Constance Lloyd
Encyclopedia
Constance Wilde born Constance Mary Lloyd, was the wife of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde
and the mother of his two sons, Cyril
and Vyvyan
. The daughter of Horace Lloyd, an Irish barrister, and Adelaide Atkinson Lloyd, she married Wilde on May 29, 1884, and had both her sons within the next two years. In 1888 she published a book based on children's stories she had heard from her grandmother, called There Was Once. She and her husband were involved in the dress reform movement
.
It is unknown at what point Constance became aware of her husband's homosexual relationships. In 1891 she met his lover Lord Alfred Douglas
when Wilde brought Douglas to their home for a visit. It was around this time that Wilde was living more in hotels than at their home in Tite Street
and since the birth of their second son they had become sexually estranged. It is claimed that on one occasion, when warning his sons about naughty boys who made their mamas cry, Wilde's sons asked him what happened to absent papas who made mamas cry. Nevertheless, by all accounts, they still remained on good terms.
By 1895 she was incapable of ignorance on the subject, as Oscar was tried and imprisoned for "gross indecency", or homosexual
acts.
After Wilde's imprisonment, Constance changed her and her sons' last name to Holland to disassociate themselves from Wilde's scandal. The couple never divorced and though Constance visited Oscar in prison so she could tell him the news of his mother's
death in person, she also forced him to give up his parental rights and later, after he had been released from prison, refused to send him any money unless he no longer associated with Lord Alfred Douglas
.
A fall down the stairs in the Tite Street
home she had shared with Wilde caused Constance to have a form of paralysis
, and she died on April 7, 1898, after spinal surgery. She is buried in Genoa
, Italy
.
.
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
and the mother of his two sons, Cyril
Cyril Holland
Cyril Holland was the first son of Oscar Wilde and Constance Lloyd and brother to Vyvyan Holland....
and Vyvyan
Vyvyan Holland
Vyvyan Holland, OBE , born Vyvyan Oscar Beresford Wilde in London, was a British author and translator. He was the second son of Oscar Wilde and Constance Lloyd, after his brother Cyril.-Biography:...
. The daughter of Horace Lloyd, an Irish barrister, and Adelaide Atkinson Lloyd, she married Wilde on May 29, 1884, and had both her sons within the next two years. In 1888 she published a book based on children's stories she had heard from her grandmother, called There Was Once. She and her husband were involved in the dress reform movement
Victorian dress reform
During the middle and late Victorian period, various reformers proposed, designed, and wore clothing supposedly more rational and comfortable than the fashions of the time. This was known as the dress reform or rational dress movement...
.
It is unknown at what point Constance became aware of her husband's homosexual relationships. In 1891 she met his lover Lord Alfred Douglas
Lord Alfred Douglas
Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas , nicknamed Bosie, was a British author, poet and translator, better known as the intimate friend and lover of the writer Oscar Wilde...
when Wilde brought Douglas to their home for a visit. It was around this time that Wilde was living more in hotels than at their home in Tite Street
Tite Street
Tite Street is a street in Chelsea, London, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England, just north of the River Thames. It was created in 1877, giving access to the Chelsea Embankment. In the late nineteenth century the street was a favoured and fashionable location for people of an...
and since the birth of their second son they had become sexually estranged. It is claimed that on one occasion, when warning his sons about naughty boys who made their mamas cry, Wilde's sons asked him what happened to absent papas who made mamas cry. Nevertheless, by all accounts, they still remained on good terms.
By 1895 she was incapable of ignorance on the subject, as Oscar was tried and imprisoned for "gross indecency", or homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
acts.
After Wilde's imprisonment, Constance changed her and her sons' last name to Holland to disassociate themselves from Wilde's scandal. The couple never divorced and though Constance visited Oscar in prison so she could tell him the news of his mother's
Jane Wilde
Jane Francesca Agnes, Lady Wilde was an Irish poet under the pen name "Speranza" and supporter of the nationalist movement; had a special interest on Irish Fairy Tales, which she helped to gather...
death in person, she also forced him to give up his parental rights and later, after he had been released from prison, refused to send him any money unless he no longer associated with Lord Alfred Douglas
Lord Alfred Douglas
Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas , nicknamed Bosie, was a British author, poet and translator, better known as the intimate friend and lover of the writer Oscar Wilde...
.
A fall down the stairs in the Tite Street
Tite Street
Tite Street is a street in Chelsea, London, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England, just north of the River Thames. It was created in 1877, giving access to the Chelsea Embankment. In the late nineteenth century the street was a favoured and fashionable location for people of an...
home she had shared with Wilde caused Constance to have a form of paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
, and she died on April 7, 1898, after spinal surgery. She is buried in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Further reading
Moyle, Franny (2011). Constance: the Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde. John MurrayJohn Murray
-Arts and literature:* John Murray , founder of John Murray * John Murray , second head of the publishing house* John Murray , American actor...
.