"Quite capable of being Governor...herself": the Northern Irish Governorship and the influence of the governors' wives

Abstract

The office of governor of Northern Ireland was created in1922 to represent the British monarch. This position existed for fifty years and during this time, five men were appointed as governor. As all five men were married, five women acted as wife to the governor; the duchess of Abercorn(1922-1945); Countess Granville (1945-1952); Lady Wakehurst (1952-1964); Lady Erskine (1964-1968); and Lady Grey (1968-1972). However, the wives of the Northern Irish governors had no official title and no official position within the governorship and their contributions to this public office have been overlooked in existing historiography. This thesis uses a range of sources including newspapers, official papers, personal papers and uncatalogued material in Hillsborough Castle, to question how these women represented the monarch in an unofficial capacity and how they became central to the functioning of the governorship. These questions are approached from several thematic perspectives, including an analysis of their social positioning in ceremonial occasions, their philanthropic and voluntary involvement, their management of Hillsborough Castle, which acted as Government House, and their role as social and political hostess within these spaces.

Significantly, between 1922 and 1972 the roles of these five women were characterised by gendered understandings of ‘women’s occupations’. However, the individual approach of these women also shaped their experience as wife to the governor and this thesis traces how this position developed in line with their individual personalities, social status and interests. This thesis thus provides an analysis of both the collective and individual experiences of these women and argues that despite their social positioning as the wife of a public figure and their lack of official position, they contributed to the public image of the Northern Irish governorship and made it more impactful thanit may otherwise have been.

Thesis embargoed until 31 December 2027.

Date of Award	Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	Northern Ireland Department for the Economy
Supervisor	Olwen Purdue (Supervisor) & Leonie Hannan (Supervisor)