Elizabeth Bellamy
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Kirbridge is a fictional character in the ITV
period drama
Upstairs, Downstairs
, that was originally broadcast for five series from 1971 to 1975. She was portrayed by Nicola Pagett
.
Elizabeth is the daughter of Richard and Lady Marjorie, and was a main character for the first two series, appearing in 13 episodes. The spoiled, self-absorbed younger sister of James
, Elizabeth takes a somewhat fleeting interest in various social causes, including socialism
and the Suffragette movement. The impulsive Elizabeth defies her parents and marries a poet, Lawrence Kirbridge, but he turns out to have no interest in sex and arranges for his publisher to make love to Elizabeth, and a child is conceived. Soon after Lawrence is sent abroad, and Elizabeth has a relationship with an Armenian
. Elizabeth is close to the maid Rose, who frequently calls her "Miss Lizzie", even after marriage.
Elizabeth leaves Upstairs, Downstairs between the second and third series when she moves to New York
. The reason for the departure was Nicola Pagett's refusal to appear again, after she was not selected to appear in an Upstairs, Downstairs film. The film was never made.
MP
, and Lady Marjorie Bellamy
, the daughter of the 12th Earl of Southwold, a prominent Conservative politician
. She finishes her education at Frau Beck's Finishing School, in Dresden
, Germany
in 1905, and has her coming out ball in May that year at Londonderry House
. She was due to be presented to the King
and Queen
by her Aunt Kate (Lady Castleton), but runs away from the Ball. Inverting the situation with James, she is close to her father, while having a somewhat strained relationship with her mother (with whom she shares her haughty behavior, though Elizabeth lacks her mother's kindness or maternal feeling).
In December 1905, she falls in love with Baron Klaus von Rimmer, a German who turns out to be a homosexual. He flees Eaton Place with the footman Alfred (when their affair is discovered by Rose), before the police arrive to arrest him. Not wishing Elizabeth to know the real reason for his departure, she is told that he is a spy
.
Elizabeth is a member of the Young Women's Christian Fellowship, and while working with them she finds the former housemaid Sarah
, and saves her from poverty by employing her as the Bellamy's scullery maid
.
In Winter 1908, she becomes involved with a group of socialist
poet
s, and upsets her parents by inviting them to tea. She also, under the influence of one member, spends over £4 on shoes for street children, then refuses to pay for them. Her father intervenes, and pays for the shoes. After one argument with her parents, she runs away from home to stay with her friend Henrietta Winchmore, and is only discovered after Rose is forced to tell Hudson
where Elizabeth is staying. Her father visits, and shortly after, Elizabeth and fellow poet Lawrence Kirbridge have tea at Eaton Place.
While Elizabeth is reluctant to marry, the head housemaid
and friend Rose, persuades her it is the right thing to do. She and Lawrence Kirbridge, the Cambridge
-educated maternal grandson of a Dorset
baronet
, marry in June 1909. They take their honeymoon
in Vienna
, and set up home in Greenwich
.
The marriage is an unhappy affair from the start, and Lawrence does not wish to consummate
the relationship. He 'arranges' for his publisher, Sir Edwin Partridge, to make love to Elizabeth at a soiree the couple hosts. During Christmas
1909, Elizabeth informs her parents that her marriage has failed. The family solicitor, Sir Geoffrey Dillon, prepares for an annulment
of the marriage on the grounds it has not been consummated. However, after an examination by a physician, it is discovered that Elizabeth is pregnant and she is forced by her father to divulge the identity of the father. In order to avoid a scandal, Lawrence is sent abroad with an allowance, and the Greenwich house is sold.
Later, Elizabeth Kirbridge gives birth to a daughter, Lucy Elizabeth, in a London
nursing home. To avoid scandal and since Lawrence is the legal father, he is asked to attend the baby's christening
. Following the ceremony, he is never heard from again. Elizabeth, lacking maternal feelings, is indifferent to the baby and content to have Lucy be brought up in the nursery by servants.
Elizabeth Bellamy becomes involved in the Suffragette movement, and participating in an attack on an MP's house, is arrested, along with her innocent housemaid Rose. An Armenia
n Julius Karekin, who exiting the MP's house, finds Elizabeth's card, and at Court gets her off with a 40 shilling fine, which he then pays. All the others, including Rose, are sent to prison. This makes Elizabeth feel incredibly guilty, and with the help of Karekin she gets Rose freed after the discovery they are being force fed.
She soon starts an affair with Karekin, and he gives her a hat shop, which she names Madame Yvonne. He also buys 165, Eaton Place when the £5600 lease is up for sale following the death of Lady Marjorie's father, and gives the house to Richard and Lady Marjorie. Her relationship with Julius Karekin fizzles out when after a few months he starts a relationship with someone else. He always made it clear that he was a philanderer. Elizabeth is last seen celebrating Lady Marjorie's birthday, months before Lady Marjorie dies on the Titanic.
, and has married an attorney named Dana J. Wallace. No other information is given why she moved, and how she met Dana.
In 1912, when talking to Georgina, Rose refers to Elizabeth and "her husband and children". Lady Marjorie is on her way to see Elizabeth in New York City when the Titanic sinks and Lady Marjorie drowns. Elizabeth becomes 'The Honourable
' when her father is raised to the Peerage
in 1917.
While James is in America in 1928-1929, he visits Elizabeth in New York
. While James is there in 1929, he and Dana invest in the American Stock Market. The October 29, 1929 crash occurs and Dana loses money, but has pulled out some in time. James, back in London, does not hear about the stock crash for many hours, and by then, it is too late- he has lost all of his money and more.
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
period drama
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
, that was originally broadcast for five series from 1971 to 1975. She was portrayed by Nicola Pagett
Nicola Pagett
Nicola Pagett is an English actress. She is best-known for her role as Elizabeth Bellamy in the 1970s TV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:She was educated at St...
.
Elizabeth is the daughter of Richard and Lady Marjorie, and was a main character for the first two series, appearing in 13 episodes. The spoiled, self-absorbed younger sister of James
James Bellamy
Major The Honourable James Rupert Bellamy MC is a fictional character in the ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, that was originally broadcast for five series from 1971 to 1975...
, Elizabeth takes a somewhat fleeting interest in various social causes, including socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and the Suffragette movement. The impulsive Elizabeth defies her parents and marries a poet, Lawrence Kirbridge, but he turns out to have no interest in sex and arranges for his publisher to make love to Elizabeth, and a child is conceived. Soon after Lawrence is sent abroad, and Elizabeth has a relationship with an Armenian
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. Elizabeth is close to the maid Rose, who frequently calls her "Miss Lizzie", even after marriage.
Elizabeth leaves Upstairs, Downstairs between the second and third series when she moves to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The reason for the departure was Nicola Pagett's refusal to appear again, after she was not selected to appear in an Upstairs, Downstairs film. The film was never made.
Early life
Elizabeth is born in 1886 to Richard, a ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, and Lady Marjorie Bellamy
Lady Marjorie Bellamy
The Lady Marjorie Helen Sybil Bellamy was a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs...
, the daughter of the 12th Earl of Southwold, a prominent Conservative politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. She finishes her education at Frau Beck's Finishing School, in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1905, and has her coming out ball in May that year at Londonderry House
Marquess of Londonderry
Marquess of Londonderry is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented County Down in the Irish House of Commons. Stewart had already been created Baron Londonderry in 1789, Viscount Castlereagh in 1795 and Earl...
. She was due to be presented to the King
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
and Queen
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
by her Aunt Kate (Lady Castleton), but runs away from the Ball. Inverting the situation with James, she is close to her father, while having a somewhat strained relationship with her mother (with whom she shares her haughty behavior, though Elizabeth lacks her mother's kindness or maternal feeling).
In December 1905, she falls in love with Baron Klaus von Rimmer, a German who turns out to be a homosexual. He flees Eaton Place with the footman Alfred (when their affair is discovered by Rose), before the police arrive to arrest him. Not wishing Elizabeth to know the real reason for his departure, she is told that he is a spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
.
Elizabeth is a member of the Young Women's Christian Fellowship, and while working with them she finds the former housemaid Sarah
Sarah Moffat
Sarah Moffat , also known as Sarah Delice and Clémence Dumas, is a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah...
, and saves her from poverty by employing her as the Bellamy's scullery maid
Scullery maid
In great houses, scullery maids were the lowest-ranked and often the youngest of the female servants and acted as assistant to a kitchen maid. The scullery maid reported to the cook or chef...
.
Marriage
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s, and upsets her parents by inviting them to tea. She also, under the influence of one member, spends over £4 on shoes for street children, then refuses to pay for them. Her father intervenes, and pays for the shoes. After one argument with her parents, she runs away from home to stay with her friend Henrietta Winchmore, and is only discovered after Rose is forced to tell Hudson
Angus Hudson
Angus Hudson was a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs, portrayed by actor Gordon Jackson from 1971 until 1975.-Biography:...
where Elizabeth is staying. Her father visits, and shortly after, Elizabeth and fellow poet Lawrence Kirbridge have tea at Eaton Place.
While Elizabeth is reluctant to marry, the head housemaid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
and friend Rose, persuades her it is the right thing to do. She and Lawrence Kirbridge, the Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
-educated maternal grandson of a Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, marry in June 1909. They take their honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and set up home in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
.
The marriage is an unhappy affair from the start, and Lawrence does not wish to consummate
Consummate
Consummation or consummation of a marriage, in many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, is the first act of sexual intercourse between two individuals, following their marriage to each other...
the relationship. He 'arranges' for his publisher, Sir Edwin Partridge, to make love to Elizabeth at a soiree the couple hosts. During Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
1909, Elizabeth informs her parents that her marriage has failed. The family solicitor, Sir Geoffrey Dillon, prepares for an annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
of the marriage on the grounds it has not been consummated. However, after an examination by a physician, it is discovered that Elizabeth is pregnant and she is forced by her father to divulge the identity of the father. In order to avoid a scandal, Lawrence is sent abroad with an allowance, and the Greenwich house is sold.
Later, Elizabeth Kirbridge gives birth to a daughter, Lucy Elizabeth, in a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
nursing home. To avoid scandal and since Lawrence is the legal father, he is asked to attend the baby's christening
Infant baptism
Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greek pais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", or...
. Following the ceremony, he is never heard from again. Elizabeth, lacking maternal feelings, is indifferent to the baby and content to have Lucy be brought up in the nursery by servants.
Suffragettes
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n Julius Karekin, who exiting the MP's house, finds Elizabeth's card, and at Court gets her off with a 40 shilling fine, which he then pays. All the others, including Rose, are sent to prison. This makes Elizabeth feel incredibly guilty, and with the help of Karekin she gets Rose freed after the discovery they are being force fed.
She soon starts an affair with Karekin, and he gives her a hat shop, which she names Madame Yvonne. He also buys 165, Eaton Place when the £5600 lease is up for sale following the death of Lady Marjorie's father, and gives the house to Richard and Lady Marjorie. Her relationship with Julius Karekin fizzles out when after a few months he starts a relationship with someone else. He always made it clear that he was a philanderer. Elizabeth is last seen celebrating Lady Marjorie's birthday, months before Lady Marjorie dies on the Titanic.
Move to America, New York City, 1911-1929
Although Elizabeth is last seen on the series in 1911, it is mentioned very briefly that she has moved to New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and has married an attorney named Dana J. Wallace. No other information is given why she moved, and how she met Dana.
In 1912, when talking to Georgina, Rose refers to Elizabeth and "her husband and children". Lady Marjorie is on her way to see Elizabeth in New York City when the Titanic sinks and Lady Marjorie drowns. Elizabeth becomes 'The Honourable
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
' when her father is raised to the Peerage
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
in 1917.
While James is in America in 1928-1929, he visits Elizabeth in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. While James is there in 1929, he and Dana invest in the American Stock Market. The October 29, 1929 crash occurs and Dana loses money, but has pulled out some in time. James, back in London, does not hear about the stock crash for many hours, and by then, it is too late- he has lost all of his money and more.