Account of the Ladies of Llangollen (eBook)

Description

A true love story disguised as “friendship.” An Account of the Ladies of Llangollen (late 19th century) recounts the remarkable lives of Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby, two Irish gentlewomen who fled their families in the 1770s to live together in rural Wales — and remained inseparable for more than fifty years.

Defying social expectation, they built a home at Plas Newydd, where they dressed in masculine attire, cultivated their gardens, and hosted the era’s leading thinkers and writers — from Wordsworth to the Duke of Wellington. Though history dubbed them “eccentric recluses,” modern readers recognize their devotion as a quietly radical act of love and independence.

Rev. J. Prichard’s account preserves local lore, visitors’ impressions, and tender anecdotes about the Ladies’ kindness, intellect, and mutual care. Equal parts biography, folklore, and social history, it’s a testament to the endurance of affection in an age that had no language for their bond.