#anne digby

[bookpaula]

Revisiting Trebizon

[venicepearl]

Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland (née Digby; c. 1646 – 26 April 1715) was the wife of Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland and the daughter of George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol and Lady Anne Russell.

Anne married Sunderland on 10 June 1665. The groom had previously broken off their long-standing engagement; according to Samuel Pepys he told his friends that he had reason enough and was resolved never to have her. He soon had second thoughts and their mothers worked together to produce a reconciliation which resulted in an entirely successful marriage. She was a lady-in-waiting to Mary of Modena during the reign of James II, and was present at the birth of the Prince of Wales, signalling to the king that his new child was a boy.

She became a close friend of Sarah Churchill, later Duchess of Marlborough, and was disliked by Queen Anne, who was jealous of their friendship. Some have alleged that she had an affair with Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, her husband's uncle, but this is considered unlikely owing to her husband's obvious approval of their friendship. John Evelyn indeed spoke well of her, and she seems to have been a woman of good character. Her devotion to her husband was never seriously questioned; his biographer considered that it was principally his happy marriage which sustained Sunderland through a long and unhappy life.

[hzaidan]

The 11 Windsor Beauties by Sir Peter Lely, painted in the early to mid-1660s.

The 11 Windsor Beauties by Sir Peter Lely, painted in the early to mid-1660s.

Peter Lely (1618–1680)Portrait of Frances Theresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox, circa 1662 and circa 1665Medium oil on canvas125.8 × 102.7 cm (49.5 × 40.4 in)Hampton Court Palace The ‘Windsor Beauties’ series, were a set of eleven portraits of celebrated women at the Restoration court. The series was commissioned, or assembled, by Anne Hyde, Duchess of York, probably around 1662–5;…

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[manhattanforone-blog]

Article 11: The Naughtiest Girl

Any copy of this article elsewhere online is plagiarized and stolen. The Naughtiest Girl In the early 40s, author Enid Blyton began releasing novels in a series now known as The Naughtiest Girl. The series now consists of ten books total, four written by Blyton and the remaining six written by Anne Digby. Setting The Naughtiest Girl books are based in a rather progressive boarding school, especially considering the time during which the books were printed. The school is essentially run by the children themselves and simply overseen by the adult headmasters. Many readers compare the boarding school in this series, Whyteleafe, to that in a similar children’s series by Blyton, Malory Towers, in which the boarding school is much more conservative and resembles an average boarding school. Whyteleafe One of the most important elements of The Naughiest Girl series is, in fact, the operating style of the boarding school. Rather than running the boarding school most picture when the term is used, Blyton’s characters run an almost laissez faire form of education in their institution. For starters, Whyteleafe is a mixed gender boarding school, which is rare for this type of school, especially in the 40s and 50s. In addition to this, children themselves are responsible for the discipline of each other, and have genuine interest in the positive development of fellow students. The children are also required to pool their money for equal distribution among students. Elizabeth Allen In the beginning of the series, readers learn that the main character, Elizabeth Allen, is a rather spoiled child who has had no real interaction with the outside world, as her education has been the sole responsibility of her governess. However, when her parents decide to leave for a year, they see fit to place her in a boarding school for the purpose of exposing her to other children. Blyton makes it clear to readers that Elizabeth is not a fan of this decision. When her attempts to prevent being sent to the boarding school fall short, Elizabeth decides on behaving so poorly in school that she will be expelled within months, thus establishing her place as the naughtiest girl about which the series is written. Other Characters Throughout the books, Blyton and Digby establish additional characters, from Elizabeth’s best friend, Joan Townsend, to two temporary enemies, Robert Jones and Kathleen. In fact, by the fourth book, the series has become about more than just Elizabeth’s experience as Whyteleafe instead focusing just as much on the lives and experiences of other children she comes into contact with at the school. Books The series follows Elizabeth and her newfound friends through a collection of adventures, including milestones for children, like learning to keep secrets, helping a friend, etc. Each book is titled for easy reference with names like The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor, The Naughtiest Girl Saves the Day, The Naughtiest Girl Wants to Win and so on. Reviews note that each book has a thick theme of morality, which is not unusual for books geared toward this age group. While some readers have expressed that the heightened lessons in the book distract from the flow of the writing, others seem to feel that Elizabeth’s lessons in morality are perfect for the books. The Naughtiest Girl in the School The first book in the Naughtiest Girl series, The Naughtiest Girl in the School is the reader’s first introduction to Elizabeth Allen and her world. As a spoiled only child, Elizabeth is outraged when she is sent to a boarding school to interact with other children for the first time in her life and decides to misbehave so badly that she is sent home. To her surprise, Elizabeth finds that she enjoys interacting with the other children and actually forms a strong friendship with one particular girl that ultimately leads to a series of events that form the meat of the first book. The Naughtiest Girl Again By the time the second book is released, Elizabeth Allen has changed courses and returns to the school with hopes of being the best, instead of the worst, behaved student. However, run-ins with a few new characters prove to make this goal a bit more difficult than before, and she must overcome these challenges to continue on her track to being the best student. What Else? Though it may have been a successful series for children, The Naughtiest Girl collection was never converted to movie, but over forty years after the final book in the original series was published, Blyton’s copyright owners invited Digby to compose additional books following the trend of the originals. For the most part, readers of the series agree that Digby’s additions are perfect follow-ups to the first four books. The Naughtiest Girl books were, however, converted to audio books and are still available as well as the printed books. Popularity Though the first four books of the series were published over seventy years ago, The Naughtiest Girl books, e-books and audio books are still available in various bookstores, both online and off, and are even found on some websites for free. Not only are the books still in demand and ordered on a regular basis, several avid readers have created blog posts pertaining to the books and their impact on bloggers as children when they were first released. Blogs Bloggers who read the books during their initial release tend to re-read the books and offer insight on the difference between the books from an adult and a child point of view. One blogger makes a point in relation to the children’s role in the education and general lifestyle at Whyteleafe, noting that while the idea for children to learn this way is novel and seems to have been helpful to Elizabeth, there are ultimately some situations in which adults simply must step in, as children are not equipped to deal. Another of the blogs is actually part of a society dedicated to the works of Blyton and offers extensive information on each book in addition to available illustrations, as the original books were all illustrated. Worth It? Overall, the brainchildren of Blyton and Digby seem to have nothing but warm reception and positive feedback, whether readers are recalling their own childhoods with the books or passing them on to a new generation. The consensus is, The Naughtiest Girl series of adventures is worth the read. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naughtiest_Girl http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naughtiest_Girl_in_the_School http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/naughtiest-girl.php http://josbookjourney.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/the-naughtiest-girl-in-the-school-enid-blyton/

[hundredacre]

Trebizon: memories of Wendy and being in first form.