Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby — the Ladies of Llangollen

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Creator(s):
Ponsonby, Sarah
Title:
Verses: Affixed to the Bills of Mortality for the Town of Northampton, 21 December 1787
Publication/Origin:
21 December 1787
Description:
In the late eighteenth century, aristocrat Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, the young orphaned daughter of Chambre Brabazon Ponsonby, abandoned their lives in Ireland and made a home for themselves in Llangollen, Wales, to the disapproval of both their families. Known as the Ladies of Llangollen, they appeared to have understood their relationship as a marriage. They were part of an emerging culture of relationships between same-sex couples. The collection includes over 350 letters to and from the Ladies as well as additional manuscripts, ephemera, artifacts, and printed materials related to them and to their home (Plas Newydd).
Source:
Ladies of Llangollen Collection
Citation:
Ponsonby, Sarah, Verses: Affixed to the Bills of Mortality for the Town of Northampton, 21 December 1787, 21 December 1787, Lisa Unger Baskin Collection, Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. Accessed March 28, 2024, https://exhibits.library.duke.edu/exhibits/show/baskin/item/4053