Mary Charlotte Lloyd
Mary Charlotte Lloyd was a sculptor born 23rd January 1819
in Corwen, Denbighshire. Mary studied with French artist Rosa Bonheur,
and in the studio of Welsh sculptor John Gibson in Rome, where she found
like minded feminist and lesbian circles, and met Frances Power Cobbe.
Mary’s partnership with Frances, the Irish suffragette, social reformer and anti-vivisection activist, began in about 1860 and lasted for the rest of Mary’s life. Later in the 1860s, they settled in South Kensington and enjoyed ‘many social pleasures of a quiet kind.’ Mary was often the more introverted of the couple, especially as she longed to return to Wales, where they only spent the summers when they lived in London.
In 1884 they moved permanently to Wales, to the Hengwrt estate. Though Mary inherited Hengwrt in 1858, Frances describes in her autobiography how an inheritance from an old friend allowed them to continue to live in the Hengwrt estate. She also noted that their Welsh home should lead them to be confused with the Ladies of Llangollen, and described herself and Mary as the ‘Ladies of Hengwrt.’ This famous ‘romantic friendship’ certainly had an influence on Frances and Mary, with Mary’s family being closely enough connected to the Ladies of Llangollen to have inherited gifts from them.
In Frances’ letters and other published writings, Frances described Mary as her ‘friend,’ her ‘life-friend,’ her ‘wife’ and her ‘husband.’ Unfortunately, we mainly only see Mary’s life through Frances’ view, through her many writings, as Mary requested that her own writings be destroyed on her death - a request to which Frances obliged.
When Mary died in 1896, the ‘joy’ in Frances’ life had gone. This had been to Frances ‘a friendship as nearly perfect as any earthly love may be.’ Frances died in 1904, still in Hengwrt, and Frances and Mary are buried together in Saint Illtud Church Cemetery in Llanelltyd.
Mary’s partnership with Frances, the Irish suffragette, social reformer and anti-vivisection activist, began in about 1860 and lasted for the rest of Mary’s life. Later in the 1860s, they settled in South Kensington and enjoyed ‘many social pleasures of a quiet kind.’ Mary was often the more introverted of the couple, especially as she longed to return to Wales, where they only spent the summers when they lived in London.
In 1884 they moved permanently to Wales, to the Hengwrt estate. Though Mary inherited Hengwrt in 1858, Frances describes in her autobiography how an inheritance from an old friend allowed them to continue to live in the Hengwrt estate. She also noted that their Welsh home should lead them to be confused with the Ladies of Llangollen, and described herself and Mary as the ‘Ladies of Hengwrt.’ This famous ‘romantic friendship’ certainly had an influence on Frances and Mary, with Mary’s family being closely enough connected to the Ladies of Llangollen to have inherited gifts from them.
In Frances’ letters and other published writings, Frances described Mary as her ‘friend,’ her ‘life-friend,’ her ‘wife’ and her ‘husband.’ Unfortunately, we mainly only see Mary’s life through Frances’ view, through her many writings, as Mary requested that her own writings be destroyed on her death - a request to which Frances obliged.
When Mary died in 1896, the ‘joy’ in Frances’ life had gone. This had been to Frances ‘a friendship as nearly perfect as any earthly love may be.’ Frances died in 1904, still in Hengwrt, and Frances and Mary are buried together in Saint Illtud Church Cemetery in Llanelltyd.
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