Can you help The Friends of Markenfield to fundraise for a collection of Caroline Norton’s letters that have been offered for sale to the Hall?

Caroline Norton was married to the brother of 3rd Lord Grantley, and the mother of the 4th Lord Grantley. Her marriage to the violent and jealous George was a disaster, and she found herself separated with no legal access to their children. And so she began her fight for justice, becoming the first campaigner for Women’s Rights, and instrumental in lobbying for the Infant Custody bill and the Married Women’s Property act. Antonia Fraser’s recent biography ‘The Case of the Married Woman’ tells her fascinating story.

Markenfield Hall houses The Caroline Norton Archive: a collection of letters, writings and drawings all created by this amazing woman.

The Caroline Norton Project aims to catalogue these documents and create a digital archive that is accessible to and by anyone who is interested in her work and her causes. Part of the Project includes the purchase of her works as and when they come up for sale – and The Friends of Markenfield now have the opportunity to help out with just such a purchase.

Late last year a collection of letters by Caroline Norton was put up for sale by Sotheby’s. Fortunately for Markenfield the letters failed to sell and they were offered to the Hall as a private sale. The seven letters cost £1,900 and we are hoping that you might be interested in supporting the purchase by making a donation.

The purchase is an amazing opportunity to bring these letters home to join the rest of her archive at Markenfield Hall.