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Description of  Mrs Catherine Gladstone: 'A Woman Not Quite of Her Time'

Catherine Glynne was born in 1812, in the same year as Charles Dickens. An earl's daughter she married the son of a self-made merchant, William Ewart Gladstone, who became Queen Victoria's Prime Minister on four occasions. While the Queen and the PM loathed each other, they both loved Catherine, Gladstone's wife. After a long and indecisive courtship, Gladstone said of his new wife that my Cathie forever twinkles. Society remarked that her beauty showed a profound intelligence. Catherine loved being in the main stream of action but disliked politicians, fashion and social niceties. Unusual for the time Gladstone was present at the birth of each of their eight children and Catherine insisted on feeding them herself. Mrs Gladstone's primary concern was support of the poor - in particular those suffering from cholera, near-starving mill girls and homeless orphans. She established the concept of free convalescent homes and her common-sense influenced the Poor Laws. To maintain her genius for charity she Read more