Janet Catherine North (August 26, 1837 – September 6, 1913) was a British author and the wife of the writer and intellectual
John Addington Symonds.Queer Places:
11 Bardwell Rd, Oxford OX2 6SU, UK
St. Sepulchre’s Cemetery, Walton St, Oxford OX1 2HD, United Kingdom
Janet Catherine North (August 26, 1837 – September 6, 1913) was a British author and the wife of the writer and intellectual
John Addington Symonds.
Born on August 26, 1837, in Hastings, Sussex, she was the daughter of Frederick North, a Liberal Member of Parliament, and his second wife, Janet Marjoribanks. She was the sister of the noted botanical artist and traveler Marianne North.
In 1863, while traveling in Switzerland, Janet Catherine met John Addington Symonds, who was at the time recovering from health issues. They became engaged in August 1864 and were married on November 10, 1864, at St. Clement’s Church in Hastings. The couple eventually had four daughters: Janet Harriet (1865–1887); Charlotte Mary (1867–1934, later Lady Leaf); Margaret (Madge) (1869–1925, later Margaret Vaughan) and Katharine (1875–1952, later Dame Katharine Furse)
Symonds was advised by his doctors to marry as a "cure" for his same-sex attractions, which at the time were pathologized as a form of sexual repression. He married Janet Catherine North, though this marriage did not change his fundamental sexual orientation. As Symonds continued to struggle with his identity and health, the couple reached an agreement in 1869 to move toward a platonic marriage. This arrangement allowed Symonds the freedom to pursue and maintain romantic and sexual relationships with other men.
The family lived in London and later settled in Clifton, Bristol, before moving to Davos, Switzerland, in 1880, as the climate was beneficial for her husband’s persistent health problems. In Davos, Janet Catherine was active in the community, helping establish a private home for individuals suffering from lung conditions.
Janet Catherine was a published author and editor. She notably edited the autobiography of her sister, Marianne North, titled Recollections of a Happy Life: Being the Autobiography of Marianne North, which was published in 1892.
Following her husband’s death in 1893, Janet Catherine continued her life in England. By 1911, she was living in Lyme Regis, and she eventually moved to Oxford, where she resided at 11 Bardwell Road. She passed away on September 6, 1913, at the age of 76 and was buried at St. Sepulchre’s Cemetery in Oxford.
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