The Vicereines of Ireland and the Transformation of the Dublin Court, c. 1703–1737

Abstract

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, court life at Dublin Castle was poorly developed, while the wives of the lords lieutenant of Ireland, the vicereines, had only a limited role within Irish society. Less than forty years later, they ranked among the country’s leading hostesses and their establishments had become social and political hubs. By analysing the activities of these women in conjunction with modifications to Dublin Castle, this article discusses how and why these changes came about. It demonstrates how inextricably linked were the evolutions of the court and the vicereines, the increasing importance of each to the success of a lord lieutenancy and the parallels between the royal and viceregal courts.

Notes

* I would like to thank Professor David Hayton, Clarissa Campbell Orr and the anonymous reviewers for reading earlier drafts of this article and for their very helpful comments.