Jane Williams
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Jane Williams (''
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
'' Jane Cleveland; 21 January 1798 – 8 November 1884) was a British woman best known for her association with the Romantic poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...
. Jane was raised in England and India, before marrying a naval officer and settling in London. She soon left him for another military officer, Edward Ellerker Williams. After Edward and she left England for Italy, they became acquainted with Percy and
Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...
. Though she never had a romantic relationship with Shelley, near the end of his life he became deeply infatuated with her and addressed several of his poems to her. After Shelley and Edward Williams perished in a boating accident, she lived with Thomas Jefferson Hogg, also a close friend of Shelley, and had two children with him. The rest of her life was spent as a housewife in London.


Early life and first marriage

Jane was born in
Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...
into a wealthy family who owned an extensive library. Her mother gave birth to her when she was close to forty years old. Her father, who had spent much of his life working in India, died shortly after her birth. Her mother soon gambled away much of the family fortune. She was the family's fifth child. As a girl, she learned to sing and to play the harp, the guitar, and the piano. By her mid teens, Jane possessed an annual annuity of only £30. Jane spent much of her early life around military officers. Her brother, John Wheeler Cleveland, was an officer in the British Army who eventually reached the rank of general. He was deployed to India as a young man. Jane spent part of her childhood in India. While in India, she learned Hindustani and remained proficient in the language throughout her life. She often incorporated Indian harmonies into her music. After returning to London, she fell in love with John Edward Johnson, who was the captain of an
East Indiaman East Indiamen were merchant ships that operated under charter or licence for European trading companies which traded with the East Indies between the 17th and 19th centuries. The term was commonly used to refer to vessels belonging to the Bri ...
. This was a potentially lucrative career, and they were married at
St Pancras Old Church St Pancras Old Church is a Church of England parish church on Pancras Road, Somers Town, London, Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden. Somers Town is an area of the ancient parish and later Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras, London, St ...
in 1814. Though she could have travelled with him, Jane remained at home. They soon separated, most likely due to abuse by John. Jane later said that she suffered "irreparable injuries" while married to him.


Relationship with Edward Williams

After John Johnson left on a voyage in May 1817 Jane decided to leave him for Edward Ellerker Williams, to whom she may have been introduced by John. Williams was an
Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
graduate who had served in the Navy before becoming a lieutenant in the 8th Dragoons. Edwards had inherited enough money from his father, a military historian and descendant of
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
, to allow them to live comfortably. Although they never legally married, she became his
common-law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prec ...
wife and began referring to herself as Mrs. Jane Williams. Their relationship initially drew disapprobation from their families, with Jane's brother and Edward's stepmother reproaching them for their decisions. Jane's brother later apologised, and declared Johnson a "vile fellow". Edward's stepmother, however, always resented Jane. Though long distance mail moved very slowly then, Jane and her husband exchanged angry letters shortly after she left him for Edward. When John returned to London in late 1818, he made no attempt to force Jane to return to him, although it was his legal right to do so. Jane and Edward decided to leave London in 1819 after listening to Edward's friend Thomas Medwin discuss his travels of Europe. They travelled to
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
in September 1819 and stayed in a house that Medwin had found for them. By the time they arrived, Jane was four months pregnant. In February 1820, she gave birth to their first child, Edward Medwin Williams. That summer, Jane became pregnant again. Medwin left Geneva in September 1820 to visit his cousin, Percy Shelley, in
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
. Jane and Edward then travelled to France for several months, before joining Medwin and the Shelleys in Pisa in January 1821.


In Italy

Jane and Edward enjoyed living in Italy and immediately got along well with Percy and
Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...
. Medwin soon left them to travel to Rome. Their second child, Jane Rosalind, was born in March 1821. While they lived in Pisa the Shelleys and the Williamses often dined and went for walks together. Edward and Percy Shelley soon became close friends and often went boating, though this practice made their wives nervous. Percy Shelley often read his poetry to Edward, who was very impressed by its quality. Shelley also encouraged Edward to begin writing a play himself. That summer, both couples moved into nearby summer homes. In November, they returned to Pisa and met
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
, who had recently arrived there himself. The two couples later shared a house in a remote location near Lerici, where they were visited in early 1822 by Edward John Trelawny. Though they enjoyed each other's company, the house was small and the arrangements led to numerous conflicts between the servants of each family.


Shelley's infatuation

In June 1822, Mary Shelley suffered a miscarriage that left her depressed and irritable. After the conflicts this caused in her marriage, Percy Shelley developed strong feelings for Jane. He was particularly taken by her musical gifts and skill as a
housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...
. Shelley saw Jane as an ideal or even utopian woman, the embodiment of the qualities that he had always sought in a woman. This attraction and the close quarters in which the couples lived caused what has been described as "an extraordinary and mounting tension within the isolated household". Though she was flattered by the attention, Jane was careful not to reciprocate openly in order to avoid arousing her husband's suspicions. She was successful in her attempts to prevent Edward from suspecting infidelity on her part.


Poetry

Shelley wrote eleven poems for Jane during that time. She served as the primary inspiration for the last poems that he wrote before his death. This did not bother Edward; he was proud that his wife inspired such poetry. Some biographers of Shelley have maintained that Shelley's feelings for Jane were strictly platonic, although different scholars have observed themes of frustrated sexual desires in Shelley's poetry during this period. Other critics have noted that Shelley's poems during this period struggle to define his feelings. Having previously been drawn to other musical women, Shelley greatly appreciated her talents. Jane could skilfully play the flute, harp, and guitar. Shelley was particularly captivated by Jane's singing voice, to the extent that some commentators have suggested it had a hypnotic effect on him. Shelley once purchased a guitar for Jane, and commemorated the gift in the poem "With a Guitar, to Jane". In this poem, he ascribes to her voice the ability to alter the consciousnesses of her audience. Jane kept the guitar for her entire life and played it often. Shelley also purchased her a flageolet and wanted to give her a harp, but abandoned that plan due to its expense. Shelley attempted to disguise his feelings for her in these poems because he expected that Edward and she would read them together. In some cases, Shelley addressed the poems that were inspired by his feelings for Jane to both Edward and Jane. After writing poems in which his affections were less disguised, such as "The Serpent is shut out from Paradise", he hinted to Edward that he did not want Jane to see the poem. Shelley also used Edward as a stand-in for himself, having Edward read poems to Jane that Shelley had filled with ambiguous pronouns and innuendos. During this time, Percy Shelley concealed many of his interactions with Jane from his wife Mary. Jane later passed on the poems that Shelley had given her to Thomas Medwin and Edward John Trelawny; Trelawny later published them.


Return to England

In July 1822, Edward Williams and Percy Shelley drowned when their boat sank during a storm while returning to Lerici from Pisa. Shortly before their deaths, Jane dreamed of floods and on one occasion thought that she had seen Shelley's ghost through a window. After hearing of their deaths, Jane and Mary travelled back to Pisa for the funerals of their husbands; Williams and Shelley were cremated on consecutive days in August 1822. After Shelley's cremation, Jane was forced to settle a dispute between Mary Shelley and
Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centre ...
over what to do with what they believed was the unburnt heart of Percy Shelley. Though Hunt had initially taken it from Shelley's
pyre A pyre (; ), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the pyre, which is then set on fire. In discussi ...
, Mary insisted that he return it to her. Though Hunt was initially unwilling to do so, Jane later convinced him that it should be returned. Mary Shelley and Jane Williams briefly settled in
Albaro Albaro is an affluent residential neighbourhood of the Italian city of Genoa, located east of the city centre. It was formerly an independent comune, named San Francesco d'Albaro, included in the city of Genoa in 1873. At present, together w ...
, before proceeding to
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
together. There they separated in September due to Jane's desire to quickly return to England. Jane brought Edward's ashes with her back to England. Upon returning to England, Jane initially stayed with her elderly mother and often visited Vincent Novello and his family. Leigh Hunt was acquainted with Novello and had provided Jane with a letter of introduction. Novello enjoyed her company due to her excellent knowledge of music. When Edward's stepmother learned that Jane had returned, she unsuccessfully attempted to gain control of Edward's ashes and their children. Though she initially contemplated returning to Italy, Jane remained in England, though she described it as a "vile country". Part of the reason she disliked England was the climate, which she blamed for her poor health upon returning to England. Though her legal husband, John Edward Johnson, lived in London as well, Jane referred to herself as a widow during that period. While Jane was in Italy, John Johnson had also told people that he was widowed in order to freely attempt to find a new wife. Soon after her return to England, Jane met Thomas Jefferson Hogg, a lawyer who had been a longtime friend of Percy Shelley, after Mary suggested that Jane consult him about Edward's estate. Hogg had been a schoolmate and a close friend of Percy Shelley, and was drawn to Jane immediately upon her return from Italy. Hogg immediately began pursuing her and in early 1823 they began regularly spending time together. In March 1823, Jane moved out of her mother's home into a home of her own due to renovations at her mother's house. This allowed Hogg to visit her more freely. In the summer and early autumn of 1823, however, Hogg left for northern England on business. After Mary returned to England in 1823, Jane and Mary initially remained close friends and lived together in
Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town, close to Hampstead Heath. Kentish Town likely derives its name from Ken-ditch or Caen-ditch, meaning the "bed of a waterw ...
. During that time, Jane helped introduce Mary into society.


Relationship with Hogg

Hogg's father died in late 1823. This removed one of the potential obstacles to him openly living with Jane, the possibility of his father disinheriting him. Jane was initially hesitant to pursue a relationship with Hogg, however. As a condition of her acceptance, she insisted that he qualify by taking a tour of Europe. He left England in August 1825 and returned nine months later. She moved into his house in April 1827, and shortly after became pregnant. Few people in London knew that they were not married, with the exception of Hogg's family and their close friends. Mary Shelley was particularly approving of their union. In November 1827, Jane gave birth to Mary Prudentia Hogg after a difficult pregnancy. Mary Prudentia only lived 18 months, however, dying in May 1829. During Jane's pregnancy, Mary Shelley learned that Jane had spoken openly of Percy Shelley's attraction to her and coolness towards Mary late in his life. These revelations significantly hurt Mary's feelings. Their friendship survived, however, and Mary Shelley was selected as the godmother of Jane's daughter Prudentia Sarah Jefferson Hogg in 1836. Jane's legal husband, who was still living in London, attempted to blackmail her in 1838 by publishing the details of her marital status in Barnard Gregory's '' The Satirist''. Johnson published the notice after learning that she was living with a Mr. Hogg. He was mistaken as to the identity of her lover, however, and attempted to blackmail
James Hogg James Hogg (1770 – 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots language, Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a ...
, a Member of Parliament for Beverly. After James Hogg prepared to bring a libel suit, Johnson quickly disappeared. Although one journalist initially planned to publish the correct identities of the parties involved, at Mary Shelley's request Leigh Hunt convinced him not to publish the story. Johnson died in
Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...
in 1840, ensuring an end to the matter. Though they were now free to marry, Jane and Thomas declined to marry in order not to draw attention to the fact that they had been unmarried for so long. When Jane Rosalind and Henry, Leigh Hunt's son, became romantically involved, Jane strongly disapproved of the relationship. She sent Jane Rosalind to live with her old friend Claire Clairmont in France in an attempt to thwart the match. Clairmont, however, took Jane Rosalind's side and sent her back to England to be with Henry. Jane then relented and allowed them to marry, which they did in 1842. Jane's disapproval of the match caused serious offence to Leigh Hunt and his family. After Hogg's father died, he had to opportunity to move into his family home north of London. Although he initially considered doing so, he chose to stay in London due to the expense that maintaining a large home would involve. Jane also enjoyed living in London, she visited with friends and often gardened with her husband in his later years. The family led a quiet and stable life together, though at times their finances were strained.


Widowhood

Thomas Jefferson Hogg died in 1862. Though the bulk of Hogg's estate was left to their daughter Prudentia, Jane was provided for in the
will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
as well. Though Jane never used her connection with Shelley to gain any publicity, she did entertain prominent admirers and biographers of Shelley, including
George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...
and William Michael Rossetti. In the years before Hogg's death, a nephew of Jane's, one of John Cleveland's seven children, came to live with them after leaving the military due to an illness. Jane and her nephew, Harry Cleveland, became close friends and he began to run her household as she grew older. In her later years, Jane often read novels, played the piano, and spent time with Harry's daughter and her grandchildren. She lived a long life, and in her later years often wrote on census forms that she was born later than she actually was. Shortly before she died in 1884, she had a stroke that left her deaf and bedridden. After her death, she was buried along with the ashes of Edward Williams next to Thomas Jefferson Hogg in
Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...
.


See also

* One Word is Too Often Profaned


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* With a Guitar, to Jane * To Jane: The Invitation * To Jane: The Recollection * To Edward Williams (The serpent is shut out from Paradise) {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jane 1798 births 1884 deaths 19th-century English people 19th-century English women Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Housewives People from Marylebone Percy Bysshe Shelley