1811
No one who had ever seen Catherine Tylney Long during her infancy could have imagined the sensation she would arouse. An unremarkable child, she grew up quietly in the provinces in a world immortalized by Jane Austen’s novels. Her situation was similar to that of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice; although her father was wealthy, Catherine and her two sisters were very much the poor relations as the entire family fortune was set aside for a male relative, in accordance with custom.1 All this changed overnight when a quirk of fate transformed her life and she became ‘the richest heiress in the Kingdom’.2 This was just the start of a remarkable story, which ignited a media frenzy that kept the nation enthralled for over two decades as the twists and turns of her life were serialized in the press. Catherine captured the hearts of the public because fame and fortune did not turn her head; in fact she remained so unpretentious and sweet-natured that she became known as ‘the angel’.
By portraying Catherine as ‘the angel’, the media implied that she was the perfect woman. Virtue and goodness were her primary attributes, but Catherine also possessed numerous other qualities that were universally admired. She was intelligent, accomplished, self-assured and benevolent. The ideal modern woman was not cloyingly virtuous, but was closer to the character of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Austen herself remarked that Elizabeth was ‘as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print’,3 and she has remained one of the most endearing characters in British literature. Although Elizabeth was respectable, it was her pluck, her arch remarks and stubborn refusal to marry a man she did not love that made her so captivating. Similarly, Catherine was a spirited woman with a playful sense of humour that endeared her to almost everyone she met. She was popular with the public because they admired her virtue, as well as her spark.
Catherine’s coming of age portrait shows a beautifully groomed woman with a graceful swanlike neck and gentle gaze.4 The artist captures the essence of her character in her expression, which is open, amiable and direct. A demure hairstyle and absence of jewellery or adornment indicates her lack of ostentation. Her modesty was such that the only hint of her immense wealth was the luxurious fur draped across her shoulders.
Born on 2 October 1789, Catherine was the eldest child of Sir James Tylney Long, seventh Baronet (1736–94),5 and Lady Catherine Sydney Windsor.6 The Longs had lived at Draycot in Wiltshire since the early fifteenth century when the clothier Robert Long purchased the picturesque estate, comprised of over 3,000 acres. For most of his life, Catherine’s father was an unassuming country squire, renowned throughout Wiltshire for his charitable work. As Knight of the Shire, Sir James represented the county in Parliament, nominally a Tory but often voting with the opposition.7 A bachelor for most of his life, he married at the age of forty, to Lady Harriet Bouverie, who died less than two years later. Although his first marriage was short-lived, Sir James formed long-lasting ties with Harriet’s relations – the Earls of Shaftesbury and Radnor – two Whig families who would later become instrumental in the fight for social reform.8 Undoubtedly, these associations reinforced Sir James’s progressive ideals as he worked to support his local community, taking a personal interest in the welfare of the workers on his estate.
Sir James was affluent, owning around 10,000 acres of land spread over four counties, which yielded approximately £10,000 per annum in rents. He became enormously wealthy, however, when he inherited a vast fortune from his uncle, in 1785. The Tylney legacy comprised of around 10,000 acres in Essex, 2,500 acres in Hampshire, several stately homes plus sums held in stocks and bonds. Perfectly content with life in Wiltshire, Sir James had no desire to leave his ancestral home and move into one of the palatial mansions he now owned. However, he felt it was his duty to produce heirs to the Tylney estate. In 1785, he married Lady Catherine Sydney Windsor, a charitable, deeply religious woman. A memoir by a close family friend records their happy marriage and philanthropic work: ‘Their tastes and feelings were the same. Sir James was a generous promoter of public and private charities . . . Volumes might be filled in describing his benevolence.’9 Schools were set up in three of the parishes surrounding Draycot. The poor, old and infirm received food, clothing and winter fuel.10 In effect, an early system of welfare state existed at Draycot, funded entirely by the generosity of the Tylney Long family.
Much to the couple’s delight, three daughters were born in quick succession: Catherine in 1789, Dora in 1792 and Emma in 1793. Happy as they were, however, Lady Catherine was almost forty and they did not have a male heir. A precious son eluded them until the ninth year of their marriage when James finally arrived, in September 1794. By now, Sir James was in poor health, seized by an illness that baffled his doctors and agonized his wife as she watched him suffer. After deteriorating alarmingly quickly, he died in November 1794, aged fifty-eight, leaving his wife inconsolable with grief and in charge of four young children. Five-year-old Catherine was the only child old enough to recognize the nature of the loss, and she missed her father dreadfully.
Although the family was exceptionally wealthy, the custom of primogeniture determined that the eldest male inherit everything. Catherine’s infant brother assumed the grand title of Sir James Tylney Long, eighth Baronet, becoming sole heir to the entire family fortune. To ensure there could be no misappropriation of funds, the late Sir James had ensured that all money was tied up in trusts and managed by professional advisors until his heir came of age. His son was made a Ward of Court in Chancery and inventories of the houses were made, in 1795, to ensure that his inheritance was preserved. Liberal provisions were made for the widow: Lady Catherine had a jointure of £5,000, a further £500 in pin money, a lifetime residency at Draycot House and other benefits.11 This enabled the family to live very comfortably.
Lady Catherine lived quietly for many years, socializing with a small group of close friends and devoting herself to raising her children.12 She found solace in religion and philanthropy, instilling her daughters with Christian principles. Catherine, Dora and Emma often accompanied their mother on charitable missions, taking food baskets to the sick or handing out prizes in the local schools sponsored by family trusts.13 As a result, the girls grew up with a strong sense of benevolence and humility. As one neighbour recalled, ‘They were a blessing . . . working for the poor, visiting them in their cottages, as divested of all pride, as if fortune had never smiled upon them.’14
Catherine’s best friends and constant companions were her sisters. Tutored at home, the girls spent their mornings in lessons and afternoons walking on the estate or calling on neighbours. Sir James had the foresight to bequeath portions of £15,000 to each of his three daughters, which they would receive when they married, or reached the age of twenty-one, whichever occurred first. These funds would set them up in comfortable homes and enable them to attract respectable middle-class husbands from within the ranks of enterprise or from the professions, such as a manufacturer, retailer, doctor, lawyer or clergyman. Marrying well was a task that preoccupied both sexes; men commonly believed that a comfortable home, with a capable wife generating warmth and conviviality, was the perfect platform for happiness and social success.15 To achieve this ideal, from an early age Catherine learned the practical skills needed to become the mistress of a genteel household, such as managing servants, juggling accounts and entertaining guests. To improve her social graces, she learned to play the piano and to dance, and received sufficient education to make her a pleasant companion who was able to cultivate polite conversation on topics such as music, art and literature.
More than anything, the three sisters doted on their little brother, with his ready smile and sunny disposition. James had been a delicate infant, but although his strength improved considerably, his mother and sisters remained fussy and over-protective, discouraging him from riding horses, climbing trees or participating in any boyish activity that held potential to cause him harm. Whenever the weather was even the slightest bit overcast, the children were encouraged to play inside and the long corridors at Draycot rang with their laughter as they ran up and down. The family physician believed that James was too pampered and advised that his health would benefit from fresh air, exercise and the regular routine of boarding school. Bowing to pressure, Lady Catherine reluctantly agreed that her son could leave home. But tragedy struck just a few months later, when eleven-year-old James contracted an illness at school and died suddenly, in 1805. The exact cause remains a mystery, but was possibly the result of exposure after he swam in a lake. Needless to say, Lady Catherine blamed herself for acting against her better judgement and sending her child away. The end of James’s short life closed an important chapter in the family’s history – because baronetcies can only pass along the male line, the family title became extinct.
With no surviving males in her immediate family, destiny took a dramatic turn for sixteen-year-old Catherine and she became heiress to one of the largest fortunes in Britain. On coming of age she would receive around 23,000 acres of land spread over six counties, several stately homes and an annual income rumoured to be £80,000, although £40,000 was a more realistic figure.16
The magnitude of the legacy left to Catherine can be attributed to the meteoric rise of one remarkable man. The Tylney family made their money in the seventeenth century through the East India Company’s merchant shipping, thanks to the vision and entrepreneurial skills of Josiah Child (1631–1699). He rose from relatively humble origins to become one of the richest men in Britain.17 Starting out as a brewer in his early teens, his business grew rapidly after he secured a contract to supply beer and other services to the navy. Aged nineteen, he transported goods from Plymouth to Lisbon for the parliamentary fleet, gaining invaluable experience in trade and commerce. By 1659, he was provisioning East India Company ships, gaining a licence a few years later to embark on private ventures to India. Substantial profits were reinvested into new businesses, including a brewery in New Hampshire and a sugar cane plantation in Jamaica, where he manufactured rum. However, Child had shrewdly determined that trade with India would be the most lucrative. Investing heavily in the East India Company, he became their largest shareholder, as well as their Governor. It was the optimum time to gain control as the company started to diversify, importing chintz for household fabric, fine muslin for dresses, spices, silk and porcelain. The East India Company thrived and prospered under his direction, becoming the greatest merchant shipping company in the world, dominating the oceans and monopolizing trade between England and the Far East. As a pioneer of foreign commerce, Child wrote several important books about economics. A New Discourse in Trade, published in 1668, became the rulebook for companies involved in free trade. Acquiring the title of baronet in 1678, Sir Josiah Child was by now one of the wealthiest men in Britain. The extent of his fortune can be gauged by the fact that in 2007 the Sunday Times listed him in the top one hundred of the wealthiest Britons since 1066.18
Josiah’s gritty determination spilt over into his private life and he actively courted social advancement. Marrying advantageously three times, he also ensured that his five surviving children married into some of the highest families of the nobility. When his daughter Rebecca Child married Charles Somerset (1660–98), heir to the Duke of Beaufort, her dowry was reputed to be an enormous £25,000. It proved to be money well spent, however, as Sir Josiah’s grandson Henry Somerset became the second Duke of Beaufort,19 while his granddaughter Elizabeth went on to become the Duchess of Bedford, wife of the second Duke of Bedford and the mother of Lord John Russell, fourth Duke of Bedford.20
Having secured a lineage steeped with aristocratic blood, Sir Josiah wanted to establish an ancestral home that would reflect his newfound wealth and status. In 1673, he paid £11,500 for the manor of Wanstead in Essex, a scenic estate comprised of rolling hills, forests and lakes, with the River Roding flowing through it. Located seven miles north-east of the City of London, it was an ancient seat with strong royal associations, having been the hunting lodge of Henry VIII and a favourite retreat of Elizabeth I. Wanstead was central to Josiah’s aspirations, the crowning glory of his success. Samuel Pepys recorded that it was ‘a fine seat, but an old ancient house’.21 Leaving the house intact, Josiah concentrated his efforts on landscaping the gardens, planting avenues of trees at ‘prodigious cost’.22 Vistas of walnuts and sweet chestnuts fanned out westwards from the house, augmented by ornamental lakes and landscaped features. In his final years, Josiah devoted most of his time and energy to his gardens, fashioning an ornamental lake (later known as the octagonal Basin) and personally supervising the planting of an avenue of elms around it to create a magnificent approach towards the house. Fittingly, when he passed away in his seventieth year he was laid to rest in the family crypt at St Mary’s Church on his estate close to the elms he had so lovingly planted.
Twenty-four-year-old Sir Richard Child inherited his father’s fortune and title in 1704. He boosted his wealth even further by marrying an heiress and acquring the vast Tylney estates in Hampshire from his wife’s family. On being raised to the peerage, he adopted his wife’s surname and became the first Earl Tylney.23 Wealth and status encouraged him to fulfil his father’s aspirations for Wanstead. The old Tudor mansion was crumbling, so Earl Tylney decided to knock it down and construct a new house on the same site. The building of magnificent Wanstead House would prove to be his greatest triumph. At the turn of the eighteenth century, British architecture was dominated by the Baroque splendour of buildings such as Blenheim Palace, which was being built in highly decorative style with lavish use of curves and embellishment. In 1712, Earl Tylney bravely broke with tradition, commissioning the relatively unknown Colen Campbell to draw up plans for a private mansion that would rival the royal palaces.24
Campbell’s scheme for Wanstead was the first of its kind in Britain, reflecting a change in taste to simpler, more understated, classical Palladian architecture. Built in the finest Portland stone, the frontage of Wanstead House was 260 feet across and 70 feet deep. Clean lines and symmetry perfectly offset the stately central portico with six Corinthian columns. This was architecturally significant, the earliest recorded use of a temple feature in domestic design in England.25 Exquisitely hand-crafted features provided decoration, such as the bas-relief crowning the portico, ornately carved with the Tylney crest, a spread eagle clutching a snake. The building alone was reputed to cost £100,000, with an equal amount spent on the gardens.26
After spending a fortune on the house and grounds, William Kent was hired to create equally magnificent interiors.27 William Hogarth’s painting Assembly at Wanstead House (c. 1730) shows Earl Tylney seated in the ballroom surrounded by his family. It also captures the splendour of Kent’s staterooms: the sumptuous furnishings, ornate gilding and richly painted ceiling frescos. A gold spread eagle crowned the marble chimney piece, a reference to the family crest. This was a common theme throughout the house, with majestic spread eagles standing proudly in every room, forming the centrepiece on gilt chandeliers, table legs, silverware and fireguards.28 Wanstead was a pleasure palace designed for display and entertainment, with boating lakes, hunting grounds, garden rooms, banqueting halls, assembly rooms and the only purpose-built ballroom in any private house in England. Whenever nobility visited Wanstead, they were left in no doubt that they were guests of one of the richest families in England.
When John Tylney inherited his father’s title and estates in 1750, he became known as ‘the bachelor Earl Tylney’. A flamboyant character, the bachelor earl lived decadently and dangerously at Wanstead, where his homosexual activities were an open secret. After being discovered in flagrante delicto with a male servant,29 he fled to Italy in 1768, settling in Naples where he devoted his time to acquiring treasures for Wanstead. He purchased antique furniture, paintings by Casali and Rembrandt, plus the crowning glory of his collection – three ancient bronze statues recovered from the ruins of Herculaneum.30 While he was living in exile, Wanstead House and Park were kept in a constant state of readiness, but almost two decades passed and the magnificent Palladian palace lay unoccupied. During this time, the pleasure grounds became a tourist attraction, a popular spot for day trippers, delighting visitors and ‘travellers from all parts of the world’.31 Set amidst such spectacular gardens, Wanstead House was considered to be one of the finest seats in the realm and was described by many as the English Versailles.32
When the Earl died a bachelor in 1784, his estates passed on to his nephew, Sir James Tylney Long – Catherine’s father. Wanstead House would remain vacant for another two decades while the family continued to live in Wiltshire. After the French Revolution, royal tenants moved in; the Prince de Condé and other exiled members of the House of Bourbon rented the house from 1802 to 1810, and during this period Wanstead witnessed a renaissance as a venue for aristocratic gatherings and entertainment.33 But the magnificent mansion was lying in wait for Catherine. On coming of age, she would take possession and start preparing the house for all the glittering events – and shocking scandals – that would follow.