 35 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: Lord Byron, was deeply involved in the household and had 36 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: a significant voice in Anne's upbringing. But although she had 37 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: these three adults who all had distinct hopes for her, 38 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,519 Speaker 1: in reality, Anne was being raised by governesses and nanny's 39 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: more than her parents or her grandmother. It does seem 40 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: like Lady Byron was deferred to on a lot of 41 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: decisions regarding the children's upbringing, no doubt because she was 42 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: also paying for most of the family's living expenses. Lady 43 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:27,080 Speaker 1: byron AT's grandmother made all the decisions regarding the tutors 44 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: and the governesses, and in selecting the guiding ideologies of 45 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: how Anne and her brother's Byron and Ralph were going 46 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: to be raised and educated. Biographer H. V. F. Winstone 47 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: wrote of Lady Anne's childhood the following quote, and for 48 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: her part, was destined hardly to know her obsessive mother 49 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: or indeed her father. Her grandmother's power over her, however, 50 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: was to prove almost absolute. As Ada Lovelace and became 51 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 1: consumed by both an ongoing illness and her obsession with 52 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 1: her work. Her involvement with her children can tinued to wayne. 53 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,959 Speaker 1: She called her daughter and her son's Lady Byron's grandchildren, 54 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: rather than talking about them as her own children, and 55 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: she once wrote a motherhood quote, Unfortunately, every year adds 56 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,399 Speaker 1: to my utter want of pleasure, and my children they 57 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: are to me irksome duties and nothing more poor things. 58 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: I am sorry for them. They will at least find 59 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: me a harmless and inoffensive parent, if nothing more. Yeah, 60 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: the story of Ada Lovelace in her later years is 61 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: quite sad, and she of course develops a gambling problem 62 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: and some other issues of impulse control, and her illness 63 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: takes as toll on her. So in some ways probably 64 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: quite good. She was not around her kids that much, 65 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: but there was still a very real absence that was felt. 66 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,839 Speaker 1: And Anne began keeping a journal when she was ten, 67 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: and that was something she continued to do for the 68 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: rest of her life, although there are some gaps here 69 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: and there, and there are also some instances during particularly 70 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: painful periods where the pages of her diary were torn 71 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: out from a very early age and was drawn to nature. 72 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: Plants and animals held just an endless fascination for her. 73 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: She took lessons in singing, art German, French, and playing 74 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: a variety of musical instruments. Her artistic talents were cultivated 75 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 1: to the point where she became very good at both 76 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:21,599 Speaker 1: drawing and painting. She studied with John Ruskin, who became 77 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: one of the Victorian art scenes most influential critics, and 78 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: she did that at the arrangement of her grandmother. While 79 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: he's often cited as her art teacher, though a much 80 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 1: greater influence on her was engraver Tom Boys, who filled 81 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: in for Ruskin while he was too busy to see 82 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: to his students. Once she started to receive instruction from Boys, 83 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: as drawings and watercolors became a lot more numerous and 84 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: a lot more accomplished. When Lady Anne was fifteen, her mother, 85 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: Ada Lovelace, died of uterine cancer, and at this point 86 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 1: her father became more involved in Anne's life. Lovelace's relationship 87 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: with Lady Byron, who he had originally been quite close 88 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: with uh I think in the previous episode from the 89 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: archive they actually joke about how he just seemed to 90 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: love his mother in law and they had like this 91 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: great relationship, but it did not last. That relationship deteriorated 92 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: in those years leading up to AIDA's death, and after 93 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: she died, he began hiring governesses and tutors to look 94 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 1: after Anne on his own, without Lady Byron's input. Ann's 95 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,120 Speaker 1: father did reach out to Lady Byron on numerous occasions, 96 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: trying to smooth things over a little, but the tensions 97 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: between them remained. And corresponded regularly with her grandmother and 98 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: was sometimes caught in the middle of these two adults, 99 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: as Lady Byron sent her advice that was intended to 100 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 1: continue her upbringing in the way she would have managed 101 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: if she were still in charge and encouraged the teenage 102 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: and to manipulate her father. And to be fair, she 103 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: was trying to manipulate. She was trying to get and 104 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,119 Speaker 1: to manipulate her father to do the sorts of things 105 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: that she thought were best for her upbringing. She was 106 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:00,719 Speaker 1: not trying to get her to manipulate her father to 107 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: like by her extravagant clip, No, not at all. It 108 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:07,720 Speaker 1: was definitely all about like what she thought was correct 109 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 1: in her education and her um you know, social activities 110 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: and those kinds of things. And to that end, in 111 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty four, Ann and her father took a trip together, 112 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,679 Speaker 1: visiting Switzerland and Italy and meeting up with family friends 113 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,359 Speaker 1: and occasionally her brothers along the way. And this trip 114 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: was something that Lady Byron had desperately wanted. Anne was 115 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: going to see great artwork and here the finest music, 116 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: and study along the way and learn about the world, 117 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: and all of that was endorsed by and encouraged by 118 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: her grandmother. And after the journey was over and actually 119 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:43,039 Speaker 1: went to stay with Lady Byron in Cavendish Square. Lady 120 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 1: Byron's influence definitely colored Anne's perceptions of her father, at 121 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: least for a time. At the age of eighteen, Lady 122 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: Anne wrote the following poem after an afternoon spent with 123 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 1: her father yesterday for three hours, I was walked of 124 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: every pleasure, balked. I thought, Pop, you did not want me. 125 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 1: You ought, my dear on such occasion to inquire you 126 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: might more eagerness have shown me norals to see and 127 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: to admire. And we're going to talk about how Lady 128 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: Anne's view of her father shifted a little bit after 129 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: Lady Byron died. But first we are going to have 130 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 1: a quick sponsor break. As the eighteen fifties wore on, 131 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: Lady Byron, who was elderly at this point, became quite 132 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 1: ill and she was unable to do a whole lot. 133 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: And so at the same time, relatives saw to it 134 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: that Anne was kept very busy socially. She was much 135 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 1: in demand as a young eligible woman from such a 136 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: noteworthy family. But Anne stayed really devoted to her grandmother, 137 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: and when Lady Byron died in May of eighteen sixty. 138 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: It was Anne who wrote all of the letters notifying 139 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 1: lawyers and relatives and friends of her passing. Eventually, Anne 140 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: seems to want to adopt the very best views of 141 00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: the people in her life in spite of all this 142 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: squabbles that they had with one another. She wrote to 143 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: a friend several years after Lady Byron died that she 144 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: felt like she needed to defend her, but also that 145 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: she felt like her family matriarch had been wrong in 146 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: her opinion of Ann's father. She wanted to believe the 147 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 1: things that her father told her about her mother and 148 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: had a sense that there was a lot of unknown 149 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 1: history and hurt among the three of them. But she 150 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 1: also believed that the mystery she was living with overall 151 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: of us was a lot more painful than if she 152 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: had just known the whole truth. Yeah, her brothers had 153 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: a variety of issues as well, and she kind of 154 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: framed it as though, like, Hey, I bet if all 155 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: of our weird family secrets were out, none of us 156 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: would have the hang ups um and one of the 157 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:44,080 Speaker 1: other things that happened in the eighteen sixties in Lady 158 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,320 Speaker 1: Anne's life was really interesting to me and actually has 159 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 1: ongoing import and impact in the modern world. So Lady 160 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,440 Speaker 1: Anne was particularly adept at playing the violin. She studied 161 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: with the Bohemian violinist and composer Leopold Jansa, and it 162 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 1: was with his urging that she made a significant investment. 163 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: In eighteen sixty five, she purchased a Stratavarius violin that 164 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: had been made in seventeen twenty one and was refurbished 165 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 1: by Jehan Baptiste Velm. That refurbishment was minor, it was 166 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: very carefully executed. Um had reset the neck and had 167 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: been extremely meticulous to preserve the instrument and it's very 168 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: pristine state as closely as possible. This particular instrument has 169 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: become known as the Lady Blunt Strata Areas and today 170 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: it's considered to be one of the best preserved and 171 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:36,839 Speaker 1: rarest instruments made by Antonio Strativari, and part because it's 172 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 1: been played very little and looks as it did the 173 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: day that it was completed. It's changed hands many times, 174 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 1: and in twenty eleven it was sold at auction by 175 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: the Topon Music Foundation, with the proceeds from this record 176 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 1: breaking fifteen point nine million dollar sale going to the 177 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:56,599 Speaker 1: relief efforts for the victims of the tsunami and earthquake 178 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: that hit Japan that year. Yeah, there are some interesting 179 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: videos online and around, like when the auction was about 180 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: to happen, and listening to people wax rhapsodic about this 181 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,959 Speaker 1: instrument is really really fascinating and quite poetic because they 182 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: clearly have such an appreciation for it as a piece 183 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: of art, and it's pretty cool. If you're interested, go 184 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 1: look at it. Uh. Next, we're going to get to 185 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 1: the significant person that shaped the course of Lady Ann's 186 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: life for a long time. Lady and met Wilfred's Gawin 187 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: Blunt in eighteen sixty six, and Wilfred had been born 188 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: in August seventeen, eighteen forty, so he was twenty six 189 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: at the time. She was a little into her thirties. 190 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: He was working in a foreign office job to make 191 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,319 Speaker 1: ends meet, and he had joined the diplomatic service when 192 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: he was eighteen, and just eight years in he was 193 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: already really tired of holding down a job. Blunt was 194 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: a rake. He was a bit politically rebellious, and that 195 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 1: he was anti imperialist. He was also pursued for his 196 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: good looks. We had a lot of women who were 197 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:00,120 Speaker 1: attracted to him. It's somewhat surprising that Anne didn't met 198 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 1: him earlier because they had all these connections through family friends. 199 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:06,200 Speaker 1: But they actually met in Italy in spite of all 200 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: of their overlapping social lives. In England, Olympia Usudum, the 201 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,440 Speaker 1: daughter of Sir John Malcolm, introduced Anne and Wilfred, and 202 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: this was not by chance. Olympia had told Blunt that 203 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: she was going to find him a wealthy wife so 204 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:23,239 Speaker 1: that he could escape his daily toil get some real stability. 205 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:27,320 Speaker 1: And lady Anne was wealthy. She was interesting, she was 206 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: educated in art and music. She had also age to 207 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: the point that it was a little weird that she 208 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:37,280 Speaker 1: had not married yet. But Blunt was also involved, to 209 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: various degrees with an assortment of other European social lights 210 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: at the time, some of whom were married, and while 211 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: he did seem to enjoy meeting Anne, it wasn't really fireworks. 212 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: While preparing for a trip to Argentina the following year, Blunt, 213 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: probably hoping to just provide for his own future, wrote 214 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 1: and a letter claiming that he had considered proposing to 215 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: her in Italy and that he regretted he had regretted 216 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: not doing that ever since it happened. Anne was not 217 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: exactly taken in by this and replied that she might be, 218 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: to quote, doubting and hesitating in her nature, to be 219 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:13,440 Speaker 1: a good match for him. And while Wilfred was still 220 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 1: traveling in the winter of eighteen sixty eight, his brother 221 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 1: Frances and his sister Alice spent Christmas with Anne in 222 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:23,560 Speaker 1: northern Italy, and Francis and Alice really loved Anne. They 223 00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: were so excited at the prospect that maybe she might 224 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 1: become part of their family. And meanwhile, almost all of 225 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:34,320 Speaker 1: Wilfred's friends and even his paramours encouraged him strongly to 226 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:37,120 Speaker 1: pursue this marriage with lady Anne because it was going 227 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:39,720 Speaker 1: to be for his own good. When he and Anne 228 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:41,920 Speaker 1: finally met up in England again in the spring of 229 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty nine, she finally agreed to his proposal and 230 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 1: their marriage took place on June eighth of eighteen sixty nine. 231 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: One of Blunt's lovers, Ella Baird, spent the whole ceremony 232 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: crying and marrying Anne. Wilfrid had secured his fortune. He 233 00:12:56,880 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: had married a very wealthy woman, and entering into this 234 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,439 Speaker 1: marriage also increased the annual allowance that he received through 235 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 1: an inheritance of his own more than fourfold. So by 236 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: getting married, that inheritance that he already had went from 237 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: seven hundred pounds to three thousand pounds a year. Yeah, 238 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:21,360 Speaker 1: there are lots of stories of inheritances that are predicated 239 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 1: on those kinds of rules, like, oh, as long as 240 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: you're still a single cad, you can only have this. 241 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:27,680 Speaker 1: But if you settle down, you're gonna need more for 242 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: a family and wife, so you'll get more money, which 243 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 1: is why men like Wilfred are like, man, I gotta 244 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 1: find me a wife. Uh. For her part, Lady Anne's 245 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 1: own account of their courtship and their wedding was almost 246 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: void of emotion or any sort of romantic embellishment when 247 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 1: she wrote about it. She entered the details of their 248 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 1: wedding day in her diary, but it is all very factual. 249 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 1: It's about what times things happened, who their attendants were, 250 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,840 Speaker 1: and what time the post ceremony breakfast ended. But there's 251 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 1: definitely no swooning. There's no uh sort of blushing bride 252 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: excitement recorded in it, or even a description of her 253 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,840 Speaker 1: new husband. This could just be because Lady anne was 254 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: also dealing with a huge family scandal at the same time. 255 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: Harriet Beecher Stowe's essay Lady Byron Vindicated was published just 256 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 1: days before Anne and Wilfred were married, and in this essay, 257 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 1: Stow said that Lady Byron separated from her husband after 258 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: he had an incestuous affair with his half sister. Lady 259 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: Anne was hounded by the press for some kind of 260 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: statement on this matter. She wrote letters to the press 261 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: recalling what she could from her youth, but ultimately she 262 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: and Wilfrid left for their honeymoon while reporters were still 263 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 1: just after them for more information than she could possibly offer. 264 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: On top of whether she could offer it. Seriously, she 265 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: just got married. Leave her alone. Yeah. Well, and it's 266 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: one of those things where she never met Lord Byron. 267 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 1: He was gone before she was born. And as we 268 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, her family we kept a lot of weird secrets, 269 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: and there were these weird, you know, sort of half 270 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: histories that were shared, and there was some distance from 271 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: the children to begin with. So she was like, I 272 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 1: don't know, my grandmother was very Strictum, she didn't really 273 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 1: have a lot that she could could offer. She just 274 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: wanted to give the press whatever it took for them 275 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: to leave her alone and quiet the story because it was, 276 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: you know, horrible incests scandal in the family of Lord Byron, 277 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: who was a huge figure in England. It just was 278 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 1: what a horrible thing to go through when you're trying 279 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: to get married. But that marriage was also tainted from 280 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,960 Speaker 1: the beginning, unfortunately, so first by that scandal, which really 281 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:46,080 Speaker 1: kind of overshadowed the entire wedding, but then by several miscarriages, 282 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 1: which Wilfred blamed entirely on Ann. It seemed as though 283 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: they tried to have kids immediately um and in the 284 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 1: accounts of their travels on their honeymoon, which went on 285 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: for a while, there were kind of hints that something 286 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: was going wrong, that she may be carrying a child 287 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: and losing it on several different occasions, and this of 288 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: course led to strain and conflict between them, and soon 289 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: Wilfred just went ahead and started seeing other women, including 290 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: his friend Ella Beard, that paramore who had cried through 291 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:20,120 Speaker 1: their whole wedding. In eighteen sixty nine, Wilfred was offered 292 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: a job at the Foreign Offices St. Petersburg Branch, and 293 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: he turned it down and retired completely by the year's end. 294 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: By the end of their first year together, Wilfred and 295 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 1: Ann were spending periods of time apart, but they were 296 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:37,000 Speaker 1: splitting their time largely between England and France, just not 297 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 1: usually on the same schedule and not usually in the 298 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: same places. This was not something Anne was a fan of, 299 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 1: but Wilfred liked having time away from his wife, presumably 300 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 1: to pursue other women. And at the end of eighteen 301 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: seventy the Blunts, who had barely managed to escape the 302 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 1: Siege of Paris and make it back to England, had 303 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 1: their first child, and it was a boy named Wilfred 304 00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 1: after his father. But the baby died just a few 305 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: days later, and while Anne's account in her diary is 306 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 1: similarly dispassionate to that of her wedding account, giving only 307 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: the details and no indication of her grief, both she 308 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: and her husband were really quite devastated. They continued to 309 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,120 Speaker 1: try to have another child, and after another miscarriage, they 310 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 1: had the premature birth of twin girls, who died shortly 311 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:24,159 Speaker 1: after they were born. In eighteen seventy two, Wilfred and 312 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:27,920 Speaker 1: Lady Anne inherited a property in Sussex called Crabbit Park, 313 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 1: and she turned the estate there into the home of 314 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:34,880 Speaker 1: horse Breeding Farm and worked on refurbishing the tutor house there. 315 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,199 Speaker 1: But Anne was soon pregnant again and they returned to 316 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: their home in London in the hopes that a quiet 317 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:45,399 Speaker 1: pregnancy free of travel might finally prove successful. We are 318 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: about to talk about a change in fortunes for the Blunts, 319 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: but first we'll have another quick word for a sponsor. 320 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,919 Speaker 1: On February six seventy three, Lady Anne gave birth to 321 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: a daughter, Judith and Dorothea Blunt, who was one month premature. 322 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:09,880 Speaker 1: Judith was the only one of Anne and Wilfrid's children 323 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 1: to survive into adulthood. Wilfrid was pretty open about his 324 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: disappointment that they had not had a boy survived instead 325 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,119 Speaker 1: of a girl, but Anne was simply happy to have 326 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: a healthy child at last. After Judith was born, the 327 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:25,119 Speaker 1: Blunt's returned to their work at Crabbit Farm, and they 328 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: started to focus on one of the things that did 329 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: truly unite the two of them, and that was their 330 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: desire to breed horses that incorporated Arabian bloodlines into English stock. 331 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: In eight seventy three, they traveled to Turkey just the 332 00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:40,680 Speaker 1: two of them, and they purchased the first of their 333 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 1: acquisitions towards this goal. Although that first horse was not 334 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:47,680 Speaker 1: up here Arabian, it was perhaps more like a honeymoon 335 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: than their first honeymoon had been, and described herself on 336 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:55,120 Speaker 1: this trip as being almost too happy. But shortly after 337 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 1: they returned to England the magic was gone. Wilfred moved 338 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:02,400 Speaker 1: one of his par Moore's, Minnie Pollen, and her husband, 339 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:04,639 Speaker 1: into one of the homes that he owned, and he 340 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: set up an arrangement where she Many would care for 341 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 1: Judas when he and Anne were traveling. He believed that 342 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,879 Speaker 1: neither Anne nor Minnie's husband were aware that he and 343 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:16,880 Speaker 1: Many had orchestrated this whole thing so that they could 344 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:20,240 Speaker 1: have easy access to one another, and this arrangement went 345 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 1: on for fifteen years. After Wilfred got himself into a 346 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 1: series of problematic and scandalous tangles with other women, he 347 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: swore off of his philandering and became more deeply religious, 348 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,880 Speaker 1: and he also became more serious about the horse breeding 349 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:38,879 Speaker 1: that he was doing with his wife. The Blunts started 350 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:40,800 Speaker 1: to brainstorm how they could bring some of the best 351 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:44,200 Speaker 1: Arabian horses they could find to England to breed at 352 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 1: crowd A Park. In eighteen seventy seven, the Blunts, both 353 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,960 Speaker 1: of whom were really interested in Arab culture as well 354 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:53,800 Speaker 1: as horses, began a tour of the Middle East, and 355 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: they traveled first to Beirut and then across Syria's northern region, 356 00:19:57,640 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 1: and then they turned south to make their way to 357 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 1: Bagdad via Mesopotamia. James Henry Skeeny, who was serving as 358 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 1: the British consul in Aleppo, became a friend and mapped 359 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,639 Speaker 1: out a plan for the travels that the two of 360 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: them were making in the region. Their desires for horses 361 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: lined up really closely with those of Skeenny, and he 362 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,639 Speaker 1: also had the idea that strong Arabian stock should be 363 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: shipped to England to invigorate the English thoroughbred bloodlines. And 364 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:26,160 Speaker 1: Lady Anne and Wilfrid Blunt, even though they had this 365 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:29,840 Speaker 1: person who lived and worked there, were kind of ill 366 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: prepared for this whole enterprise. Initially, they spoke only the 367 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,480 Speaker 1: most rudimentary Arabic, just a few words here and there, 368 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: and they did not really have an understanding of the 369 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:43,119 Speaker 1: very complex relationships and conflicts among the Bedouin tribes of 370 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: the area. Lady Anne recognized the disadvantage that they had, 371 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 1: and she had also been given a book on horses 372 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: that was written in Arabic, so she made a very 373 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: serious effort to learn the language to the point of fluency. 374 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:00,159 Speaker 1: She also started forging relationships with the locals so they 375 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 1: wouldn't be regarded as just ignorant outsiders. Yeah, she was 376 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: really really good at forging relationships and basically like meeting 377 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:10,640 Speaker 1: a person and getting in good with him, and then 378 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:13,360 Speaker 1: he would say like, hey, you know, there's another man 379 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:15,480 Speaker 1: that is like three miles away, but if you can 380 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 1: get to where he is, he has some great horses 381 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 1: and tell him I sent you, and sort of forming 382 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: these chain relationships where she would say the right name 383 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:25,360 Speaker 1: to the right person and they would realize like, oh, yes, 384 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 1: you are someone we can trust. And her efforts really 385 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,879 Speaker 1: were rewarded. The Blunts, and specifically Lady Anne came to 386 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,879 Speaker 1: be accepted and even trusted by the Bedouins that they 387 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,119 Speaker 1: visited and purchased horses from. There's even a story that 388 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:41,800 Speaker 1: there were some translation projects that she worked on with 389 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 1: people while she traveled, and moreover, An found a very 390 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 1: deep sense of happiness as they traveled through the desert. 391 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:52,479 Speaker 1: For one, she had surpassed the age at which her 392 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 1: mother died, which she never expected to do. There's actually 393 00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:59,400 Speaker 1: a story that when Ada Lovelace was on her deathbed, 394 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:02,320 Speaker 1: she said to daughter, you will never live past forty, 395 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 1: which is a terrible thing to do. So lady Anne 396 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:07,639 Speaker 1: was quite surprised that she was in her forties and 397 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: in the desert having an absolute delight of a time 398 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,879 Speaker 1: searching for horses. But that was the other thing that 399 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: really also gave her this sense of happiness. She felt 400 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,679 Speaker 1: as though she had found her true calling. They returned 401 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:22,160 Speaker 1: to England in May of eighteen seventy eight, and they 402 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: waited for their new horses to arrive. In the meantime, 403 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 1: and at Wilfrid's urging, compiled all of her notes and 404 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,880 Speaker 1: diaries into a book that was called The Bedouin Tribes 405 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 1: of the Euphrates, which was published in eighteen seventy nine. 406 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: Wilfred claimed partial authorship of this book, even though he 407 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,440 Speaker 1: really did not do a lot of the work. Yeah, 408 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,119 Speaker 1: there's a story in in the biography that I was 409 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:47,840 Speaker 1: reading that they're they're out traveling when this one publishes, 410 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:51,680 Speaker 1: and someone says, oh, and your book is We saw 411 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: your book in a bookstore, and he's like, it's our book. 412 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 1: He's sort of a due. Almost as soon as those 413 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,040 Speaker 1: new horses arrived and were settled and the breeding program 414 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:10,600 Speaker 1: was really underway, Wilfred started to feel restless, so he 415 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:13,200 Speaker 1: and Anne planned to return to the desert, this time 416 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,879 Speaker 1: traveling more deeply into the central Arabian area that was 417 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: known at the time as Nudged. They left in November 418 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:23,200 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy nine, and they were in Beirut by early December. 419 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: The diaries of this second trip became the basis of 420 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: A's second book, which was titled A Pilgrimage to Nidged, 421 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 1: which was published in eighteen eighty one. Lady Anne was 422 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:36,119 Speaker 1: actually the first European woman on record that crossed the 423 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:39,360 Speaker 1: Northern Arabian Desert, but second trip was a lot more 424 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,239 Speaker 1: difficult than the first. This was partially because they were 425 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:46,240 Speaker 1: journeying into less traveled and more dangerous territory, but there 426 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,720 Speaker 1: were other problems as well. Violent storms slowed their progress 427 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,360 Speaker 1: at the Persia, and when Wilfrid got the idea that 428 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:57,879 Speaker 1: he would hunt Bore, one of their intended targets became enraged, 429 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 1: charged and gravely injured one of the mayors that they 430 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 1: were traveling with. After they recovered from this whole incident 431 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,680 Speaker 1: and treated the horse, Wilfred started having bouts of illness 432 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:13,200 Speaker 1: and eventually started having seizures. Yeah, Lady Anne's diaries at 433 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: this point, like she clearly was so upset by the 434 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:20,360 Speaker 1: whole thing where he was just sort of almost crazed 435 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 1: about shooting things while they were traveling, and she was 436 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:26,439 Speaker 1: yelling like, hey, the mayor is injured and they were 437 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:28,439 Speaker 1: still just having to deal with this wild boar that 438 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: was charging them, and it definitely unsettled her nerves for 439 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:36,920 Speaker 1: a bit. Um Wilfred, in the meantime, did recover enough 440 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 1: that they were able to make their way to the 441 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:41,520 Speaker 1: summer capital of British India, which was Shimla, and they 442 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:43,919 Speaker 1: were met there by friends and they actually stayed there 443 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 1: for several weeks. It was pretty vacation e at that point, 444 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 1: before they headed to Bombay and then they made their 445 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: way home in the last weeks of July. Both of 446 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,440 Speaker 1: the books that we mentioned are illustrated by Lady Anne herself. 447 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 1: Her skills as a very speedy and precise sketch artist 448 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: which she honed in childhood, served her really well as 449 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,160 Speaker 1: a means to record their travels. She drew everything from 450 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:08,440 Speaker 1: landscapes of the areas that they traveled through to detailed 451 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:11,639 Speaker 1: diagrams of the horses that they looked at as possible stock. 452 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,159 Speaker 1: And while these detailed travel journals provide records of the 453 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 1: Blunt's experiences and the horse stock that they were looking at, 454 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:22,400 Speaker 1: they were also invaluable in offering more information about Bedouin 455 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,800 Speaker 1: life than Europeans had ever known. Because of Anne's unprecedented 456 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:29,880 Speaker 1: relationships with the various tribes, she was able to include 457 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 1: details about the religion and history of the people in 458 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,919 Speaker 1: the area, as well as how the various tribal groups 459 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:39,680 Speaker 1: interacted with one another. Her writing and sketches were so 460 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: thorough that they were used by twentieth century cartographers to 461 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:45,879 Speaker 1: create maps of the area with new details built in. 462 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 1: Illustrator Edward Stanford made a map in the late nineteen 463 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 1: forties that showed Lady Anne's travel route, but also featured 464 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 1: details like where Bedouin tribes set up camps for winter 465 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,040 Speaker 1: and what roots were being used during the Hajj to 466 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,440 Speaker 1: reach Mecca. The last months of eighteen seventy nine were 467 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,840 Speaker 1: marked by a significant shift for both Anne and Wilfred, 468 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 1: and who had spent all of that time in the 469 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: desert really reflecting on her life and doing a lot 470 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,439 Speaker 1: of soul searching and deep thinking, decided that she was 471 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: going to convert to Catholicism, and Wilfred went right back 472 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,479 Speaker 1: to the adulterous ways that he swore off before they 473 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: started all of their travel in the Middle East. For 474 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,679 Speaker 1: Lady and this really marks a turning point, becoming a 475 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:32,040 Speaker 1: confirmed Catholic flu in the face of everything that her grandmother, 476 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:35,639 Speaker 1: Lady Byron, believed so in her early forties and was 477 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:38,880 Speaker 1: just stepping into a new phase of her life. Yeah, 478 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:42,360 Speaker 1: to me, it's such a moment where she casts off 479 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:46,080 Speaker 1: the expectations of her grandmother, who she really considered, even 480 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 1: though she had been gone at that point for a while, 481 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 1: and sort of makes a decision for herself that she 482 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:54,600 Speaker 1: knows would not have been in line with those desires 483 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: and expectations. And that is actually where we're gonna end 484 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:01,680 Speaker 1: this episode. Uh, the next one is going to delve 485 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:05,440 Speaker 1: into Lady Anne's ongoing work with horse breeding and unfortunately, 486 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: the ongoing drama that her husband brought into her life. 487 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,560 Speaker 1: Do you also have listener mail for us? I do, 488 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:16,040 Speaker 1: and it does not evolve drama or horrible nous at all, 489 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 1: but something fabulous and art. Uh. This is from our listener, Vivian, 490 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: and she writes, Dear Tracy and Holly, thank you for 491 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:26,479 Speaker 1: the terrific podcast. She recently went on a trip and 492 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,959 Speaker 1: she listened to our podcast helps stay sane, in her words, 493 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:32,639 Speaker 1: And while she was traveling, she had the privilege of 494 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:35,920 Speaker 1: interning at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. The museum 495 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 1: holds thousands of artifacts from the late artist. Walter Anderson 496 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:42,480 Speaker 1: was an artist, writer, and philosopher who resided in Mississippi 497 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:44,960 Speaker 1: for his adult life. He was heavily influenced by nature, 498 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,399 Speaker 1: and he was spent months on Horn Island, a Gulf 499 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:51,239 Speaker 1: barrier island, drawing and painting his surroundings. She's suggesting him 500 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: as a podcast topic. I'll put on the list. Never 501 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 1: know when we'll get there. But she also sent us 502 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:57,800 Speaker 1: a really lovely gift. She said, I've sent you, guys 503 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 1: reproductions of Walter Anderson's art The Oakhead Cat and the 504 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 1: original was created in nineteen and these were created to 505 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:09,640 Speaker 1: commemorate the ninetieth anniversary of the founding of Sheerwater Pottery, 506 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:13,040 Speaker 1: a ceramics company founded by Walter Anderson's brother Peter. And 507 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:16,120 Speaker 1: they are absolutely lovely little cat sculptures. I'm holding one 508 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:21,240 Speaker 1: up and I don't know. They're really cool. And because 509 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 1: I sure do you love kitties, I love this and 510 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:25,400 Speaker 1: it's going on my mantle with my other cats sculptures. 511 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,080 Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Vivian, I really appreciate it. It 512 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: is such a delight. She concluded her postcard by saying, 513 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:32,800 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoy the cats as much as I've 514 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:35,160 Speaker 1: enjoyed the show. I think that is a fair statement. 515 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:37,200 Speaker 1: I love them, and the postcard is a beautiful piece 516 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 1: of art with colorful cats on it interspersed when a 517 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: very beautiful black cat. So thank you, thank you, thank 518 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: you so much. I really appreciate it. I know Tracy 519 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: does as well, So pretty do you would like to 520 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:51,160 Speaker 1: write to us, You can do so at History Podcast 521 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:53,600 Speaker 1: at how Stuff works dot com. You can also find 522 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:56,480 Speaker 1: us as Missed in History pretty much everywhere on social media, 523 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,320 Speaker 1: and Missed in History dot Com is our website where 524 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 1: you can come and visit us. Listen to every episode 525 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,480 Speaker 1: of the podcast that has ever existed, read show notes 526 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 1: for any of the ones that Tracy and I have 527 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:08,440 Speaker 1: worked on, and just toodle around and explore history. So 528 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: we hope you do at missed in history dot com. 529 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 1: For more on this and thousands of other topics, visit 530 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:25,600 Speaker 1: how staff works dot com.