THS Conference Saturday 1st August

Saturday 1st August 2026
All day event
The Casterbridge Room, The King's Arms,, 49 High E St, Dorchester DT1 1HU

The 27th International Thomas Hardy Conference & Festival

Saturday, 1st August

Scroll down to view and book events on the final day of the THS Conference

All events on this day are Free to THS Conference ticket holders and THS members

Closing Speaker

The Irrepressible Mary Jeune, Victorian Influencer

Amelia Fletcher, Author of "The Irrepressible Mary Jeune, Victorian Influencer", interviewed by Dr Tony Fincham

Time: 9.30am

Cost: Free to THS Conference Ticket Holders

Free to THS Members

Venue: The Casterbridge Room, The King's Arms, Dorchester

Priority booking for THS Conference delegates

Tickets available to THS Members from 2nd June 2026

At the end of the 19th century Mary Jeune (pronounced June) was one of the most renowned and influential people in Britain, ostensibly through her journalism on social and women’s affairs, and her uniquely diverse salon, but also clandestinely through her connections with those in power.

Spanning 85 years, from a bizarrely spartan upbringing in the Scottish Highlands to her death in 1931, this account of Jeune’s life offers fresh views of well-known figures such as Oscar Wilde, Thomas Hardy, Millicent Fawcett, Randolph and Winston Churchill. At the same time, it contains a rogues’ gallery of eccentrics and mavericks who have since sunk, like her, into obscurity.

Behind an exterior indomitable enough to inspire Wilde’s Lady Bracknell lay a far more approachable personality. This book reveals the many dimensions and contradictions of a unique Victorian.

Mary Jeune had a finger in just about every pie of the time, political, social, or cultural. This biography will appeal to not only those interested in the period, but to anyone who likes to be entertained by a well-told story.

Mary Jeune was a prominent London hostess, philanthropist, and essayist who acted as a "gatekeeper" to intellectual and social success in late-Victorian London. Hardy called her "Mrs Jeune the irrepressible".

Later becoming Lady St. Helier, she is recognized by modern scholars as a key influence and inspiration for the portrayal of the "New Woman" and intellectual, social-climbing characters in Thomas Hardy's later works, including potential influences on the character of Sue Bridehead in Jude the Obscure.

BOOK ONLINE

THS Conference Delegates have Priority

Tickets available to THS Members from 2nd June

Amelia Fletcher is the great great granddaughter of Mary Jeune, who was an important person in Hardy's life for more than a decade. His preferred London refuge was Mary Jeune's Marylebone house, where he was always welcome and made part of the family, becoming 'Uncle Tom' to Mary's two daughters.

My book 'The Irrepressible Mary Jeune, Victorian Influencer', charts their friendship in some detail. It also mentions that Mary's daughter Dorothy remained a close friend of Hardy's until his death. Whenever his novels were attacked by the press It was to Mary he turned for support. As an established journalist and general celebrity, her letters to the newspapers tended to get noticed!

Signed copies of the book will be available at the talk

The Thomas Hardy Society Annual General Meeting 2026

THS Members are warmly invited to attend this year's AGM, which will be held on 1st August 2026 at 11am in The Casterbridge Room at The King's Arms.

The event will discuss the activities and proceedings of the previous year, and update members on plans for the future. It will be a very informative and enjoyable meeting with the opportunity to socialise with both old friends and new.

Members will also be able to join the AGM via Zoom.

Any proposals for this meeting should be handed to the Secretary three weeks in advance. Likewise, any other correspondence in connection with this meeting should be sent to the Secretary, The Thomas Hardy Society c/o Coastland College, Kingston Maurward Campus, Dorchester, DT2 8PX

Please RSVP

The Hand of Ethelberta

The New Hardy Players

To mark the 150th Anniversary of The Hand of Ethelberta, The New Hardy Players are producing a new Autumn production.

THS Conference delegates and THS members are invited to an exclusive "Taster Performance" with The New Hardy Players presenting Act 1, where Ethelberta is introduced, along with all her potential suitors and the dilemma: Who should she marry? The novel was subtitled "A Comedy in Chapters" and the production will reflect the comedic elements of the novel.