Ladies of Llangollen

The "Ladies of Llangollen", Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby were two upper-class Irish women whose relationship scandalised and fascinated their contemporaries. They met in 1968 and moved to Llangollen, North Wales, after leaving their privileged lives in Ireland to escape the social pressures of conventional marriages.

They first moved to a rented home in the village, in 1780 they moved into a small cottage just outside the village they called Plas Newydd or "new mansion”. Their house became a haven for visitors travelling between Dublin and London, including writers such as Anna Seward, Robert Southey and William Wordsworth who wrote a sonnet about them. Anne Lister from Yorkshire visited the couple and was possibly inspired by their relationship to informally marry her own lover.

Eleanor Butler's diary includes valuable insights into their daily lives, she writes on Thursday 22 September 1785:

'Up at Seven. Dark Morning, all the Mountains enveloped in mist. Thick Rain. A fire in the Library, delightfully comfortable, Breakfasted at half past Eight. From nine 'till one writing. My Beloved drawing Pembroke Castle – from one to three read to her – after dinner Went hastily around the gardens. Rain'd without interruption the entire day – from Four 'till Ten reading to my Sally – She drawing – from ten 'till Eleven Sat over the Fire Conversing with My beloved. A Silent, happy Day.'

The ladies were known throughout Britain but have been said to have led "a rather unexciting life". Queen Charlotte wanted to see their cottage and persuaded King George III to grant them a pension. Eventually, their families came to tolerate them.

The play-write Elin-Salt has used the Ladies of Llangollen as inspiration for her play Celebrated Virgins, which she hopes will get audiences “Excited about Queer History”. You can find more about the Ladies of Llangollen in Elizabeth Mavor's book-"The Ladies of Llangollen: A Study in Romantic Friendship".

Plas Newydd is now a museum run by Denbighshire County Council.

Henry Cyril Paget

Henry Cyril Paget nicknamed “Toppy” was the 5th Marquess of Anglesey and Plas Newydd estate in Wales.

Writing in 1970, H. Montgomery Hyde characterised him as "the most notorious aristocratic homosexual at this period”.

Henry inherited Plas Newydd, the family estate, in 1898. He then converted the family chapel into an ornate, 150 seat theatre, named the Gaiety. He performed there regularly with his theatre company and invited the local people from Anglesey to attend performances free of charge. He also toured Europe with his company and performed plays by Oscar Wilde – who had been jailed for 'obscenity'.

Surviving photographs show Henry in costume, sometimes cross-dressing, with a confident gaze at the camera. He earned his nickname 'the dancing Marquess' for the sinuous dance he gave at his performances.

He indulged his passion for clothes and jewellery and amassed an astonishing collection of haute couture clothes and costumes, though this left him and his estate in significant debt.

He did marry however the marriage was annulled on the fact it was never consummated.

After his passing as an only child with no children, his title was inherited by his cousin Charles Henry Alexander Paget. By August of the same year, his beloved theatre at Anglesey Castle had been removed and was once again a chapel.

In fact, almost every trace that Paget had been the fifth marquess disappeared, his letters, diaries and papers were set alight and destroyed by the family. The family estate was once again named Plas Newydd.

However, his story has stood the test of time and he has inspired many creatives today. In 2017 the actor and composer Seiriol Davies wrote and performed in How To Win Against History, a musical based on Paget's life. The British-American fashion designer Harris Reed cited Paget as an inspiration for his 2020 collection Thriving In Our Outrage.

"It's not just a story about a whacky man who splashed money up the wall - it's also about a man who was erased from history," said Davies.

Gwendolen Mary John

Gwen John was an artist born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. Her paintings included mostly portraits of anonymous female models rendered in a range of closely related tones. Her brother, Augustus was well known for painting more vivid artwork, however since her death her work has become more famous and she’s received more recognition. Augustus predicted his sister would come to overshadow his work saying "In 50 years' time I will be known as the brother of Gwen John."

Gwen studied at Slade school of Art from 1895 to 1898- the first art school in the UK to accept female students. In 1904 Gwen and her friend Dorelia McNeill travelled to Paris  where they found work as a model for artists, this was when she became a model for sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Gwen began an obsessive affection for Rodin as documented in the thousands of letters to him. Although Rodin is assumed to be her great love she did have a number of same sex relationships.

From 1910 until his death in 1924 John Quinn bought most of Gwen’s work- this allowed her to stop working as a model and dedicate her time full time to her art work. Today Gwen’s art work is held in a number of public collections including the National museum in Cardiff and Tate Britain in London.

Her legacy also lives on in the play “Still lives by Canidida Cave, the novel “the Gwen John sculpture” by John Malcom and the S4C documentary about her life presented by Ffion Hague. Margaret Foster’s novel “Keeping the world away” was centered on Gwen’s painting “a corner of the Artist’s room in Paris”. This story is based on Gwen and the women who lived there after her.

In her later life Gwen reverted to Catholisism, she never married or “settled down”. 'The real mystery of Gwen John's life may turn out to have less to do with her own elusiveness than with the problem of why we find it so difficult to imagine the lifestyle and frame of mind of a woman artist living alone.'- Sue Roe

Sarah Jane Rees

Sarah Jane Rees was a Welsh teacher, poet, editor, master mariner and emperance campaigner from Llangrannog, Cardiganshire. Her poetic name was Cranogwen.

As the daughter of John Rees a master mariner she insisted she must accompany her farther at sea rather than do sewing and cooking chores at home which she despised.

She studied at the village school as a young child and her school master Hugh Davies taught her Latin and astronomy. She later attended school in New Quay and Cardigan before studying navigation in London, gaining her master’s certificate and becoming a master mariner herself. In 1958 Sarah setup her own navigation school in Llangrannog.

As a poet she won her first major Eiseddfod prize in 1865 in Aberystwyth for “Y Fodrwy Briodasol” (The Wedding ring) in the song category, followed by a book of poems “Caniadau Carnogwen in 1870.

Sarah also became an editor for the Welsh language women’s periodical Y Frythones (1878-1889) which was a “platform for Welsh bluestockings (intellectuals) and proto-suffragettes”.

She was one of the founders of the South Wales Women’s Temperance Union (UDMD) in 1901. Llety Cranogwen was founded in 1922 and was a shelter for homeless women and girls, by UDMD. The shelter was named after Sarah’s poetic name to commemorate her work to improve Welsh women’s lives.

Sarah is known to have 2 long lasting relationships with women. Her first love was Fanny Rees, who tragically died of tuberculosis in Sarah’s arms. Sarah was so overcome with grief after her passing she couldn’t place flowers on her grave for 12 years. She wrote a poem dedicated to Fanny called “Fy Ffrynd” (My friend).  Her second relationship was with Jane Thomas, this relationship lasted most of her life. Her relationships have been described as “romantic friendships” and despite the unconventional arrangements she remained a committed Methodist and toured giving lectures on education, temperance and other subjects. Between 1869-1870 she toured America, visiting mainly Welsh emigrant communities.

In 2019 Sarah was shortlisted as a subject for an artwork to be installed in Cardiff. In December 2021 Sebastian Boyesen was commissioned to create a figurative sculpture of Cranogwen in Llangrannog.