Elizabeth Bellamy (also Kirbridge) is a fictional character in the
ITV period drama
A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...
''
Upstairs, Downstairs'', originally broadcast for
five series from 1971 to 1975. She was portrayed by
Nicola Pagett.
Elizabeth is the daughter of Richard and Lady Marjorie, and was a main character for the first two series, appearing in 13 episodes. She grew up at 165, Eaton Place (exterior shots were the actual 65 Eaton Place, with a "1" painted in front of "65") in fashionable
Belgravia
Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dangerous pla ...
. The spoiled, self-absorbed younger sister of
James, Elizabeth takes a somewhat fleeting, but serious, interest in various social causes, including
socialism
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
and the
Suffragette movement. The impulsive Elizabeth marries a poet, Lawrence Kirbridge, but he turns out to have no interest in sex and arranges for his publisher to make love to Elizabeth, and a child is conceived. Soon after, Lawrence is sent abroad with an allowance, and Elizabeth has a relationship with an Anglo-
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
n. Elizabeth is close to the maid Rose, who frequently calls her "Miss Lizzie", even after marriage.
Elizabeth leaves ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' between the second and third series when she moves to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. The reason for the departure was Nicola Pagett's refusal to appear again, after she was not selected to appear in an ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' film. The film was never made.
Early life
Elizabeth is born in 1886 to
Richard Bellamy, a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
MP, and
Lady Marjorie Bellamy, the daughter of the 12th Earl of Southwold, a prominent Conservative
politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. She finishes her education at Frau Beck's Finishing School, in
Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
, Germany, in 1905 and has her coming out ball in May of that year at
Londonderry House. She was due to be presented to
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
by her aunt Kate (Lady Castleton), but runs away from the ball. Unlike her elder brother James, she is close to her father, while having a somewhat strained relationship with her mother (with whom she shares a tendency to haughty behaviour, though Elizabeth lacks her mother's kindness or maternal feeling).
In December 1905, she falls in love with Baron Klaus von Rimmer, a German who turns out to be a homosexual. Her maid
Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...
discovers that he is having an affair with the footman
Alfred
Alfred may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series
* ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne
* ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák
*"Alfred (Interlu ...
. Alfred warns Klaus that the police are coming to arrest him and they flee 165 Eaton Place. Not wishing Elizabeth to know about the baron's sexual preference, she is told that he is an agent for the German armaments firm
Krupp
Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp (formerly Fried. Krupp AG and Friedrich Krupp GmbH), trade name, trading as Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century as well as Germany's premier weapons manufacturer dur ...
seeking to bribe members of Parliament (which is also true, and the reason for the arrival of the police).
Elizabeth is a member of the Young Women's Christian Fellowship, and while working with them in a
soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to Hunger, hungry and homeless people, usually for no price, cost, or sometimes at a below-market price (such as coin Donation, donations). Frequently located in Low i ...
, she sees the former housemaid
Sarah
Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...
, and saves her from poverty by arranging for her re-employment, as the
scullery maid at 165 Eaton Place.
Marriage to Lawrence Kirbridge
In the winter of 1908, she becomes involved with a group of
socialist
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
s, and upsets her parents by inviting them to tea whilst they are away. She also, under the influence of one member, Evelyn Larkin, accrues a bill of over £4 on shoes and socks for street children, then refuses to pay for them and is arrested. Her father intervenes, and pays for the shoes. After an argument with her parents, she runs away from home to stay with her friend
Henrietta Winchmore, and is only discovered after Rose is forced to tell
Hudson
Hudson may refer to:
People
* Hudson (given name)
* Hudson (surname)
* Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back
* Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...
where Elizabeth is staying. Her father visits, and shortly afterwards, Elizabeth and poet
Lawrence Kirbridge have tea at Eaton Place.
While Elizabeth is reluctant to marry rather than having a relationship outside marriage, Rose persuades her that it is the right thing to do. She and Lawrence Kirbridge, who is the
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
-educated maternal grandson of a
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
, marry in June 1909.
[According to Series One, she and Lawrence marry in 1909, however in Series Two everything is put back a year, and they are said to marry in 1908. This article follows the Series One date.] They take their honeymoon in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, and set up home in
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
.
Sir Edwin Partridge and birth of daughter
The marriage is unhappy from the start, and Lawrence does not wish to
consummate the relationship. He later angrily asks his valet Thomas whether he thinks that Lawrence is homosexual. Lawrence 'arranges' for his publisher, the much older
Sir Edwin Partridge, to make love to Elizabeth at a soiree the couple host. During Christmas 1908, Elizabeth informs her parents that her marriage has failed. The family solicitor,
Sir Geoffrey Dillon, prepares for an
annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning alm ...
of the marriage on the grounds that it has not been consummated. However, after an examination by a doctor, it is discovered that Elizabeth is three to four months pregnant and she is forced by her father to divulge the identity of the father. Lawrence is sent abroad with an allowance, and the Greenwich house is sold.
Later, Elizabeth gives birth to a daughter, Lucy Elizabeth, in a London nursing home. To avoid scandal, and since Lawrence is the legal father, he is asked to attend the baby's
christening. Following the ceremony, he is never heard from again. Elizabeth, lacking maternal feelings, is indifferent to the baby and content to have Lucy be brought up in the nursery by Sarah and the servants.
Suffragettes and affair with Julius Karekin
Elizabeth becomes involved in the
Suffragette movement, participating in an attack on an MP's house. She is arrested, along with the innocent Rose. A businessman and investor of
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
n descent,
Julius Karekin, who exiting the MP's house, finds Elizabeth's card, and at the court hearing gets her off with a 40 shilling fine, which he then pays. All the others, including Rose, are sent to prison. This makes Elizabeth feel guilty, and with the help of Karekin she gets Rose freed after the discovery that the women are being force fed.
Elizabeth soon starts an affair with Karekin, and he gives her a hat shop, which she names ''Madame Yvonne''. He also buys 165, Eaton Place when the £5600 lease is up for sale following the death of Lady Marjorie's father, and gives the house to Richard and Lady Marjorie. Her relationship with Julius Karekin fizzles out after a few months when he starts a relationship with someone else. He had always made it clear that he was a philanderer. Elizabeth is last seen celebrating Lady Marjorie's birthday, about two years before Lady Marjorie dies in the sinking of the ''
Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...
'' in 1912.
Move to New York City, 1911-1929
Although Elizabeth is last seen on the series in 1910, it is mentioned that she has moved to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, and has married an attorney named Dana J. Wallace. No other information is given as to why she moved, and how she met Wallace.
In 1914, when talking to
Georgina, Rose refers to Elizabeth and "her husband and children", meaning that she and Wallace have at least one child, since Elizabeth had only one child prior to her second marriage. Lady Marjorie is on her way to see Elizabeth in New York when the ''Titanic'' sinks and Lady Marjorie drowns. Elizabeth becomes entitled to the style '
The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style ...
' when her father is raised to the
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks.
Peerages include:
A ...
in 1917.
In 1924, Georgina stays with Elizabeth in New York, and while James is in America in 1928-1929, he visits Elizabeth. While James is in New York, he and Wallace invest in the stock market and James becomes wealthy. The 29 October 1929
stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a major cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic selling and underlying economic factors. They often fol ...
occurs and Wallace loses money, but manages to pull some funds out in time. James, back in London, does not hear about the stock market crash for many hours, and by then, it is too late - he has lost all of his money.
References
Bibliography
*
John Hawkesworth, ''In My Lady's Chamber'',
Sphere Books Limited, 1973
See also
*
The Fruits of Love
*
A Special Mischief
*
Married Love (Upstairs, Downstairs)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellamy, Elizabeth
Upstairs, Downstairs characters
Television characters introduced in 1971
Fictional people from London
British female characters in television
Fictional characters from New York City