Westminster

Ad for the Irish Distressed Ladies Fund, published in 'The Queen' 4 March 1894. Content provided by The British Library Board. © British Newspaper Archive.

The Irish Distressed Ladies' Fund: Audley Street, London W1

Curiosity about London's connections with Ireland had prompted me to search The London Archives' online catalogue for all entries containing the word "Irish". That led to a file titled "Irish Distressed Ladies' Fund" which I automatically assumed was one of the many philanthropic ventures formed in London over the years in support of Ireland's poor and peasant populations. It turned out to be something very different indeed.

19th Century

N16Breda

8 min read

An 1820 etching by an unknown artist showing the front of the old Haymarket Theatre, where it is thought that the Black Irish soprano Rachael Baptist (Rachel Baptist) performed in 1767

A woman of colour at the Haymarket Theatre: Rachael Baptist?

View of the front of the old Haymarket Theatre, taken down in 1821, by unknown artist (1820 Etching). Image source: © The Trustees of...

18th Century

N16Breda

7 min read

The making of Ireland's power couple in London: Duke & Duchess of Ormond(e) Part 2

How did James & Elizabeth Butler, the 12th Earl and Countess of Ormond first rise to the positions of Viceroy and Vicereine of Ireland?

17th Century

N16Breda

7 min read

From the ‘Second Pale’ of Kilkenny to St. James's Square SW1: Duke & Duchess of Ormond(e) - Part 1

What connected Ireland's great dynastic Norman family, the Butlers, with the most fashionable urban development in 17th-century London?

17th Century

N16Breda

9 min read

The Irish Distressed Ladies' Fund: Audley Street, London W1

A woman of colour at the Haymarket Theatre: Rachael Baptist?

The making of Ireland's power couple in London: Duke & Duchess of Ormond(e) Part 2

From the ‘Second Pale’ of Kilkenny to St. James's Square SW1: Duke & Duchess of Ormond(e) - Part 1

Finding Ireland in the History of London