The Marriage Announced

Abstract

From a letter by W. A. S. Hewins to Sidney Webb, 30 May 1898 (BLPES). William Albert Samuel Hewins (1865–1931), political economist, was the first director of the London School of Economics (1895–1903) and later a Conservative MP (1912–18). The Webbs were away on a round-the-world voyage from March 1898 until the end of the year. On 12 March Charlotte had set off for Italy to escape the impasse of her relationship with Shaw. Her project was a study of Rome’s municipal administration. She was haled back by news of Shaw’s diseased foot, arriving in London on 2 May. Shaw’s invalid condition precipitated their marriage, which took place at the Covent Garden registry office on 1 June. Some idea of family reaction may be gained from a letter by Charlotte’s cousin, Edith Somerville (of Irish RM fame), who amongst other uneasy speculations wrote: ‘he can’t be a gentleman and he is too clever to be really in love with Lottie, who is nearly clever but not quite. However it may be better than it seems’ (Maurice Collis, Somerville and Ross: A Biography [London: Faber & Faber, 1968] p. 127).