Lady Colin Campbell became the centre of media attention in 1886 when her husband accused her of adultery with a Duke, a general, a doctor and a fire-chief. The subsequent divorce trial was one of the longest in English legal history. However, she was also a sportswoman and successful journalist, and described by Lesley Hall as “a figure of considerable interest to anyone interested in the intricacies of women’s lives in Victorian Britain.”
Born Gertrude Elizabeth Blood, she had enjoyed a liberal upbringing for the day, and developed into an intelligent, artistic and beautiful young woman. In October 1880 Gertrude had met Lord Colin Campbell, MP and youngest son of the 8th Duke of Argyll, and within three days they were engaged. Despite his family’s objections they married the following year and Gertrude was launched into an elevated social circle where she enjoyed the company of royalty, eminent politicians and famous names of the day. However, all was not well at home, as the couple’s incompatibility became glaringly apparent, and the marriage broke down, ultimately leading to the dreaded divorce courts.
After the trial, the couple went their separate ways. Gertrude slowly created a new life for herself as a journalist. Although shunned by much of society, her beauty, intelligence and wit were welcome in the more liberal circles of artists and writers. She was a close friend of the artist and dandy Whistler, and knew the Burne-Jones’s. George Bernard Shaw listened to her advice on his early work, and remained a life-long friend, and Henry James used to visit her. But she had her enemies. She exchanged insults with Oscar Wilde, and was disliked by the notorious editor and newspaper proprietor Frank Harris.
If you would like to read more about Gertrude, Anne Jordan’s book “Love Well The Hour: The Life of Lady Colin Campbell (1857-1911)” was published in December 2010 and is now available in paperback and eBook formats. See the dedicated website at http://www.ladycolincampbell.co.uk , the publisher website at http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=1355 or your usual retail outlet.
