Queer Places:
New Hall Hospital, Bodenham, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP5 4EW, United Kingdom
St Andrew's Church, Rose Lane, Nunton, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP5 4HP
Geraldine Mildmay Buckley (1833 - December 13, 1912) was a Victorian-era Englishwoman known largely within the elite social and literary circles of 19th-century Britain.
In her youth, Anne Thackeray recorded in an 1854 journal entry how she “fell in love with Miss
Geraldine Mildmay” at one party and Lady Georgina Fullerton “won [her] heart” at another.
Geraldine was born in 1838 to Edward St John-Mildmay and Frances Lucy Penelope (née Lucas). Her uncle was Sir Henry St John-Mildmay, 4th Baronet, anchoring her firmly in the landed gentry of Hampshire and Essex. Her background allowed her to move smoothly through high-society circles that intersected with major figures of Victorian literature and statecraft.
While she did not pursue a public career, Geraldine frequently appears in the diaries, memoirs, and correspondence of prominent Victorians.
She was a close acquaintance of the author William Henry Brookfield and his wife Jane Octavia Brookfield. Through this network, she was connected to a glittering literary circle that included figures like William Makepeace Thackeray and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
In the mid-1850s, a young Geraldine sat for a portrait by the renowned Victorian symbolist painter George Frederic Watts. This portrait remains a well-known example of mid-Victorian portraiture and is preserved in the collections of the Watts Gallery.
In 1858, Geraldine married Alfred Buckley (1829–1900), a wealthy landowner from New Hall, Wiltshire, who served as a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant. Following her marriage, she was known socially as Mrs. Alfred Buckley. She lived a relatively private life managing their estate and participating in local philanthropies until her death in 1908.
The former estate and country house of Alfred Buckley, known historically as New Hall, is located in the village of Bodenham near Salisbury. While it was a private estate during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the historic house and its surrounding 14 acres of parkland were converted in 1980 into a private hospital.
References:
 Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England by Sharon Marcus |
Other references:
Support this project
This website is a passion project researched, developed, and funded entirely by me. If you find the content valuable and would like to help support the ongoing research and hosting costs, any contribution is deeply appreciated.
Thank you for keeping this independent resource alive!
My books on Amazon: Elisa Rolle's books