Laura Troubridge, Lady Troubridge, (née Gurney; 1867 – 8 July 1946) was a British novelist and etiquette writer. She wrote almost 60 novels and many short stories.

Life

Lady Troubridge (née Gurney) was born in 1867 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. She was the daughter of Charles Henry Gurney and Alice Marie Prinsep and granddaughter of

Henry Thoby Prinsep Henry Thoby Prinsep (15 July 1793 – 11 February 1878) was an English official of the Indian Civil Service, and historian of India. In later life he entered politics, and was a significant figure of the cultural circles of London. Early life P ...

and the salon organiser Sara Monckton (nee Pattle). Her father died when she was 11 years old, and her sister,

Rachel Rachel () was a Bible, Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph (Genesis), Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban (Bible), Laban. Her older siste ...

, was 10. In 1897 her mother married a second time, to Colonel John Bourchier Stracey-Clitherow who in 1900 took up residence at Hotham Hall in East Riding, and later, after the death of his father in 1912,

Boston Manor House Boston Manor House is an English Jacobean manor house built in 1622 with internal alterations, intensively restored in later centuries. It was the manor house of one of the early medieval-founded manors in Middlesex. Since 1965 the manor's ...

. The Washington Post in 1907 states Troubridge 'is the only sister of young Lady Sybil Dudley who as an orphan was adopted by the Duke of Bedford'. But in the same article also states Troubridge was 'orphaned at a tender age' which seems in conflict with other sources showing her mother died in 1919 when Troubridge was 52 years old. Adding to confusion about Troubridge's early life, Baroness Franzisca von Hedeman states 'Rachel Gurney...was brought up by the Marchioness of Tavistock, now Adeline, Duchess of Bedford...Her sister, Laura Gurney, now Lady Trowbridge, who is much admired for her literary taste, was brought up by her Aunt, Lady Henry Somerset, well known in America." Whatever the exact circumstances of her childhood, Troubridge spent much of her youth in Somerset's house where the refined library atmosphere influenced her future as a writer. She married her cousin Sir Thomas Herbert Cochrane Troubridge, 4th Baronet, on 13 July 1893. They had two daughters and one son. In 1930 their home, Ole Ways in Beaulieu, was completely destroyed by fire ‘Lady Troubridge who is a well-known authoress, lost hundreds of sheets of typescript. She was at her desk when the outbreak occurred, but managed to save the manuscripts on which she was engaged.’ She died on 8 July 1946 and was buried at

Abbey Church A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD. ''Church'' is also ...

, Beaulieu,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

Career

She wrote under her title, Lady Troubridge, and authored almost three dozen novels, numerous short stories and, newspaper serial stories and articles. Her first novel, ''Paul’s Stepmother, and One Other Story'', was published in 1896. After a lapse of some years she wrote her first essay, ''Thou Woman Thou Gavest'', in 1906. It was a brilliant success and was followed by almost annual publications until the late 1930s. Troubridge published ''The Millionaire'' in 1907 and it caused a sensation. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' wrote: 'Lady Troubridge, the facile romancist, whose latest novel, “The Millionaire”, created a sensation in England' and continues, she 'depicts in classic style the trials of a young girl who leaves a dingy home in the suburbs of London to take her place in cosmopolitan society. Throughout the story the secret sins of the upper classes are laid bare…and the innocent who are grabbed by the tentacles of the social octopus find it a herculean task to rescue themselves from its clutches.' ''His Grace Gives Notice'' was published in 1922. It has been dramatised in film twice. Once in

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

and a second time in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

NOTICE Our English law of succession by which a man may inherit the titles and estates of a noble House of which he is a remote and obscure member is the only explanation of much which, to the uninitiated, seems, and would otherwise be, incredible. The annals of great families contain records of many strange events of which the world at large knows nothing. These family secrets, more or less well kept, are often merely sordid and melodramatic; but now and then an event occurs which is singularly full of real romance. Though you may not find the Duke of St. Bevis in Burke or Debrett, perhaps you may have seen his prototype adorning some humble station, or may meet him later without ever realizing what he has owed to the accident of fortune. - Lady Troubridge, '' His Grace Gives Notice'' (1922)

On her book ''Memories and Reflections'' (1925) ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' wrote that she had “all the advantages of the most fortunate autobiographers…She has been from childhood in the habit of mixing with beautiful, fashionable and even interesting people” Her memoirs included comments on places she had been, her experiences and people she met. 'She has been on both sides of the Channel, to the places where “everybody” goes' and knew fellow authors, such as Belloe Lownders and Stephen McKenan, and met royalty,

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

and

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. ''The Guardian'' continues "Altogether this is a good natured, attractive and chatty book..and the pictures of the authoress' childhood…is particularly pleasant." She wrote ''The Book of Etiquette'' which was first published in 1926. Over the following six decades, until 1987, a further 29 editions were published. In 1939 ''My Home'' published excerpts from it as a booklet titled ''Etiquette and Entertaining''. ''The Book of Etiquette'', unlike its predecessors, was focused on a British audience. It was a thorough guide to English social etiquette in upper class society. It intended to help readers steer their way through ‘unwritten laws’ of social behaviour and between old-fashion courtesy and the new spirit of informality. Troubridge became well respected for her views on etiquette even before ''The Book of Etiquette''. ''

The Sheboygan Press ''The Sheboygan Press'' is a daily newspaper based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of a number of newspapers in the state of Wisconsin owned by Gannett, including the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', '' Green Bay Press-Gazette'' ...

'', for example, quoted her as the authority on ‘When to Propose Marriage’ in 1911. Her reputation on all things etiquette extended beyond her life. For the film ''

Gosford Park ''Gosford Park'' is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. The film, which is influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic '' The Rules of the Game'', follows a party of wealthy Brito ...

'' released in 2002, ''The Book of Etiquette'' was given to cast members to use for researching etiquette during the 1930s. She wrote seven society novels for

Mills & Boon Mills & Boon is a romance imprint of British publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. It was founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon as a general publisher. The company moved towards escapist fiction for women in the 1930s. In 1971, the ...

between 1909 and 1912: ''The Woman who Forgot''; ''The First Law''; ''The Cheat''; ''Body and Soul''; ''Stormlight''; ''The Girl with the Blue Eyes''; and ''The Creature of Circumstance''. Her short stories were published in magazines such as ''Britannia'' and ''Eve'', Cassell's ''Magazine of Fiction'', Marks & Spencer’s ''Grand Annual'', ''Miss Modern'', '' Nash’s Magazine'', ''

The Grand Magazine ''The Grand Magazine'' was the first British pulp magazine. It was published monthly between February 1905 and April 1940. Published by George Newnes Ltd, it initially emulated Newnes's highly successful ''Strand Magazine'', featuring a mix of f ...

'', ''

The Lady’s Realm ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'', ''

The London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and poetry. A number of Nobel Laureates, including Annie Ernaux, Albert Camus, Doris Les ...

'', ''

The Novel Magazine ''The Novel Magazine'' was the first British all-fiction pulp magazine. It was Sir Cyril Arthur Pearson's rival to Sir George Newnes's ''The Grand Magazine''. Previously titled ''The Lady's Magazine'' (January 1901 to June 1904), ''The Lady's Hom ...

'', ''

The Pall Mall Magazine ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' was a monthly British literary magazine published between 1893 and 1914. Begun by William Waldorf Astor as an offshoot of ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', the magazine included poetry, short stories, serialized fiction, and ...

'', ''

The Red Magazine ''The Harmsworth Red Magazine'', also known as ''Harmsworth's Red Magazine'' or just ''The Red Magazine'', was a UK fiction magazine published by Alfred Harmsworth's Amalgamated Press in 620 issues from June 1908 to September 1939. It was edited b ...

'', ''The Sovereign Magazine'', ''

The Story-teller ''The Story-Teller'' was a monthly British pulp magazine, pulp Literary magazine, fiction magazine from 1907 to 1937. ''The Story-Teller'' is notable for having published some of the works of prominent authors, including G. K. Chesterton, Will ...

'' and ''

The Yellow Magazine ''The Harmsworth Red Magazine'', also known as ''Harmsworth's Red Magazine'' or just ''The Red Magazine'', was a UK fiction magazine published by Alfred Harmsworth's Amalgamated Press in 620 issues from June 1908 to September 1939. It was edited b ...

''. Troubridge also wrote serial stories for newspapers, ''The True Heart'' in 1915 for the ''

Staffordshire Sentinel ''The Sentinel'', known online as ''Stoke-on-Trent Live'', is a daily regional newspaper circulating in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire areas of England. It is owned by Reach plc and based at Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. It is the only ...

'', is an example of such a story. Her opinions, stories and letters appeared in newspapers far as Australia such as the ''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...

'' and the '' Daily News'' (Perth). Towards the end of her life she wrote for the women’s magazine '' Home Chat'' as an agony aunt.

Novels

* ''Paul's Stepmother, and One Other Story'', 1896 * ''The Woman Thou Gavest'', 1906 * ''The Millionaire'', 1907 * ''House Of Cards'', 1908 * ''Marriage Of Blackmail'', 1909 * ''The Cheat'', 1909 * ''The First Law'', 1909 * ''The Woman Who Forgot'', 1910 * ''Body And Soul'', 1911 * ''Storm-Light'', 1912 * ''The Creature Of Circumstance'', 1912 * ''The Girl With The Blue Eyes'', 1912 * ''The Unguarded Hour'', 1913 * ''This Man And This Woman'', 1913 * ''The Half Of His Kingdom'', 1915 * ''The Evil Day'', 1916 * ''Mrs Vernon's Daughter'', 1917 * ''All's Well, Billy'', 1918 * ''O, Perfect Love'', 1920 * ''His Grace Gives Notice'', 1922 * ''Passion Flower'', 1923 * ''Memories And Reflections'', 1925 * ''Dangerous Bonds'', 1926 * ''The Book of Etiquette'', 2 volumes, 1926 * ''The Dusty Angel'', 1927 * ''Exit Marriage'', 1929 * ''The Purse Strings'', 1929 * ''The Story Of Leonora'', 1930 * ''Life Of The Late Lord Montagu Of Beaulieu'', with Archibald Marshall, 1930 * ''The Property Of A Gentleman'', 1931 * ''The Marriages Of Georgia'', 1932 * ''The Brighthavens At Home'', 1934 * ''Etiquette and Entertaining: To Help You On Your Social Way'', 1939 * ''None but the Brave''

References

External links

The Creature of Circumstance by Lady Troubridge
at

HathiTrust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digit ...

The Book of Etiquette by Lady Troubridge
at

* Nash's Pall Mall Magazine (1900), Her Boy, Lady Troubridge at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

‘My Home’ Etiquette Book by Lady Troubridge
at

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...

A List of Short Stories by Lady Troubridge (1867-1946)
at The FictionMags Index
His Grace Gives Notice by Lady Troubridge
at

Author names starting with Tr, Lady, (Laura) TROUBRIDGE, nee GURNEY (F: c1865 - 1946 Jul 8)
at New General Catalog of Old Books and Authors {{DEFAULTSORT:Troubridge, Lady Laura 1867 births 1946 deaths 19th-century British women writers 20th-century British women writers British women novelists 19th-century British novelists 20th-century British novelists Wives of baronets Troubridge family