Julia Mary Seton Abel Smith[1] DL is a British historian and historical preservationist. She has authored the books Pavilions in Peril (1988) and Forbidden Wife (2020), the latter of which is about the relationship and eventual marriage of Lady Augusta Murray and Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex. She also served as High Sheriff of Essex (2013–2014).
Julia Abel Smith | |
|---|---|
| High Sheriff of Essex | |
| In office 2013–2014 | |
| Preceded by | Christopher Palmer-Tomkinson |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Charrington |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse | Charles Abel Smith |
| Alma mater | Selwyn College, Cambridge |
| Occupation |
|
Biography
editJulia Wolton was born in 1959 or 1960.[2] She was educated at Selwyn College, Cambridge, obtaining a degree in Art History.[3][4] She married Charles Abel Smith, a descendant of the Smith banking family.[5][a]
She worked for Save Britain's Heritage and as a historical researcher for the Landmark Trust.[4][8] In 1987, she wrote a report on the deteriorating state of British garden buildings for Save Britain's Heritage, titled Pavilion in Peril;[9] the same and next year, she and the report were cited in several news articles on the condition of follies, including in the New York Times.[10][11][12][13][14][15] She also has a career of creating catalogues of art, including a cataloguing project of sculptures in public ownership within Bedfordshire, Essex, and Hertfordshire and Art UK's catalogues of paintings located at the University of Cambridge or in public ownership within Essex.[8][4]
In February 2020, Abel Smith published Forbidden Wife, a historical book about the relationship and eventual marriage of Lady Augusta Murray and Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex.[16] She had come up with the idea after learning about Murray during her research on the Dunmore Pineapple and being inspired by the obscure nature of Murray's history.[17][18] In her review of The Forbidden Wife for Tatler, Francesca Carington described Abel Smith as "a wonderful storyteller", noting that "her descriptions of late-eighteenth-century Virginia, Rome and London are almost novel-like in colour and detail".[19] She also wrote Augusta's Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article.[17]
She was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Essex on 17 September 2007.[20] She was appointed High Sheriff of Essex in 2013, serving until 2014.[1][4] She also serves as a governor of Felsted School.[21]
As of 2013, she lived in Little Leighs.[22] She also practices cycling as a hobby, having reportedly trained for a long ride from London to Paris.[2]
Notes
edit- ^ Wilfrid Abel Smith's father Ralph Richard Abel Smith was a male-line great-grandson of Abel Smith MP.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Appointment of Sheriffs". The London Gazette. No. 60447. 14 March 2013. p. 5101.
- ^ a b "New High Sheriff 'excited' by opportunities of office: Julia Abel Smith looking forward to working with variety of people". Essex Chronicle. 28 March 2013. p. 27. ProQuest 1321080530. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ The Selwyn College Calendar 2019–2020. Cambridge: Selwyn College, Cambridge. p. 118.
- ^ a b c d "New Patron of Felsted Art". Felsted School. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "[cover]". Country Life. 12 June 1986.
Miss Julia Wolton, only daughter of Mr and Mrs John Wolton, of The Old Rectory, Little Saxham, Suffolk, is to be married to Mr Charles Abel Smith, only son of Mr and Mrs Wilfrid Abel Smith
- ^ "W.I.A. SMITH WEDS BASILIA L. WELGH". New York Times. 25 July 1956. p. 23. ProQuest 113801872. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ Burke, Bernard (1925). "Smith of Goldings". A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry. p. 1619. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Governors of the School". Felsted School. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "New study of historic site". Lincolnshire Echo. 1 August 1987. p. 9. Retrieved 20 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Powell, Martin (21 July 1987). "PAVILIONS IN PERIL?". 21 July 1987. p. 4. Retrieved 20 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New study of historic site". Lincolnshire Echo. 1 August 1987. p. 9. Retrieved 20 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rees, Mary (25 July 1987). "Plea for our imperilled pavilions". South Wales Evening Post. p. 7. Retrieved 20 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pavilions in peril... a heritage at risk". Leicester Mercury. 11 August 1987. p. 8. Retrieved 20 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Pavord, Anna (15 August 1987). "Faded splendour of lost pavilions". The Independent. p. 11. Retrieved 20 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ TRUCCO, TERRY (28 January 1988). "Restoring Fanciful British Pavilions". New York Times. pp. C11. ProQuest 426712004. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Forbidden Wife". The History Press. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Julia Abel Smith". Isle of Wight Literary Festival. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ Abel Smith, Julia. "Ask the author: Julia Abel Smith on Lady Augusta Murray". The History Press (Interview). Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ Carington, Francesca (15 June 2020). "The non-fiction edit: What to read right now". Tatler. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Deputy Lieutenant Commissions". www.thegazette.co.uk. 17 September 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Deputy Lieutenants of Essex". Essex Lieutenancy. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Visit Chelmsford app gets the royal seal of approval: High Sheriff of Essex Julia Abel-Smith praises our handheld guide". Essex Chronicle. 24 October 2013. p. 31. ProQuest 1444545741. Retrieved 20 February 2024. Grainger, Ally