Add MS 89287/1

Frances Elizabeth Anne Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave was born Frances Braham on 4 January 1821. The daughter of John Braham, a noted opera singer, and Frances Bolton, she was raised in the family home in London. She first married on 25 March 1839 to John James Waldegrave, illegitimate son of John James Waldegrave, 6th Earl Waldegrave. However the marriage was short-lived as John fell into ill-health and died in April 1940. Later that year Frances married John Waldegrave’s half-brother, George Edward Waldegrave, 7th Earl Waldegrave, the legitimate son of John James Waldegrave, 6th Earl Waldegrave. Through this marriage she became Countess Waldegrave and inherited Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham, where she later lived. In 1847 she married George Granville Harcourt. Whilst married to Harcourt she started to develop her reputation as an excellent hostess. During this period she began working to reopen Strawberry Hill House which had been left in a state of abandon, with many of its treasures sold off by the 7th Earl Waldegrave in the ‘Great Sale’ of 1842. She reacquired many of the sold items and joined on a separate wing to the main house. This work allowed her to host parties much closer to London society. Harcourt was thirty six years her senior and died in 1861 after a short illness brought on by a fall when travelling. In 1963 Countess Waldegrave married for the final time to Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue, later Baron Carlingford. Fortescue had been devoted to Countess Waldegrave since they first met in 1849, and their marriage lasted till her death in 1879.

Countess Waldegrave, became known as one of the foremost political hostesses of her generation. She, along with Baron Carlingford managed a wide circle of political friends and allies across party lines, both nationally and internationally, and the parties they hosted at Strawberry Hill were considered to be important social and political occasions.Through these parties Countess Waldegrave was able to support her husband’s political career, pushing him towards a position in the cabinet.

Many contain details of social engagements hosted by Countess Waldegrave either at Strawberry Hill or Nuneham, as well as domestic matters relating to her properties and staff. As well as personal matters, the letters also contain discussion of a wide range of topics, including politics, home-rule in Ireland, and the church. Many letters are from her family, and the families of Harcourt and Fortescue, her husbands. One can also find letters relating to charity and letters asking for assistance from Countess Waldegrave.