£22.95 Hardback, £12.99 Paperback
In 1921 the Hon Mrs Christabel Russell, a famously spirited society beauty and wife of the heir to Lord Ampthill, became pregnant while still a virgin, and gave birth to a son. Her virtue being challenged, she was medically examined by doctors and declared to be virgo intacta, despite her marriage. The resultant court case, in which the husband tried to repudiate paternity and sued for divorce, was eventually won by the lady. Meanwhile the entire nation had gorged for months on salacious speculations and sexual detail from the newspapers and the lawyers, all discussing the question of how she could have become pregnant. Queues of those seeking entry to the courts formed the length of the Strand, bets were laid, and King George V outraged.
The private family photographs, letters and documents have been made available by the present Lord Ampthill to Bevis Hillier. The book includes accounts of contemporary court procedures, a comprehensive social survey of the temper of the age with regard to sex and marriage, and above all an historic phenomenon: the portrait of a woman who fascinated a generation.
Appendices
These are the Appendices to "The Virgin's Baby" as referenced in the text:
Appendix A - Their Lordship's House
“A beautifully crafted slice of tragic-comic social history.”
“Bevis Hillier has done a brilliant job and this book is both entertaining and definitive.”
“Bevis Hillier is a most witty and eloquent writer. This book is about sex and high society in an art deco setting. It is by turns harrowing and hilarious, moving and altogether enthralling.”
“Bevis Hillier has manfully managed to overcome his own distress, and has made every effort to include all the juicy details that so upset the King. He also has a wonderful nose for the richly humorous aspects of the case, describing it, quite rightly, as ‘a story of incredible accidents, ludicrous misunderstandings, amazing characters and wonderful repartee in the courts’.”