THE vivid jottings of a Georgian gentlewoman from the Ribble Valley have formed the basis of an award-winning book.

Dr Amanda Vickery's 'The Gentleman's Daughter,' published by Yale, charts women's lives in Georgian England. It centres on Elizabeth Parker, of Browsholme Hall, near Clitheroe, later Elizabeth Shackleton.

Dr Vickery studied thousands of letters written and received by Elizabeth and 39 meticulous diaries recording her life over a 19-year period from 1762 until her death in 1781.

From her courtship with her ardent second cousin Robert Parker, of Alkincoats Hall, near Colne - a clandestine affair of seven years until her father allowed them to marry - to her husband's death after seven years of marriage and her subsequent elopement with a local wool merchant 16 years her junior, who later took to drink and domestic violence. The book has now won three top literary prizes for Preston-born Dr Vickery, who runs an MA Women's History course at the Royal Holloway University, London. Dr Vickery used the letters, diaries and household account books of 100 Northern gentlewomen as her source material.

Dominating her study was Elizabeth Parker, who was widowed at 30 with three small sons and caused a scandal by eloping to Gretna Green aged 37 with John Shackleton, 21.

Dr Vickery said Elizabeth Parker was the most prolific writer she had come across during her research.

Her documents were rich in information about rank and social structure, household management, consumerism and fashion, local politics and politeness, high culture and gossip. Diana Parker, the mother of Robert Parker, who currently owns Browsholme Hall, helped Dr Vickery in her research.

She said the Parker family were absolutely thrilled with the award-winning scholarly work featuring their ancestor.

"I had read all of Elizabeth's diaries and knew them well, before being approached by Dr Vickery.

"The diaries and letters have been at Browsholme ever since they were written, but are now in the Preston Records Office. "We are very pleased with the book. It was a great pleasure working with Dr Vickery and her book is a marvellous account of the life of our ancestor Elizabeth and the lives of Georgian women," she said.

'The Gentleman's Daughter' has so far won the Whitfield Prize, the Longman History Today Prize and the Wolfson Award.

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