Wives of the Prime Ministers, 1844-1906

"Wives of the Prime Ministers, 1844-1906" by Elizabeth Lee and Lucy Masterman is a historical account written in the early 20th century. This work examines the lives and influences of the wives of various British Prime Ministers during the 19th century, highlighting their roles in political affairs despite their indirect involvement. The book explicitly aims to shed light on the significant yet often overlooked impact these women had on the political landscape of their time. The opening of the book introduces Lady Caroline Lamb, who is characterized as a whimsical and capricious woman, whose unique upbringing and life experiences shaped her eccentric personality. It details her unconventional and romantic marriage to William Lamb, later Lord Melbourne, as well as her significant, albeit tumultuous, relationship with the poet Lord Byron. The narrative captures the complexity of her character and her passions, emphasizing how these relationships and her personal struggles intertwined with the broader social and political contexts of the time. Overall, the beginning sets the stage for a deeper exploration of how the wives of prominent leaders navigated their influential but often unrecognized roles in political life. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Elizabeth Lee was an English teacher, literary critic, biographer and translator. She was secretary of the English Association for five years in the early twentieth century and was awarded the honour of Officier d'Académie by the French government for her work in education. She was the sister of Sir Sidney Lee and, under his editorship, wrote several biographies of women for the Dictionary of National Biography. Her other writings covered the subjects of education, French literature and biographies.