The Ladies of Llangollen
Why did they name so many of their dogs Sappho?
We are going to start with Welsh lesbians, because no one ever starts with Welsh lesbians. There is a running joke that throughout history, if two women form a close bond and spend their lives together, or even if they are pictured in an intimate embrace, that they must be deemed ‘best friends’. Sarah Ponsonby and Lady Eleanor Butler were, indeed, best friends and from the looks of it, they lived a grand old life at Plâs Newydd in North Wales.
They are significant in terms of LGBTQ+ history - so much so that they are sometimes called “the 18th century’s first lesbian power couple”1. There is some debate as to whether they can be co-opted into the lesbian sorority: it is said that they vehemently objected to suggestions of a sexual relationship between them, an objection which in itself, is not unusual considering the social and moral attitudes of the time.
Were they in a lesbian relationship? As much as we can’t ask them, there are some clues that seem pertinent. I mean, they had a dog called Sappho, for starters. They ran away together disguised as men. They are said to have shared a bed. They called each other ‘beloved’ or ‘the darling of my heart’. They lived together until their deaths and were buried together. If they were not lesbians, they certainly provided inspiration to those who were more affirmed in their sexuality. It is said that Anne Lister was quite taken with them on a visit she made to the ladies, reporting to her lover that she believed that the ladies did not have a platonic relationship.
In ‘Chase of the Wild Goose’ (1936) by Dr Mary Gordon, they are deemed “queer foremothers”. In so many ways, this is important because it flies in the face of the dominant narrative that LGBTQ+ identities are a 20th century phenomenon. It also provides a much-needed balance in historical LGBTQ+ representation when it comes to gender. Yes, we know about Oscar Wilde, and Alan Turing, but do we know that women had same-sex relationships? Do we also see that LGBTQ+ people had long-lasting, successful, respected and loving relationships over decades?
We know that Wordsworth was a fan. He even penned a poem in their honour:
To Lady Eleanor Butler and the Honourable Miss Ponsonby,
Composed in the grounds of Plas-Newydd, LlangollenA stream to mingle with your favorite Dee
Along the Vale of Meditation flows;
So styled by those fierce Britons, pleased to see
In Nature’s face the expression of repose,
Or, haply there some pious Hermit chose
To live and die — the peace of Heaven his aim,
To whome the wild sequestered region owes
At this late day, its sanctifying name.
Glyn Cafaillgaroch, in the Cambrian tongue,
In ours the Vale of Friendship, let this spot
Be nam’d, where faithful to a low roof’d Cot
On Deva’s banks, ye have abode so long,
Sisters in love, a love allowed to climb
Ev’n on this earth, above the reach of time.
In fact, the ladies were visited by all and sundry. Some of their more illustrious visitors included: Lord Byron (obviously), George Canning, the Princess of Wales, Thomas de Quincey, Sir Walter Scott, Anna Seward, Robert Southey, Horace Walpole, and the Wordsworth family. They were certainly the centre of something. Was their rebellion against norms a magnet for the Romantics? Possibly so.
If you are teaching about LGBTQ+ history, they are certainly significant figures. How else might you refer to them in the curriculum?
English - Romantic poetry and their subjects
PSHE - LGBTQ+ history
History - women’s roles in society
You might also want to read the following to learn more:
