Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England
by Sharon Marcus
Queer Places:
Sotterley Hall, Sotterley, Beccles NR34 7TU, UK
Edith Barne (1844 - January 11, 1864) was a cousin and close companion of Louisa Knightley (later Lady Knightley of Fawsley).
Born into the family of Captain Frederick Barne and Mary Anne Elizabeth Honywood, she is primarily known to history through her role in the personal journals kept by Louisa Knightley starting in 1856.
In her journals, which were begun at age fourteen, Louisa Knightley documented her deep bond with Edith, whom she referred to as "Edie." The two were separated between 1856 and 1864, a period during which they maintained an intensive correspondence, exchanging daily letters.
In a 1865 entry, reflecting on their relationship, Louisa described the profound impact Edith had on her life. She famously characterized Edith as a "Sleeping Beauty"—a figure she felt was slowly being awakened to the world—and expressed a sentimental desire for Edith to eventually find a partner who would "touch the chord" to transform her into the "perfect woman."
Edith Barne died at the age of nineteen on January 11, 1864. Her death is recorded in the journals of Lady Knightley, where it is noted that she passed away during a visit Louisa was making to Osborne, a private royal residence located in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
The Barne family of Sotterley Hall is a long-standing English landed family with deep roots in Suffolk. The Barne family’s connection to the Sotterley estate began in 1744, when Miles Barne (1718–1780), a successful London merchant and later Member of Parliament for the "rotten borough" of Dunwich, purchased the manor from Sir John Playters. Miles Barne rebuilt the hall around 1745. The house remains a private family home today, owned by Miles Robin Barne (born 1940). The family consolidated significant landholdings in Suffolk, including Reydon and parts of Dunwich. The estate is notable for its medieval parish church, St. Margaret’s, which sits on the property and contains many family memorials and funerary hatchments. The family line includes several Members of Parliament and military officers, such as Frederick Barne (1801–1886) and his son Frederick St. John Newdigate Barne (1841–1898), who served as MP for East Suffolk. The Suffolk-based Barne family continues to manage the Sotterley Hall estate, maintaining its status as a piece of Suffolk’s heritage.
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Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England by Sharon Marcus |
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