Charlotte Payne-Townshend
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Payne-Townshend (1857–1943) was a British political activist. She was a member of the Fabian Society
and was dedicated to the struggle for women's rights.
She married George Bernard Shaw
in 1898 after nursing him through an illness. They settled in Ayot St. Lawrence, a village in Hertfordshire, England (see Shaw's Corner
), but travelled the world extensively during the 1930s. She resolved to have no children and abstained from sex completely throughout the marriage. Shaw had several affairs with married women.
In 1906 the couple moved into a house, now called Shaw's Corner
, in Ayot St. Lawrence, a small village in Hertfordshire
. They also maintained a pied-à-terre in Fitzroy Square, London. In 1943, she died of osteitis deformans
, a chronic bone disease, in their London residence.
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
and was dedicated to the struggle for women's rights.
She married George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
in 1898 after nursing him through an illness. They settled in Ayot St. Lawrence, a village in Hertfordshire, England (see Shaw's Corner
Shaw's Corner
Shaw's Corner was the primary residence of the renowned Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw; now a historic National Trust property open to the public. Inside the house, the rooms remain much as Shaw left them, and the garden and Shaw's writing hut can also be visited...
), but travelled the world extensively during the 1930s. She resolved to have no children and abstained from sex completely throughout the marriage. Shaw had several affairs with married women.
In 1906 the couple moved into a house, now called Shaw's Corner
Shaw's Corner
Shaw's Corner was the primary residence of the renowned Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw; now a historic National Trust property open to the public. Inside the house, the rooms remain much as Shaw left them, and the garden and Shaw's writing hut can also be visited...
, in Ayot St. Lawrence, a small village in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. They also maintained a pied-à-terre in Fitzroy Square, London. In 1943, she died of osteitis deformans
Paget's disease of bone
Paget's disease is a chronic disorder that can result in enlarged and misshapen bones. The excessive breakdown and formation of bone tissue causes affected bone to weaken, resulting in pain, misshapen bones, fractures, and arthritis in the joints near the affected bones...
, a chronic bone disease, in their London residence.