Matriarchal Journeys: Identity and Generational Exchange in the Travels of Lady Grisell Baillie and Margaret Calderwood of Polton, c.1730–1757

Abstract

In 1731 Lady Grisell Baillie began a tour through Europe to Naples with her husband, two daughters, son-in-law and eldest granddaughter. Prompted by an order abroad for her son-in-law’s health, the journey to and from Naples took in cultural sites and offered unique opportunities for shopping. In 1756 Margaret Calderwood of Polton similarly set out for Europe with her husband and young sons on a journey to see her exiled brother, which offered invaluable opportunities for social observation and purchasing delftware, or so Margaret hoped. Superficially they were elite women joining their families on an excursion abroad. In a challenge to simplifications of identity, this paper reviews their journeys through contexts of formative experiences, national allegiance and preconceptions around female skillsets. It identifies the everyday impact of politics, and why eighteenth-century women were as critical in developing generational national character as the patriarchal state to which they were subject.