Sophia Stacey
Encyclopedia
Sophia Stacey was a friend of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
, to whom he dedicated the Ode which begins:
Thou art fair, and few are fairer,
Of the nymphs of earth or ocean,
They are robes that fit the wearer -
Those soft limbs of thine whose motion,
Ever falls and shifts and glances
As the life within them dances'.
The full version can be found in any complete collection of the poet's works.
to a prosperous local businessman and sometime mayor of the city, Sophia lost both her parents quite young and spent three years of her youth living with a Mr and Mrs Charles Parker. Mrs Parker was Shelly's aunt but there is no record Sophia had ever met him before this time. Apparently an attractive and musical girl with some fortune, she did not marry young. All portraits of her show very strong eyes. She was also slightly older than the poet; many writers have assumed she was quite young.
as 'an ignorant little Welshwoman'). In November they reached Florence
where the Shelleys were living. They called on him at his pensione on the Via Valfonde.
Striking a rapport, the two women moved into the same pensione. Mary Shelley was heavily pregnant and soon after their arrival gave birth to a son. Sophia is credited with suggesting he be named Florence, and he became Percy Florence*. Over about two months the poet showed Sophia around the city while she would play the harp
and sing his verses. (There is no evidence of the relationship becoming more than platonic.) He wrote and gave her the Ode.
Shortly after Christmas, Sophia and Corbet left Florence. At the parting Shelley gave Sophia a notebook with a number of verses inside. They went to Rome
where Sophia received a lengthy letter from Mary with the Ode to a Faded Violet inscribed on the back by Shelley. He was, of course drowned two years later and they never met again.
or a French Canadian, sources differ. He anglicized his name to Lewis Frances and taught French for many years during the Napoleonic wars at the Woolwich
military academy. The wedding was a significant affair and was followed by a reception given by Maria Fitzherbert, George IV's morganatic wife. They had three children who lived to adulthood, a daughter and two sons. The daughter married a Royal Marine officer, the younger son Corbet spent a spell in the Household of the Lord Mayor of London and then retired to the family home, Hill Green House in the village of Stockton near Maidstone. The elder, Charles, followed his father into the army where he was very active in the Zulu wars in South Africa and rose to the rank of Major-General. He did not marry until he was 49; his bride was a descendant of the Scottish Anstruther
clan.
James left the army in 1833, probably because of ill-health, and died six years later. Sophia married again the following year Charles Hamond (spelt thus. Some sources give it incorrectly as Hammond or Hermond) whose own wife had recently died. There was probably an element of convenience for both in this as being single was not very easy at this time. Apparently she was still often known as Mrs Catty. A family note says she was always a devoted mother and her children 'adored' her.
She died in London in 1874 and was taken to Stockton for burial. An obituary in the Kentish Times makes much of her friendship with Shelley, suggesting it was an important event in her life.
Items not now traced include
The fullest account of Shelley and Sophia's friendship is given in James Bieri
's 2005 biography of the poet which also reproduces the Bouton portrait.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
, to whom he dedicated the Ode which begins:
Thou art fair, and few are fairer,
Of the nymphs of earth or ocean,
They are robes that fit the wearer -
Those soft limbs of thine whose motion,
Ever falls and shifts and glances
As the life within them dances'.
The full version can be found in any complete collection of the poet's works.
Early life
Born in the Kent city of MaidstoneMaidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
to a prosperous local businessman and sometime mayor of the city, Sophia lost both her parents quite young and spent three years of her youth living with a Mr and Mrs Charles Parker. Mrs Parker was Shelly's aunt but there is no record Sophia had ever met him before this time. Apparently an attractive and musical girl with some fortune, she did not marry young. All portraits of her show very strong eyes. She was also slightly older than the poet; many writers have assumed she was quite young.
Grand Tour
In 1819 she set out on a grand tour and with an older companion, Corbet Parry-Jones (to be described by Mary ShelleyMary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
as 'an ignorant little Welshwoman'). In November they reached Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
where the Shelleys were living. They called on him at his pensione on the Via Valfonde.
Striking a rapport, the two women moved into the same pensione. Mary Shelley was heavily pregnant and soon after their arrival gave birth to a son. Sophia is credited with suggesting he be named Florence, and he became Percy Florence*. Over about two months the poet showed Sophia around the city while she would play the harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and sing his verses. (There is no evidence of the relationship becoming more than platonic.) He wrote and gave her the Ode.
Shortly after Christmas, Sophia and Corbet left Florence. At the parting Shelley gave Sophia a notebook with a number of verses inside. They went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
where Sophia received a lengthy letter from Mary with the Ode to a Faded Violet inscribed on the back by Shelley. He was, of course drowned two years later and they never met again.
Later life
She eventually married in 1823 a somewhat younger army officer, Captain James Patrick Catty of the Royal Engineers, who was the son of Louis Francois Catty, who was either a refugee from the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
or a French Canadian, sources differ. He anglicized his name to Lewis Frances and taught French for many years during the Napoleonic wars at the Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
military academy. The wedding was a significant affair and was followed by a reception given by Maria Fitzherbert, George IV's morganatic wife. They had three children who lived to adulthood, a daughter and two sons. The daughter married a Royal Marine officer, the younger son Corbet spent a spell in the Household of the Lord Mayor of London and then retired to the family home, Hill Green House in the village of Stockton near Maidstone. The elder, Charles, followed his father into the army where he was very active in the Zulu wars in South Africa and rose to the rank of Major-General. He did not marry until he was 49; his bride was a descendant of the Scottish Anstruther
Anstruther
Anstruther is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two halves of Anstruther are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk,...
clan.
James left the army in 1833, probably because of ill-health, and died six years later. Sophia married again the following year Charles Hamond (spelt thus. Some sources give it incorrectly as Hammond or Hermond) whose own wife had recently died. There was probably an element of convenience for both in this as being single was not very easy at this time. Apparently she was still often known as Mrs Catty. A family note says she was always a devoted mother and her children 'adored' her.
She died in London in 1874 and was taken to Stockton for burial. An obituary in the Kentish Times makes much of her friendship with Shelley, suggesting it was an important event in her life.
Surviving items
A considerable number of items connected with Sophia and her family survive:- The letter written by Mary Shelley is in the BodmerBodmerBodmer is a German surname that may refer to:*Frederick Bodmer, Swiss philologist*Johann Georg Bodmer , inventor*Johann Jakob Bodmer , author and critic*Karl Bodmer , Swiss painter of the American West...
collection in Switzerland. - The British Museum has a copy of her father's French textbook for Woolwich.
- The Maidstone Museum holds a reference collection of Mineral Rocks collected by her son Corbet and a portrait bust.
- The Bodleian LibraryBodleian LibraryThe Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
in Oxford has some letters Sophia exchanged with Sir Percy Shelley in later years. - There is a memorial to Sophia in Stockton Parish Church.
- Her husband's army coatee is in the National Army MuseumNational Army MuseumThe National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
in Chelsea, where it is the oldest item of Engineer's uniform in the collection. - Hill Green house was burnt down in 1922 but has been replaced. The family also owned the Gibraltar Inn on Maidstone Canal which is now a private house.
- Her descendents still hold a Commonplace Book she kept in 1812, a miniature from C 1818 by Bouton, a photograph of a later portrait after she was married by Grimaldi, a daguerreotypeDaguerreotypeThe daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. The image is a direct positive made in the camera on a silvered copper plate....
photograph taken later in life and a scrapbook which contains a lock of her hair. However they have nothing directly linking her with Shelley. - There is a plaque recording the poet's stay on the building on the site of the pensione in the Via Valfonde in Florence, which now runs alongside the train station. The original building was a victim of World War II.
- Sophia's birth is recorded in Maidstone Parish Church.
Items not now traced include
- The original copy of the Ode. This is recorded as coming up for sale at Sothebys in 1938 along with the letter from Mary above but it is not clear who bought it or whether it failed to sell.
- A journal kept by Sophia during her travels. However the early 20th century writer Helen Rosetti Angeli used it for her Shelley and his Friends in Italy and quotes extensively. It appears to have been a somewhat mundane account.
- The notebook given by Shelley to Sophia on her departure. A family note says it was given to the Bodleian around 1900 but the library now has no knowledge of this.
The fullest account of Shelley and Sophia's friendship is given in James Bieri
James Bieri
James Bieri is a psychologist and biographer who introduced in 1955 the concept of cognitive complexity, derived from his doctoral study with George A. Kelly...
's 2005 biography of the poet which also reproduces the Bouton portrait.
- The following year an English girl born in the same city was also named after it and so, from Florence NightingaleFlorence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
it became an established English girl's name.