A fascinating account of a complex personal arrangement involving a Conservative Member of Parliament, his wife, his brother, and his brother's wife in late Victorian and Edwardian England has been detailed in a new book by Susan Pedersen.
The arrangement, which developed in the late 19th century, saw the two couples living on the same street in Kensington, London, in what was nicknamed "The Colony." The central figure was Gerald Balfour, a Conservative MP whose brother, Arthur Balfour, would later become Prime Minister.
Gerald was engaged to 19-year-old Betty Lytton when his sister-in-law, Frances Balfour, the wife of Gerald's younger brother Eustace, revealed her infatuation with Gerald. Frances, who had been unhappily married to Eustace for nine years, proposed that she, Gerald, Betty, and Eustace should live together in close proximity, sharing access to each other's homes.
Betty, described as someone who wished for everyone's happiness, agreed to the plan. The two couples subsequently moved into neighboring houses on Addison Road. Frances envisioned a "clung to the shadow of the old life," as Pedersen writes, unable to let go of her emotional connection with Gerald, while also quarreling with Eustace, who reportedly turned to alcohol.
Despite the inherent complexities, "The Colony" existed for 11 years. During this period, both couples had children: Gerald and Betty had four daughters, and Frances and Eustace had three more children, adding to their existing two. Pedersen suggests that the "erotic intensity" of their cohabitation may have spurred fertility.
However, internal tensions persisted. Frances reportedly disliked children and found them boring, while her behavior, especially during summer visits to Arthur Balfour's estate, caused strain. Following several difficult summers, Arthur informed Frances that she would only be permitted to visit as a guest if she could not live cordially with his sister Alice, who managed the household.
Frances, despite her personal difficulties with women, was a fervent supporter of the women's suffrage movement, motivated by a desire for the equality she saw in men's lives. She was known to travel to Parliament daily to observe debates from the Ladies' Gallery.
In 1901, Gerald and Betty moved to Woking, where they had a house called Fishers Hill designed by Edwin Lutyens. This move exacerbated Frances's jealousy of their domestic happiness, and she described their new home negatively. In 1902, Gerald and Betty had a son, their long-awaited heir. According to family accounts, Frances reacted with hostility upon seeing the baby.
Eustace died in 1911 due to complications from alcoholism, leaving behind significant debts. Around 1913, Gerald, who had become involved with the Society for Psychical Research, met Winifred Coombe Tennant, a medium who went by the name 'Mrs. Willett.' Pedersen describes their encounter as a "coup de foudre," with both believing their relationship was guided by supernatural influence, particularly through automatic writing.
Betty, unaware of the depth of Gerald's connection with Winifred, even invited her to stay at Fishers Hill. Their affair coincided with Betty's pregnancy with their youngest child, Kathleen. Winifred also had a child with Gerald, and for a time, Betty invited them to live together as a blended family.
The affair between Gerald and Winifred ended after Winifred's eldest son was killed in action in 1917, plunging her into grief.
In a curious turn, the most enduring bond appears to have been between Frances and Betty. Over the subsequent decades, they corresponded daily, becoming allies in their suffragist activities and offering each other support, described as each other's "first responder" for 40 years.