Family
Violet Kate Eglinton Gwynne was born into a wealthy family with an estate in Sussex, England. She was the sister of Rupert Gwynne, MP for Eastbourne from 1910 to 1924, and Roland Gwynne, Mayor of Eastbourne from 1929 to 1931, who is thought to have been the lover of suspected serial killer Dr John Bodkin Adams. Among her nieces was the renowned cookery writer, Elizabeth David.
Violet broke off an engagement to a viscount when human sexuality was explained to her. In 1895 she entered into a mariage blanc with Gordon Woodhouse. His reasons for entering into the marriage are not clear, but he gave Violet the freedom to perform in public, and also to take lovers. In 1899 William "Bill" Barrington (heir to a viscountcy) moved into the marital house. He was joined in 1903 by Max Labouchere, and then, a little time later, by Dennis Tollemache. Barrington was once asked about this arrangement by Violet's niece, Katherine Ayling, and whether the 'ménage-à-cinq' ever argued. He answered: "Yes, Denis and Max once - about a cricket match". This open marriage arrangement was referred to in society circles as the 'Woodhouse circus'.
Read more about this topic: Violet Gordon-Woodhouse
Famous quotes containing the word family:
“English people apparently queue up as a sort of hobby. A family man might pass a mild autumn evening by taking the wife and kids to stand in the cinema queue for a while and then leading them over for a few minutes in the sweetshop queue and then, as a special treat for the kids, saying “Perhaps we’ve time to have a look at the Number Thirty-One bus queue before we turn in.””
—Calvin Trillin (b. 1940)
“Some [adolescent] girls are depressed because they have lost their warm, open relationship with their parents. They have loved and been loved by people whom they now must betray to fit into peer culture. Furthermore, they are discouraged by peers from expressing sadness at the loss of family relationships—even to say they are sad is to admit weakness and dependency.”
—Mary Pipher (20th century)
“The touchstone for family life is still the legendary “and so they were married and lived happily ever after.” It is no wonder that any family falls short of this ideal.”
—Salvador Minuchin (20th century)