A RELUCTANT MEMSAHIB

At the Court of the Viceroy
An intimate portrait of a life at the centre of a momentous period in Indian and British history. A woman’s perspective on the British Raj and life in India based on diaries and letters of Isabel Richards.

A Reluctant Memsahib shares the story of Isabel Richards, who travelled out to India in 1904 when her husband was appointed to the Viceroy’s Council. A lively correspondent with an eye for detail, and an ear for social nuance, Isabel wrote over 500 letters to her mother documenting her insights. This unique correspondence provides a ringside view of the key players and events over five years, which were amongst the most significant in the history of the British Raj with an impact still felt in India today.

Isabel’s letters and diaries provide a totally fresh impression of the extraordinary way the Indian Empire conducted itself, Not having worked their way up the ladder of the Indian Civil Service, the young couple were totally unprepared for life at the very top echelons of the British Raj. Seen through the fresh eyes of a liberally educated, middle-class London woman, she offers a first-hand account of Curzon’s battles with the India Office and Kitchener, and the hugely negative impact he had on Indians, which strengthened demands for Independence and helped set India on the road to partition. She takes nothing for granted and describes frankly what she saw, most especially the extraordinary social demands her husband’s role imposed on her and her struggle to balance this with her expectations as a mother.

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