Born: 1654, United Kingdom
Died: 1709
Country most active: United Kingdom
Also known as: Eleanor Goodricke, Eleanor Ashfield
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women creator Allison Tyra’s book Uncredited: Women’s Overlooked, Misattributed, and Stolen Work.
When Eleanor Glanville married her second husband Richard in 1685, it was probably her worst life choice. He was violent towards her, including threatening her with a loaded pistol. Separating in 1698 allowed her to focus on becoming one of the foremost entomologists of her day, but Richard was not done making her life hell. In a bid to try and steal her wealth and assets, he started spreading rumours that she was insane, including trying to force her children to sign written affidavits to that effect. He even arranged the attempted kidnapping of one of her sons to force him to sign over his inheritance. To protect herself, she appointed trustees to manage her properties and willed the majority of her wealth to her cousin. When she died in 1709, her assets were valued at the equivalent of around £1 million in modern terms. After her death, her oldest son contested her will by taking a page from his stepfather’s book and claiming his mother was non compos mentis. No longer able to defend herself against slanders, Eleanor’s legacy was marred by her son’s assertions that she had delusions that her children had been changed into fairies, with other witnesses attesting to behaviours that were likely connected to her work studying moths and butterflies—beating bushes for larvae, dressing “like a gypsy” and venturing outside without all the appropriate clothing for a lady—which, given it was England circa 1700, was not exactly conducive to freedom of movement. Her will was overturned in 1712 on the grounds of perceived insanity.