Lady Mary Wellesley
Birth nameMary Luise Wellesley
Birth date16 December 1986 (age 39)
EducationLincoln College, Oxford
University College, London
OccupationHistorian
ParentsCharles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington
Princess Antonia of Prussia

Lady Mary Luise Wellesley (born 16 December 1986) is a British writer and historian specialising in Medieval studies. She is the author of Hidden Hands: The Lives of Manuscripts and Their Makers (2021), published in the U.S. as The Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Medieval Manuscripts.[1]

Early life, family, and education

Lady Mary Wellesley was born in 1986 to Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro and Princess Antonia of Prussia.[2] Her godmother was Diana, Princess of Wales.[2] She studied English language and literature at Lincoln College, Oxford and obtained a doctorate from University College, London in 2017.[3][1]

Career

Wellesley is an associate fellow at the University of London's Institute of Historical Research and an associate member of the English faculty at Oxford University.[3][1]

As a medievalist, she has studied and written about England during the 15th century.[4][5] Wellesley has also written about Francis of Assisi and people of the Victorian period, including Thomas Hardy.[6][7]

In 2021, Wellesley authored Hidden Hands: The Lives of Manuscripts and Their Makers,[8] published in the U.S. as The Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Medieval Manuscripts.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ "About | Mary Wellesley"
  2. ^ "OUR AUNTIE DIANA; Young ones who held a special place in the Princess's heart. – Free Online Library". thefreelibrary.com
  3. ^ "Mary Wellesley | Institute of Historical Research, University of London - Academia.edu". history.academia.edu
  4. ^ Wellesley, Mary (23 May 2019). "This place is pryson". London Review of Books. Vol. 41, no. 10. ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  5. ^ Wellesley, Mary (10 June 2022). "Mary Wellesley | On Cravings". LRB Blog. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  6. ^ Wellesley, Mary (27 July 2023). "Mary Wellesley · At the National Gallery: St Francis of Assisi". London Review of Books. 45 (15). – via lrb.co.uk.
  7. ^ Wellesley, Mary (25 April 2023). "Podcast: Mary Wellesley and Mark Ford · Thomas Hardy's Medieval Mind". London Review of Books
  8. ^ "Linda Porter – Spirit of Parchment". Literary Review. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  9. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian & Solly, Meilan. "The Unheralded Women Scribes Who Brought Medieval Manuscripts to Life". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  10. ^ DeGroot, Gerard (21 December 2023). "Hidden Hands: The Lives of Manuscripts and Their Makers by Mary Wellesley review — secrets and scribes". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-12-21.