NANCY ASTOR'S DIAMOND BRACELET, CIRCA 1870

Footnotes

Provenance:
From the Collection of Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor (1879-1964);
Thence by direct descent to the present owner

Nancy was one of eight surviving children born to Chiswell (Chillie) Dabney Langhorne and Nancy Witcher Keene. She had four sisters, Elizabeth, Irene, Phyllis and Nora, and three brothers, Keene, Harry and William. Three more siblings died in infancy. Nancy's father was from an established Virginian family but lost almost everything during the American Civil War of 1860-1865. Throughout Nancy's early years, her father worked as an auctioneer and then as a railroad manager. Gradually the family's fortunes improved and in 1892, Chiswell Langhorne purchased Mirador, a large estate near Charlottesville.

Nancy and her four sisters were renowned for their beauty. Her sister, Irene, married the illustrator, Charles Dana Gibson, the creator of the 'Gibson Girl' image, which came to epitomise American beauty standards during the Gilded Age. Nancy's unhappy first marriage to socialite, Robert Gould Shaw II, resulted in divorce and her full custody of their only child, Bobbie. She was subsequently encouraged to move to England by her father with her son and her sister, Phyllis, having fallen in love with the country during an earlier visit in 1904. The following year, she met the American-born Englishman, Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (1879-1952) on his return voyage from America across the Atlantic, aboard White Star Line's SS Cedric.

Waldorf's father, William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (1848-1919), had moved his family to England in 1891 and raised his children in the English aristocratic tradition. Born on or around the same day in May 1879, Nancy and Waldorf were extremely well matched, as both were American expatriates of similar temperaments. Charming, earnest and handsome with a strong sense of responsibility and honour, Waldorf Astor was the perfect step-father for Bobbie. After a brief courtship, Nancy and Waldorf were married on 3rd May 1906.

After their wedding, the Astors moved into Cliveden, their lavish estate in Buckinghamshire - one of two wedding gifts from Astor's father (the other was the 55.23 carats Sancy diamond). The couple had three children: William 'Bill' Waldorf II (b.1907), Nancy 'Wissie' Phyllis Louise (b.1909) and Francis David Langhorne (known as David - b.1912). The birth of Nancy's two war babies - Michael in 1916 and John Jacob 'Jakie' VII in 1918 - completed their family.

The Astors began to hold weekend parties and Nancy became renowned as a prominent hostess for Britain's social elite. Famous authors, MPs, society figures, Waldorf's friends from Oxford and members of the Royal family were all welcomed at Cliveden. Increasingly over time, Cliveden became a popular weekend retreat for MPs and reformers to gather and discuss their ideas. Cliveden was later home to the Canadian Red Cross and served as a hospital during the First and Second World Wars.

While Nancy Astor became renowned for the lavish garden and dinner parties she hosted at Cliveden, she was also very generous with her time and politically aware. She campaigned for a number of social causes, notably women's suffrage. In February 1918, the Representation of the People Act was finally extended to allow women over the age of 30 the right to vote if they or their husband owned property. That same year, women were allowed to sit in the House of Commons for the first time. The following year, in 1919, William Waldorf, the first Viscount, died. He had accepted a peerage in the New Year's Honours List of 1916. Waldorf now found himself having to take his father's place in the House of Lords and the Conservatives found themselves needing to elect his replacement as MP for Plymouth Sutton. After some debate over her suitability, Nancy was formally adopted as their candidate. Her anecdotes, or 'Astorisms' as they became known, greatly amused people and Nancy was able to stand her ground when heckled.

Against the turbulence of the First World War and the resulting change sweeping across Britain that would significantly impact the roles and status of women, Nancy Astor made history as the first woman to ever take her seat in Parliament. She was officially introduced to Parliament on 1st December 1919 and steadfastly represented the Plymouth constituency of Sutton for the next 25 years. Supported by Waldorf and their close friends, Nancy Astor blazed a trail as a female pioneer in British government. Although seen by many as a watershed moment for women's emancipation, Nancy Astor's election was not welcomed by everyone. Some of her fellow MPs regularly ignored or insulted her and even made it difficult for her to access her seat in the House of Commons. Undeterred, hard-working and full of resilience and character, Nancy Astor understood the significance of her position as a woman in government and she did not squander the opportunity or take it for granted.

She died at the age of 84 and her ashes were buried with Waldorf's at Cliveden. A Freeman of Plymouth who advocated for numerous causes throughout her political career, from temperance and women's rights to education reform and welfare, Nancy Astor's legacy as a fiercely independent female voice and the first female MP lives on in the city of Plymouth where many plaques and buildings still bear her name.