Two Newdigate Ladies
24th February 2026 @ 7:45 pm - 9:30 pm
A talk by David Patterson
| The Talk recounts how two widowed ladies of the Warwickshire gentry, in similar circumstances, 100 years apart, ran the same 8,000 acre estate, on behalf of their young sons and contributed substantially both to the family fortunes and the well being of the area. Lady Elizabeth Newdigate in the 1730’s and Mrs Maria Newdegate in the 1830s had temporary charge of the Arbury estate: both showed determination, competence and insight in equal measure, making a major contribution to the development of the area around Chivers Coton. Maria influenced two other women: Jessie Boucherett, an early campaigner for women’s rights and Marian Evans, better known as George Eliot. |