Jehanne Wake
Encyclopedia
Jehanne Wake is a British biographer, historian
and archivist
. She has written critically acclaimed biographies of Princess Louise
, the sixth child of Queen Victoria
, and of the four early American Caton sisters known as "the American graces", amongst other books.
. She is married and lives with her family in West London
.
books and corporate histories. She has also contributed to BBC
television and radio programmes as a talking head
. She appeared on Reputations: Florence Nightingale
(BBC) and Reputations: Prince Albert (BBC). Her books to date include:
Her latest book, Sisters of Fortune, published in August 2010, is a biography of four American heiresses, Marianne, Bess, Louisa and Emily Caton. They were granddaughters of Charles Carroll of Carrollton
of Maryland
, the only Roman Catholic and the longest-surviving signer of the American Declaration of Independence
. The eldest three sisters travelled to Britain shortly after the Napoleonic wars
and were among the earliest American women to enter British society. Louisa Caton was the first American to marry a duke
, marrying Francis D'Arcy-Osborne, 7th Duke of Leeds
on 24 April 1828. Emily, the only daughter to stay in the United States, married John MacTavish
, a Scots-Canadian fur trade
entrepreneur and British Consul
to Baltimore, Maryland.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
. She has written critically acclaimed biographies of Princess Louise
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
, the sixth child of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, and of the four early American Caton sisters known as "the American graces", amongst other books.
Life
Jehanne Wake had an international upbringing before she studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Oxford University. She was one of the first generation of female graduate trainee investment bankers in the City of LondonCity of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. She is married and lives with her family in West 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...
.
Works
Wake is the author of several non-fictionNon-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
books and corporate histories. She has also contributed to BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television and radio programmes as a talking head
Talking head
Talking head may refer to:Computers and internet*Computer facial animation, area of computer graphics that animates images of the human head and face*Interactive online charactersFilm and television*Talking Head , 1992 film by Mamoru Oshii...
. She appeared on Reputations: Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
(BBC) and Reputations: Prince Albert (BBC). Her books to date include:
- Princess Louise: Queen Victoria’s Unconventional Daughter, Harper Collins, 1988
- Kleinwort Benson: The History of Two Families in Banking, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1997 - Thwaites: The Life and Times of Daniel Thwaites Brewery, ScotforthScotforthScotforth is a civil parish and a suburb in the south of the city of City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. It is home to Scotforth St Paul's Church of England Primary School and St Paul's Church. The parish had a population of 239 recorded in the 2001 census.Parts of Lancaster were made up of...
Books, 2007 - Beyond The Banking Hall, A History of the Kleinwort Family, Sutton Publishing, 2000
- Sisters of Fortune, America’s Caton Sisters at Home and Abroad, Chatto & Windus, 2010.
Her latest book, Sisters of Fortune, published in August 2010, is a biography of four American heiresses, Marianne, Bess, Louisa and Emily Caton. They were granddaughters of Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as United States Senator for Maryland...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, the only Roman Catholic and the longest-surviving signer of the American Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
. The eldest three sisters travelled to Britain shortly after the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and were among the earliest American women to enter British society. Louisa Caton was the first American to marry a duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
, marrying Francis D'Arcy-Osborne, 7th Duke of Leeds
Francis D'Arcy-Osborne, 7th Duke of Leeds
Francis George Godolphin D'Arcy D'Arcy-Osborne, 7th Duke of Leeds , styled Earl of Danby from birth until 1799 and Marquess of Carmarthen from 1799 until 1838, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...
on 24 April 1828. Emily, the only daughter to stay in the United States, married John MacTavish
John MacTavish (British Consul)
John MacTavish, born ca. 1787 in Stratherrick, Invernesshire, Scotland, was a Scots-Canadian heir to the North West Company and British Consul to the State of Maryland...
, a Scots-Canadian fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
entrepreneur and British Consul
British Consul
British Consul may refer to:-*The Consul who represents Great Britain in various foreign countries, a tanker sunk during the Second World War...
to Baltimore, Maryland.
External links
- The Sunday TimesThe Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
' review of Sisters of Fortune http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/books/non_fiction/article345495.ece - Review of Sisters of Fortune in the Literary ReviewLiterary ReviewLiterary Review is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at Edinburgh University. Its offices are currently on Lexington Street in Soho, London, and it has a circulation of 44,750. Britain's principal literary monthly, the magazine was...
http://www.literaryreview.co.uk/sebba_08_10.html - Jehanne Wake official website http://www.jehannewake.com/corporate-histories-family-archives.html