Katharine Parnell, born Katharine Wood on January 30, 1846, and died on February 5, 1921, was an English woman from a political family. Before her second marriage, she was known as Katharine O'Shea and was popularly called Kitty O'Shea. She had an affair with Irish nationalist Charles Stewart Parnell. Their divorce in 1890 was widely known and caused his political downfall.

Background

Katharine Wood was born on January 30, 1846, in Braintree, Essex. She was the daughter of Emma Caroline Wood and Sir John Page Wood, the 2nd Baronet (1796–1866). She was also the granddaughter of Sir Matthew Wood, who once served as Lord Mayor of London. She had an older brother, who later became Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood. Additionally, she was the niece of Western Wood MP (1804–1863) and Lord Hatherley, who was Gladstone’s first Liberal Lord Chancellor.

Katharine was raised at Rivenhall Place, the family home in Rivenhall, Essex. She received little formal education but was surrounded by an environment that valued art and literature.

Early married life

In 1867, Katharine married Captain William O'Shea, who later became a member of Parliament for County Clare and supported Catholic rights. They separated around 1875.

An important person during this time in Katharine’s life was her great-aunt Anna Maria Wood, who was known as "Aunt Ben" in the family. Aunt Ben was born in 1792 and died in 1889. She was previously married to Benjamin Wood, who died in 1845. Benjamin was the brother of Sir Matthew Wood, the first person in his family to hold the title of Baronet. Aunt Ben wrote poetry and translated works from other languages. She rented a house in Brighton for Katharine and William O'Shea, where their first child was born while William worked to pay off debts. Aunt Ben lived at Eltham Lodge, where she hired George Meredith as a weekly companion. Meredith read aloud to her. This arrangement began in 1868, when Meredith was helping his friend Frederick Maxse.

During the mid-1870s, Katharine became Aunt Ben’s regular companion. She moved to Wonersh Lodge, a home near Eltham Lodge that Aunt Ben had purchased for her.

Relationship with Parnell

Katharine O'Shea first met Charles Parnell in 1880 and began a relationship with him. Her husband, William O'Shea, was not successful in his personal life but was trying to start a political career. James Patrick Mahon suggested that William and another man, William O'Shea, should run together for a political position in the Clare two-seat constituency during the upcoming general election. William relied on money from his aunt, Ben, and Mahon to fund his campaign. At this time, William lived in Albert Mansions on Victoria Street in London and often traveled to Spain for work. Katharine supported William as he entered politics.

After William won a political election in spring 1880, Katharine hosted a dinner for him in July at Albert Mansions. At this event, she met Charles Parnell socially, along with other guests such as Justin McCarthy and her sister, the novelist Anna Caroline Steele. By October 1880, Katharine and Parnell had started a relationship.

According to Paul Bew, Katharine quickly influenced Parnell’s political views. After a major meeting of the Irish National Land League in Paris in 1881, Parnell shifted away from violent methods, and some of his colleagues believed Katharine’s influence caused this change.

Through her family’s connection to the Liberal Party, Katharine acted as a bridge between Parnell and William E. Gladstone during discussions before the First Irish Home Rule Bill was introduced in April 1886. That summer, Parnell moved into Katharine’s home at Wonersh Lodge.

William O'Shea knew about Katharine and Parnell’s relationship. In July 1881, he challenged Parnell to a duel and told Katharine she could not see Parnell. Katharine’s sister, Anna Steele, helped resolve the situation. William later sent Parnell a harsh letter, but the matter was dropped after both men gave vague promises.

William remained quiet about the relationship publicly for several years, but rumors about it spread in London political circles starting in 1881. Katharine later told an interviewer, Henry Harrison, about her experiences after writing her memoirs.

In 1888, Katharine’s aunt, Ben, was taking medical opium for pain and changed her will to benefit Katharine. Katharine’s brothers, Charles Page Wood and Evelyn Wood, tried to claim that Aunt Ben was not mentally sound. Katharine brought in Sir Andrew Clark, a doctor who had treated Gladstone, to examine Aunt Ben. With Clark’s report, Katharine prevented her brothers from challenging the will. After Aunt Ben’s death later that year, she left Katharine a fortune of £140,000. Legal disputes over the will lasted three years, as family members disagreed. In 1892, Katharine settled the matter out of court, receiving 50% of the inheritance.

Public knowledge of Katharine and Parnell’s relationship caused a major scandal. In 1889, William O'Shea filed for divorce, naming Parnell as the co-respondent. This led to Parnell losing the support of most members of the Irish Parliamentary Party and his position as its leader in December 1890. Catholic Ireland was shocked when Katharine ended her previous marriage by marrying Parnell on June 25, 1891. Parnell’s political career and health had already suffered greatly. He died of pneumonia on October 6, 1891, in Hove, England, in Katharine’s arms, at the age of 45, less than four months after their marriage.

Later life

Although her friends called her "Katie," Parnell's enemies and the press referred to her as "Kitty O'Shea." She spent the rest of her life in relative obscurity and is buried in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England.

Historiography

Katharine Parnell wrote a biography about her husband, Charles Stewart Parnell, in 1914. The book was titled "Katharine O'Shea (Mrs. Charles Stewart Parnell)."

Henry Harrison, who had served as Parnell's bodyguard and assistant, focused on helping Katharine after Parnell's death. She shared with him a different account of the divorce than what had been reported in newspapers. This account became the foundation for Harrison's two books, published in 1931 and 1938, which defended Parnell's actions. These books significantly influenced how Irish history is studied, leading to a more positive understanding of Parnell's role in the O’Shea affair.

Children

The children of William O'Shea and Katharine were:

• Gerard William Henry O'Shea (1870–1943), who married Anna Christabel Barrett Lennard in 1896.
• Mary Norah O'Shea (1873–1903).
• Anna Maria del Carmen O'Shea (1874–1921), who married Dr. Arthur Herbert Buck in 1897. After their divorce in 1915, she married Sir Edward Lingard Lucas, 3rd Baronet, in the same year.

Three of Katharine’s children were fathered by Parnell. The first, Claude Sophie, died in early 1882. After the divorce, the court gave custody of the two remaining daughters to William O'Shea. Anna Steele helped arrange for Katharine and William O'Shea to share in Aunt Ben’s inheritance.

Katharine’s daughter by Parnell, Claire O'Shea (1883–1909), married Bertram Sydney Osmund Maunsell. Their only son, Assheton Clare Bowyer-Lane Maunsell (1909–1934), died from enteric fever while serving in the British Army in India. Katharine’s other daughter by Parnell, Katharine O'Shea (1884–1947), married Louis D'Oyley Morsford Moule of the East Lancashire Regiment. She died in an asylum.

Depictions

In the movie Parnell from 1937, Myrna Loy acted as O'Shea. Phyllis Calvert portrayed O'Shea in a version of Parnell called Play of the Week from 1959. In a TV miniseries named Parnell and the Englishwoman from 1991, Francesca Annis played O'Shea.