Amanda Lucy Foreman (born 1968) is a British/American biographer and historian. Her books include ''Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire'', ''A World on Fire'', and ''The World Made by Women''. She also wrote and starred in a four-part documentary regarding the role of women in society, entitled ''The Ascent of Woman''. Currently, she is a columnist for The Wall Street Journal bi-weekly 'Historically Speaking' and an Honorary Research Senior Fellow in the History Department at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

Family

Foreman was born in London. Her parents were Evelyn (Smith) and the screenwriter and film producer

Carl Foreman Carl Foreman, CBE (July 23, 1914 – June 26, 1984) was an American screenwriter and film producer who wrote the award-winning films ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' and ''High Noon'', among others. He was one of the screenwriters who were black ...

(1914–1984). Her father moved to England to work after being blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios during the McCarthyism of the 1950s. Her brother, Jonathan Foreman, is an international correspondent and film critic. She has five children and is married to Jonathan Barton.

Education

Amanda Foreman was educated at Hanford School, a girls' junior independent school in southwest England, followed by various girls' boarding schools. She attended Sarah Lawrence College in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

, then

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, before returning to England in 1991. She was awarded a 1993

Henrietta Jex-Blake Henrietta Jex-Blake (June 1862 – 21 May 1953) was a British violinist, and the principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, from 1909 to 1921. Early life and education Henrietta Jex-Blake was born at Rugby School on 8 July 1862 to Henrietta (n ...

Senior Scholarship at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. At

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, Foreman completed an MPhil thesis ''Politics or Providence?: Why the Houses of Parliament voted to abolish the slave trade in 1807'' (1993) and a DPhil with her thesis ''The political life of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, 1757–1806'' (1998) which was then turned into her first biography. She received her doctorate from Oxford University in 18th Century British History.

Career

''Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire''

After completing her DPhil, Foreman remained at

as a researcher, and in 1998 she published her first book, ''

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer; ; 7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806), was an English aristocrat, socialite, political organiser, author, and activist. Born into the Spencer family, married into the Cavendish family, she wa ...

'', based on her doctoral thesis. Published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

in the UK and

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

in the US, the book was an international best-seller and reached number one in the UK as a hardback, paperback, and reissue nine years later. It was shortlisted for the 1998

Guardian First Book Award The Guardian First Book Award was a literary award presented by ''The Guardian'' newspaper. It annually recognised one book by a new writer. It was established in 1999, replacing the Guardian Fiction Award or Guardian Fiction Prize that the newspap ...

, and won the 1998 Whitbread Prize for Best Biography. The book has been the subject of a television documentary, a radio play starring

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

, and a film, '' The Duchess'', starring

Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( ; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. A Shakespeare interpreter, he excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before having further success at the Royal Shak ...

and

Keira Knightley Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...

''A World on Fire''

Foreman's most recent book, ''A World on Fire'', a history of British-American relations in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, was published in 2010 by Penguin in the UK on 30 June, and in 2011 by

in the US. The book was a critical success in both countries and a national best-seller in the US. Writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Jay Parini stated, "One can hardly overestimate the brilliance of Foreman's conception, seeing this turning point in American history from a British viewpoint, drawing on a vast range of actors on this great stage, including lesser-known British sympathisers who fought on either side in this conflict or journalists." Adam I.P. Smith of ''

History Today ''History Today'' is an illustrated history magazine. Published monthly in London since January 1951, it presents serious and authoritative history to as wide a public as possible. The magazine covers all periods and geographical regions and pub ...

'' said, "Amanda Foreman's magnificent new book . . . resembles nothing so much as ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

''." In a rare accolade, ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' awarded Foreman her second cover review. Michael Burlingame of ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' heralded Foreman as "such an engaging writer that readers may find this 958-page volume too short". Hendrik Hertzberg of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' wrote: "The pages fly like the wind – like ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' – because there's so much life, so much action, and so many vivid people in them." In 2011, ''A World on Fire'' was "highly commended" by the judges of the PEN

Hessell-Tiltman Prize The Hessell-Tiltman History Prize is awarded to the best work of non-fiction of historical content covering a period up to and including World War II, and published in the year of the award. The books are to be of high literary merit, but not pr ...

. It was chosen as a "Book of the Year" by The New Yorker and ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'' and named one of the "Ten Best Books of 2011" by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'',

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and m ...

, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'', and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

. In 2012, ''A World on Fire'' won the

Fletcher Pratt Murray Fletcher Pratt (25 April 1897 – 10 June 1956) was an American writer of history, science fiction, and fantasy. He is best known for his works on naval history and the American Civil War and for fiction written with L. Sprague de Camp. ...

Award for excellence in Civil War history writing. It was a finalist for the 2012 Lincoln Prize, the

Lionel Gelber Prize The Lionel Gelber Prize is a literary award for English non-fiction books on foreign policy. Founded in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber, the prize awards "the world’s best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs that seeks to deep ...

, and the

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".Jefferson Davis Prize.

''The Ascent of Woman''

In September 2015, ''The Ascent of Woman'', Foreman's acclaimed four-part documentary regarding the role of women in society, was first aired on BBC 2. The series received positive reviews, with ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' calling it "powerful, inspiring, and important." The series was subsequently programmed on Netflix in 2016.

''The World Made by Women''

Foreman's next book, ''The World Made by Women: A History of Women from the Apple to the Pill'', is slated for publication by

(US) and Allen Lane (UK) in 2023.

''Queen Victoria's Palace''

In 2018, twenty-five years after Queen Elizabeth II opened Buckingham Palace to the public during the summer months, Royal Collection Trust set a new precedent by inviting an outsider, Foreman, to curate an exhibition for the 2019 Buckingham Palace Summer Opening. 'Queen Victoria's Palace' opened on 18 July 2019. The exhibition, which coincided with the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth, argued that Victoria's transformation of Buckingham Palace laid the foundations for the modern Monarchy. The refurbished Palace reflected a new form of gendered power. Victoria replaced the 'male' values of glory, wealth, lineage, and conquest with the 'female' values of family, duty, patriotism, and public service. "These four "female" virtues formed the pillars not only of her reign but of every one that followed". The show delighted the public and critics. Singled out was Foreman's introduction of modern technology, including holograms and CGI projections on walls and ceilings, to enhance the exhibition experience. The Guardian newspaper reported: "The story of how Victoria and Prince Albert rebuilt the palace into the most glittering court in Europe is explored through paintings, sketches and costumes, and includes a Hollywood-produced immersive experience that brings to life the balls for which she was famous." Foreman also co-wrote a book to accompany the exhibition, 'Queen Victoria's Palace'.

Other

In addition to her work as a historian and biographer, Amanda Foreman also writes for radio, television and print media. Her work is spread across a broad range, and includes a meditation on the role of the historian for BBC Radio 3, a documentary series on the Georgians, 1714–1832, for BBC Radio 4, a discussion of the Anglo-American relationship for

Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a Scottish former journalist and broadcaster who is chairman of ''The Spectator'' and presenter of '' The Andrew Neil Show'' on Channel 4. He was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1983 to 1994. He f ...

's '' This Week'' on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

, cover interviews with

Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and activist. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films, as well as for her women's rights work, she has received a selection of accolades, includi ...

and

for ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', profiles of

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

and Nancy Pelosi for Porter, and a cover story on

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

for ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' in December 2011. Foreman herself has graced the covers of both ''

The Sunday Times Magazine ''The Sunday Times Magazine'' is a magazine included with ''The Sunday Times''. In 1962 it became the first colour supplement to be published as a supplement to a UK newspaper, and its arrival "broke the mould of weekend newspaper publishing". ...

'' and '' The Lady'' in the UK. She is also a passionate advocate for freedom of speech and has written about the subject for many publications. In addition to freedom of speech, Foreman has campaigned on a variety of other issues, from justice for Jean McConville to

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

. In 2016, Foreman received the St. George's Society of New York's Anglo-American Cultural Award, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the US-UK cultural world. In 2013, Foreman founded the House of SpeakEasy, a literary nonprofit based in New York City that brings authors and their audiences together in innovative and entertaining ways. The organization hosts a series of acclaimed literary cabarets in New York City, where writers are invited to speak informally on the evening's theme. Past participants include

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...

, Susan Minot, Jeff Kinney (author),

Elif Şafak Elif Shafak ( tr, Elif Şafak, ; born 25 October 1971) is a Turkish-British novelist, essayist, public speaker, political scientist and activist. Shafak writes in Turkish and English, and has published 19 works. She is best known for her no ...

, and

Yusef Komunyakaa Yusef Komunyakaa (born James William Brown; April 29, 1941) is an American poet who teaches at New York University and is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Komunyakaa is a recipient of the 1994 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, for ''Ne ...

. House of SpeakEasy also operates several community outreach programs under the umbrella name Seriously Involved. SpeakFreely provides free tickets to teachers and writing students to come to the shows put on by Seriously Entertaining. SpeakTogether works with Union Settlement in East Harlem, bringing writers together with senior high school students in Union Settlement's college readiness initiative.

John Guare John Guare ( ;; born February 5, 1938) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known as the author of '' The House of Blue Leaves'' and '' Six Degrees of Separation''. Early life He was raised in Jackson Heights, Queens.Druckman ...

Susan Cheever Susan Cheever (born July 31, 1943) is an American author and a prize-winning best-selling writer well known for her memoir, her writing about alcoholism, and her intimate understanding of American history. She is a recipient of the PEN New Englan ...

, David Gilbert (author), Michael Jan Friedman and

Lemon Andersen Lemon Andersen (born Andrew Andersen; April 21, 1975) is an American poet, spoken word artist and actor. He is sometimes credited as Lemon. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he still resides there. He is the son of Milagros "Mili" Quiñone ...

are among the writers who have taken part in the program. Foreman has served as a judge on the ''Guardian'' First Book Award (1999), the Orange Prize for Fiction (2000), the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

(2010), the Cheltenham Booker Prize (2011), the

Dan David Prize The Dan David Prize is a major international award that recognizes and supports outstanding contributions to the study of history and other disciplines that shed light on the human past. It awards nine prizes of $300,000 each year to outstanding ...

(2012), the Pen

(2012), and the Man Booker Prize (2012). Most recently, she was appointed chair of the Man Booker Prize (2016). In 2013, Foreman began writing "Historically Speaking", a biweekly column on history and world affairs, for ''

''. In 2014, she also joined

Smithsonian magazine ''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' mag ...

and ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'' as a regular columnist. Foreman was invited by the Royal Collection to curate an exhibit about Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace for the summer of 2019. She has served as a member of jury to various prizes, including the Orange Prize, the Dan-David Prize, the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize and the Man Booker Prize.

Books

* Foreman, Amanda. ''The World Made by Women: A History of Women from the Apple to the Pill.'' Forthcoming. * Foreman, Amanda. ''A World on Fire: An Epic History of Two Nations Divided'' (Penguin, 2010), 988 pp. Reissued as ''A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War'' * Foreman, Amanda. ''The Duchess'' (Random House, 2008), 456 pp. Originally published as ''Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire''. * Foreman, Amanda. ''Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire'' (Random House, 2001), 512 pp. Another ed. was published By HarperCollins in 2000. * Foreman, Amanda. ''Georgiana's World: The Illustrated Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire''. London: HarperCollins, 2001.

Essays

Dr. Amanda Foreman has contributed essays and introductions for: * Exploring Lincoln: Great Historians Reappraise Our Greatest President edited by Harold Holzer, Craig L. Symonds, and Frank J. Williams "Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: A Propaganda Tool for the Enemy?” by Amanda Foreman * The Civil War as Global Conflict: Transnational Meanings of the American Civil War edited by David T. Gleeson and Simon Lewis "Coda: Roundtable on Memory" by Amanda Foreman * Greenwich Village Stories: A Collection of Memories edited by Judith Stonehill "Greenwich Village" by Amanda Foreman * The New York Times' Disunion: Modern Historians Revisit and Reconsider the Civil War from Lincoln's Election to the Emancipation Proclamation edited by Ted Widmer "How to Lose Allies and Alienate People" by Amanda Foreman * City Parks: Public Spaces, Private Thoughts edited by Catie Marron "Hyde Park, London" by Amanda Foreman * Reconfiguring the Union: Civil War Transformations edited by Iwan W. Morgan and Philip John Davies Palgrave "Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: A Propaganda Tool for the Enemy?” by Amanda Foreman * George IV by Christopher Hibbert, foreword by Amanda Foreman * What Might Have Been?: Leading Historians on Twelve 'What Ifs' of History edited by Andrew Roberts "The Trent Incident Leads to War" by Amanda Foreman * The Sylph - by Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire, foreword by Amanda Foreman * Madame de Pompadour by Nancy Mitford, foreword by Amanda Foreman * Gender in Eighteenth Century England: Roles, Representations and Responsibilities edited by Hannah Barker and Elaine Chalus "A politician’s politician: Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and the Whig party" by Amanda Foreman

Lectures

The Chalke Valley History Festival
– 28 June 2015 From Empress Wu Zeitan to Margaret Thatcher explored their role from the Palaeolithic era to Britain today, revealing their extraordinary and often overlooked impact in the forging of the modern world. * Surrounded on All Sides – Five Lessons in Leadership From History, 11 June 2013, the Sydney Institute. * "Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in England: A Propaganda Tool for the Enemy?” – 26 March 2011 – was a program of the 14th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium
“The Latest in Lincoln Scholarship,”
sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Institute and the Foundation for the National Archives at the National Archives at College Park. Dr. Amanda Foreman talked about the international response to the Civil War, particularly by Great Britain, in her speech. * A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War – 30 November 2011 – The New York Society Library

Awards

Awards: * 2012 Fletcher Pratt Award for excellence in Civil War history writing. * 1998 Whitbread Prize for Best Biography. * 1993 Henrietta Jex-Blake Senior Fellowship, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Finalist: * 2012 Lincoln Prize * 2012 Lionel Gelber Prize * 2012 National Book Critics Circle Award * 2011 Jefferson Davis Award * 2010 PEN/Hessell-Tiltman History Prize * 1998 Guardian First Book Award

Personal life

Foreman has dual citizenship, and splits her time between

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Kinderhook, New York Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 8,330 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous municipality in Columbia County. The name of the town means "Children's Corner" in the ...

, and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. She is an Honorary Research Senior Fellow in the Department of

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

at The

. Outside of her professional life, Foreman is a passionate gardener.

References

Sources

'Reassessing Georgiana a decade later', Sunday Times, August, 2008

'Life as working mother of Five', Sunday Times, February, 2007

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101204121649/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8159646/A-Page-in-the-Life-Amanda-Foreman.html 'Interview with Amanda Foreman', The Daily Telegraph, November, 2010]

External links

Amanda Foreman's Official Website

The Ascent of Woman

Interview
on ''A World on Fire'' at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library * *
''After Words'' interview with Foreman about ''A World on Fire'', August 7, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foreman, Amanda Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford English expatriates in the United States Columbia University alumni English biographers Writers from New York (state) Writers from London Sarah Lawrence College alumni 1968 births Living people People educated at Hanford School 20th-century English historians 21st-century English writers 21st-century American historians English women non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American biographers American women biographers 21st-century American biographers English people of American-Jewish descent American women historians 20th-century American historians 20th-century English women 20th-century English people 21st-century English women