There’s something about Mary….

Mary Wortley Montagu, that is. I first came across Mary when I started to research the origins of the coffee shops in the city of London. That led me to learn about the South Sea Bubble, arguably the first financial disaster. The government-backed investment scheme sucked greedy investors in and Lady Mary was one of them. Although women couldn’t open a bank account, they could indulge in a financial flutter. So some did—especially those out to try and find some financial independence.

Lady Mary was supposedly spurred on by Alexander Pope, the pint-sized poet who was enamoured by her, a feeling, which was not reciprocated. Mary was a risk-taker. She gambled and had a French admirer (Rémond) who begged her to invest on his behalf, promising them a future together when he became wealthy. No one really knows whether Mary was infatuated with Rémond but she seemed to have got herself enticed into some type of relationship that could jeopardise her marriage and position in society.

When the bubble burst in December 1720 he was furious, blaming Mary for the disaster. Rémond blackmailed her, declaring he’d tell her husband what she’d been up to. She thought he wouldn’t dare, but sadly, he did. Wortley had no choice but to pay him off to avoid a scandal. Lady Mary wanted the matter buried but others wouldn’t let her off so lightly. Some years later Pope ensured London society should know all about her misdemeanours and so he wrote about her lack of judgment and buried their friendship as a result

It’s worth noting Lady Mary also was instrumental in discovering the smallpox vaccine. But polite society laughed at her for daring such a thing. You can find out about the antics of Mary and some of my other pioneers on my Pioneering Women walk.