In honour of this year’s International Women’s Day, we wanted to share the story of one of the many illustrious women in Petty-Fitzmaurice family history. Reaching back to before Bowood was acquired or the family was bestowed their marquessate by George III, Anne Petty (1671-1737) not only played a crucial role in transforming the family trajectory but was incredibly interesting in her own right.
Anne was born the only daughter of Sir William Petty (1623-1687) and Elizabeth Waller.
Her father was a professor of Anatomy at Oxford and became Physician-General to Oliver Cromwell’s Army in Ireland; his standing recovered well after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and he was knighted. Petty was ambitious and hardworking, and whilst in Ireland, secured the contract for charting the country, resulting in the Down Survey (undertaken 1656-1658). The Survey was the first ever detailed national land survey anywhere in the world, which was an incredible feat, though it was done to help redistribute forfeited Catholic Irish lands. Petty was paid well for the work, as well as gaining a vast amount of land.
Anne grew up in this environment of wealth, surrounded by important political figures of the day. The Petty home was a lavish building on Sackville Street in London’s Piccadilly (sadly it no longer exists), situating her in the capital during the Restoration. This was an exciting time of theatre, literature, social and political change, and Anne was a cosmopolitan young woman who benefitted not only from this, but from the extensive travels she also enjoyed with her family.
As the only daughter of a wealthy family, Anne was expected to marry well. On the 14th of January 1692, she married Thomas Fitzmaurice (1688-1741). This united the Pettys, a relatively newly monied family, with the old and aristocratic Fitzmaurices. Anne brought with her a marriage portion of £10,000, as well as her sophisticated upbringing and intelligence.
This would prove incredibly useful for her as the couple proceeded to renovate the Fitzmaurice home at Old Court, Lixnaw. The idea was to modernise the estate into a magnificent family seat that would make clear their social, economic and political importance. Whilst Thomas set to work on the grounds, Anne completely transformed what had been a functional home into an impressive mansion, gaining it a reputation as a beautiful estate perfect for entertaining. The couple also secured a fashionable townhouse on St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin.
Whilst her husband had a reputation for a hot temper and a penchant for duels, Anne took responsibility for securing the family’s social standing. She carved out a place for herself within a web of literary and political figures – capitalising on her childhood experiences in London – from which she was admired and could exert influence, moving between Lixnaw, Dublin and the Shelburne family home in London.
One of her good friends was the writer Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), who was Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin and best known as the author of Gulliver’s Travels (1726). He wrote of her in 1711 that they had “struck up a mighty friendship”, declaring – perhaps unflatteringly? – that they were “almost in love with one another: but she is most egregiously ugly; but perfectly well-bred, and governable as I please”. They corresponded almost up until Anne’s death in 1737.
Anne was, perhaps most importantly, the key to family diplomacy. Thomas was described by his grandson, the future 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, as a tyrant by nature, and Anne would spend much of her time mediating between the family members. It is perhaps unsurprising that the 1st Marquess’s recollection is so damning, seeing as his father John had such a fractious relationship with him.
For her part, Anne was ambitious for her children, ensuring they were all well-educated. Both of her sons would attend Westminster School, with William going on to Eton and the University of Oxford. Her three daughters Anne, Arbella and Charlotte all received a private education between Lixnaw, Dublin and London, their easy movement between the three reflecting the cosmopolitan upbringing Anne had undoubtedly found crucial to her own life.
As a result, we are left with this assessment of Anne’s character by the 1st Marquess: “My grandmother was of an ambitious, active deposition, and during her life by dint of superior understanding, address and temper (for her made an excessive bad husband as appears by several letters), sometimes drew him back into the world, and by a conduct which was a perfect model of sense, prudence, and spirit, educated her children well, gained her family consideration at home.”
In the manner of a woman expected to marry well by her family, Anne transformed the line of the family history, joining the Petty-Fitzmaurice land and fortunes together, and passing the Shelburne title to her son John, who would become the 1st Earl of Shelburne and purchase Bowood in 1754. Yet alongside this, Anne used her position in society to connect with others who shared her interest, engineer the respectability of her family, and support her children, all with an unpredictable husband. She was clever, cultured and caring, and deserves to be celebrated on this International Women’s Day.
[Portrait credit: Artist unknown, Anne Petty, © The Trustees of the Bowood Collection]
