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Lady M: The Life and Loves of Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne 1751-1818
At a time of emerging women leaders, the life of Elizabeth Milbanke, Viscountess Melbourne, the shrewdest political hostess of the Georgian period, is particularly intriguing. It was Byron who called her ‘Lady M’ and it was Byron’s tempestuous and very public affair with Elizabeth’s daughter-in-law Lady Caroline Lamb that was the scandal of the age. Lady M rose above all adversity, using sex and her husband’s wealth to hold court among such glittering figures as Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, the Whig leader and wit Charles James Fox and the playwright Sheridan. Her many lovers included Lord Egremont, Turner’s wealthy patron, and the future George IV.Elizabeth schemed on behalf of her children and her ambitions were realised when her son William Lamb (‘Lord M’) became the young Queen Victoria’s confidant and Prime Minister. Based upon primary research – diaries, archives and extensive correspondence between Lady M and Lord Byron – Colin Brown examines the Regency period and its pre-Victorian code of morals from the perspective of a powerful and influential woman on the 200th anniversary of her death.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published August 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 11, 2019
An excellent read of a largely forgotten woman. Yet in her day she was one of the most famous women in Britain. Friend of Georgiana duchess of Devonshire and mother to William Lamb, Lord M queen Victoria's favourite prime minister, she was a mover and shaker behind the scenes in politics and her affairs with some of the most elite of aristocratic men were legendary. Terrific read.
August 16, 2018
In Lady M, Brown paints a vivid picture of the powerful Lady Melbourne and the society in which she lived. I found it hard to rate this book as I enjoyed reading it but my enjoyment what tempered by the number of errors I spotted and I was disappointed to find such a poor index.
What I liked about Lady M
I love to see quotes from original sources and in this, Brown did not disappoint. There is evidence throughout the book of Brown’s extensive research with numerous quotes from contemporary letters and memoirs.
There is a good-sized colour plate section in the middle of the book which includes some contemporary prints and portraits as well as up-to-date photographs of places connected with Lady Melbourne, including Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire and Melbourne House in Whitehall.
Though I wasn’t surprised to learn of the Melbournes’ ongoing financial difficulties (so many Georgian peers seemed to struggle with money), I don’t think I realised the extent of this before reading Lady M.
The detail included in the chapter devoted to the military encampment on Cocks Heath was largely new to me. The encampment was visited by many ladies of consequence including Lady Melbourne, the Duchess of Devonshire and the scandalous Lady Worsley. It was here that Lady Melbourne’s son William was conceived with Lord Egremont.
Where’s the family tree?
There are a few things that let the book down. Although the contents section lists a family tree – a very useful tool for a historical biography – the family tree itself is missing!
A bevy of errors
In my opinion, Lady M would have benefitted from a beta reader who is familiar with the characters and period. Too many errors crept into the manuscript that someone like me would have spotted (and did). Some were clearly typos eg calling the Lady Elizabeth Foster’s illegitimate daughter by the Duke of Devonshire Caroline St James instead of Caroline St Jules. Others, however, were not eg saying that Lady Melbourne had to be married by special licence because she was a minor but it was actually because she was married in a house rather than in the parish church.
Poor indexing
In my opinion, for a historical biography to be useful as a reference book, it needs a comprehensive and easy-to-use index so that names of people and places can be easily looked up. Unfortunately, I found the index to Lady M sadly lacking.
The naming policy in the index is all over the place. Sometimes a person is listed under their title eg Lady Oxford is listed under Oxford; other times under their surname eg Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, is listed under Russell. Bizarrely, sometimes a person is listed under their rank eg Frederick, Duke of York, is listed under Duke, or even, in the case of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, under her Christian name with no reference to her surname at all. George III is listed under King whilst Queen Victoria is listed under Victoria. Some people appear in the index multiple times eg Lady Bessborough appears under Spencer, Ponsonby, Duncannon and Bessborough, whilst others you might have expected to find an entry for eg William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, don’t appear to be there at all.
A readable biography but too many errors for my liking.
You can read a fuller review on my website: https://www.regencyhistory.net/2018/0...
This was a review copy supplied by the publisher.
What I liked about Lady M
I love to see quotes from original sources and in this, Brown did not disappoint. There is evidence throughout the book of Brown’s extensive research with numerous quotes from contemporary letters and memoirs.
There is a good-sized colour plate section in the middle of the book which includes some contemporary prints and portraits as well as up-to-date photographs of places connected with Lady Melbourne, including Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire and Melbourne House in Whitehall.
Though I wasn’t surprised to learn of the Melbournes’ ongoing financial difficulties (so many Georgian peers seemed to struggle with money), I don’t think I realised the extent of this before reading Lady M.
The detail included in the chapter devoted to the military encampment on Cocks Heath was largely new to me. The encampment was visited by many ladies of consequence including Lady Melbourne, the Duchess of Devonshire and the scandalous Lady Worsley. It was here that Lady Melbourne’s son William was conceived with Lord Egremont.
Where’s the family tree?
There are a few things that let the book down. Although the contents section lists a family tree – a very useful tool for a historical biography – the family tree itself is missing!
A bevy of errors
In my opinion, Lady M would have benefitted from a beta reader who is familiar with the characters and period. Too many errors crept into the manuscript that someone like me would have spotted (and did). Some were clearly typos eg calling the Lady Elizabeth Foster’s illegitimate daughter by the Duke of Devonshire Caroline St James instead of Caroline St Jules. Others, however, were not eg saying that Lady Melbourne had to be married by special licence because she was a minor but it was actually because she was married in a house rather than in the parish church.
Poor indexing
In my opinion, for a historical biography to be useful as a reference book, it needs a comprehensive and easy-to-use index so that names of people and places can be easily looked up. Unfortunately, I found the index to Lady M sadly lacking.
The naming policy in the index is all over the place. Sometimes a person is listed under their title eg Lady Oxford is listed under Oxford; other times under their surname eg Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, is listed under Russell. Bizarrely, sometimes a person is listed under their rank eg Frederick, Duke of York, is listed under Duke, or even, in the case of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, under her Christian name with no reference to her surname at all. George III is listed under King whilst Queen Victoria is listed under Victoria. Some people appear in the index multiple times eg Lady Bessborough appears under Spencer, Ponsonby, Duncannon and Bessborough, whilst others you might have expected to find an entry for eg William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, don’t appear to be there at all.
A readable biography but too many errors for my liking.
You can read a fuller review on my website: https://www.regencyhistory.net/2018/0...
This was a review copy supplied by the publisher.
June 19, 2019
I loved this book. It was a careful retelling of the life of a forgotten icon of the Georgian Era. Whilst her contemporaries Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and Lady Seymour Worsley have been brought back into public consciousness on screen (The Duchess and Scandalous Lady W, respectively), the same courtesy has yet to be placed on Lady Melbourne - something that I'm hoping will soon change.
Like many, I became fascinated by the Lamb family after seeing Rufus Sewell's portrayal of her son, William, in the ITV drama, Victoria. And this biography far from disappointed me. I particularly enjoyed Brown's writing style - it was almost conversational and not dense, as some biographies can be.
I feel as if he gave a fair and nuanced portrayal of Lady Melbourne in this biography - neither glorifying or demonising her. She's an absolutely fascinating figure and I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Georgian history or Women's history.
Like many, I became fascinated by the Lamb family after seeing Rufus Sewell's portrayal of her son, William, in the ITV drama, Victoria. And this biography far from disappointed me. I particularly enjoyed Brown's writing style - it was almost conversational and not dense, as some biographies can be.
I feel as if he gave a fair and nuanced portrayal of Lady Melbourne in this biography - neither glorifying or demonising her. She's an absolutely fascinating figure and I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Georgian history or Women's history.
September 13, 2020
I loved this book. As the author intimates early on, yes, drawn in by Victoria and Rufus Sewell’s portrayal of Lady M’s favorite and most accomplished son. The book, though, is interesting in that it tells us about a bygone world and made more interesting by the echoes into the world today.
Also, the Duchess of Devonshire had Keira Knightley playing her, but Lady M gets nothing? Where’s the justice?
As one of the the American scum Elizabeth went glamping to stop (Yeah, that was a thing) would someday sing in a hit Broadway musical, “you have no control, who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” Lady M would try anyway.
Also, the Duchess of Devonshire had Keira Knightley playing her, but Lady M gets nothing? Where’s the justice?
As one of the the American scum Elizabeth went glamping to stop (Yeah, that was a thing) would someday sing in a hit Broadway musical, “you have no control, who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” Lady M would try anyway.
June 17, 2018
Excellent book I you wish to find out about how the highest ranking people of the late eighteenth century lived and behaved....title is a bit misleading...it is about a large group of people not just Lady M,all her family,most notably her son Wiliams younger life,his wife Lady Caroline Lamb and Lord Bryon her infamous lover, the Devonshires, especially Georgina ,the Duchess and the royal family particularly George the Prince of Wales.
Very detailed and interesting...made me feel ashamed that such badly behaved and mostly unlikable people were the ones who ran the country....
Very detailed and interesting...made me feel ashamed that such badly behaved and mostly unlikable people were the ones who ran the country....
May 9, 2023
It's hard to find detail on life of Lady Melborne, and this book provides the insights into her life.
Her colorful life is as interesting but no less difficult and fraught with pain as her friend Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.
Although Lady M was way more calculating and cynical, but her love affairs, finances and children brought her share of life's struggles
Her colorful life is as interesting but no less difficult and fraught with pain as her friend Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.
Although Lady M was way more calculating and cynical, but her love affairs, finances and children brought her share of life's struggles
January 28, 2024
Uneven and could almost be better subtitled the life and times of Elizabeth Lamb, but really interesting and well written to cope with confusing names and titles, places, etc, as well as how different families and politicians' lives were related. I got a good idea of how the Whigs carried on, including a glimpse of Byron and how he fitted into Georgian society.
April 18, 2019
A window on the Georgian world
Fascinating tales of an immoral society, the acceptance of affairs and illegitimate children as the norm is perhaps why the Victorian age was so repressed!
Fascinating tales of an immoral society, the acceptance of affairs and illegitimate children as the norm is perhaps why the Victorian age was so repressed!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews