Lady Constance Keeble (née Threepwood, later Schoonmaker) is a recurring fictional character in the ''

Blandings Castle Blandings Castle is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Lord Emsworth and the setting for numerous tales and adventures. The stories were written between 1915 and 1975. The ...

'' stories by British comic writer

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

, being

Lord Emsworth Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl Emsworth, commonly known as Lord Emsworth, is a recurring fictional character in the Blandings Castle series of stories by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. He is the amiable and somewhat absent-minded head of t ...

's most formidable sister, a strikingly handsome woman, with a fair, broad brow, and perfectly even white teeth. She has the carriage of an empress, and her large grey eyes are misleadingly genial.

Life and character

When we first meet her in '' Leave it to Psmith'', she is recently married to wealthy Joe Keeble, and acting as

châtelain Châtelain was originally the French title for the keeper of a castle.Abraham Rees Ebers, "CASTELLAIN", in: The Cyclopædia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature' (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 1819), vol. 6. H ...

e at Blandings. She has an interest in the

Arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...

, and frequently invites writers and such to the castle;

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 Aileen Peavey and Ralston McTodd and

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

Orlo Watkins are prime examples of this trait. She endeavours in vain to persuade her brother

to dress more suitably, and to pay attention to important matters such as the family, rather than his garden and his beloved pig, Empress of Blandings. She bullies him mercilessly, forcing him to dress up in a tight collar and

top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or ...

for the Blandings Parva Annual School Treat, and making him act as a Justice of the Peace and make speeches at important local events. She also has a horror of anyone in her distinguished family marrying inappropriately, and spends much of her time trying to keep nieces and nephews away from unsavoury types. However, such matters pale in comparison to the embarrassment that could be caused by her brother

Galahad Threepwood The Honourable Galahad "Gally" Threepwood is a fictional character in the Blandings Castle stories by P. G. Wodehouse. Lord Emsworth's younger brother, a lifelong bachelor, Gally was, according to Beach, the Blandings butler, "somewhat wild as a ...

publishing his scandalous reminiscences; to prevent this, she is willing to allow the marriage of her nephew Ronnie to a chorus-girl, in ''

Summer Lightning ''Summer Lightning'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 1 July 1929 by Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday, Doran, New York, under the title ''Fish Preferred'', and in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1929 by Her ...

''. She is good friends with Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe, with whom she conspires to prevent the publication of Galahad's memoirs, and also with

Rupert Baxter Rupert J. Baxter is a fictional character in the Blandings stories by P. G. Wodehouse. Often called the Efficient Baxter, he is Lord Emsworth's secretary (although he routinely loses and regains this job), and an expert on many things, including E ...

, a man she considers most capable and on whom she calls whenever she is in dire need of practical assistance. In her youth, she had a bit of a thing with Alaric, the Duke of Dunstable, with whom she was often found whispering in conservatories or being the last back from picnics, but she later questions his sanity, even calling in

Sir Roderick Glossop Sir Roderick Glossop is a recurring fictional character in the comic novels and short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. Sometimes referred to as a "nerve specialist" or a "loony doctor", he is a prominent practitioner of psychiatry in Wodehouse's wor ...

on one occasion to have him analysed. Having been repeatedly defeated in her efforts to keep her family from marrying inappropriately, she finds herself once more in difficulty in ''

Service with a Smile ''Service with a Smile'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 15 October 1961 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, and in the United Kingdom on 17 August 1962 by Herbert Jenkins, London.McIlvaine (1990), pp. ...

'' when she becomes chaperone to Myra Schoonmaker. Finding her attempts to keep the girl away from her impoverished lover scuppered by

Uncle Fred Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, commonly known as Uncle Fred, is a fictional character who appears in comedic short stories and novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose an ...

, and with the redoubtable Baxter no longer available, she calls in the help of the girl's father, James Schoonmaker, an American millionaire. With the assistance of his old friend Uncle Fred, Schoonmaker gets up the courage to propose to the intimidating Connie, and the two are married in New York at the start of ''

Galahad at Blandings ''Galahad at Blandings'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 31 December 1964 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York under the title ''The Brinkmanship of Galahad Threepwood'', and in the United Kingdom on 26 A ...

''.

Stories

Lady Constance is featured in: * '' Leave it to Psmith'' (1923), in which Joe Keeble features * "

Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey "Pig-Hoo-o-o-o-ey" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the 9 July 1927 issue of ''Liberty'', and in the United Kingdom in the August 1927 ''Strand''. Part of the Blandings Castle canon, it featur ...

" (1927) * " Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend" (1928) * ''

'' (1929), in which she calls on Baxter's aid * '' Heavy Weather'' (1933), in which she conspires with Parsloe-Parsloe * "

The Crime Wave at Blandings "The Crime Wave at Blandings" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse that first appeared in the United States in two parts, in the October 10 and October 17, 1936 editions of the ''Saturday Evening Post'', and in the United Kingdom in the January 19 ...

" (1936) * '' Uncle Fred in the Springtime'' (1939), in which her past with Dunstable is revealed * ''

Pigs Have Wings ''Pigs Have Wings'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared as a serial in ''Collier's Weekly'' between 16 August and 20 September 1952. It was first published as a book in the United States on 16 October 1952 by Doubleday & Compan ...

'' (1952), in which she is a widow * ''

Service With a Smile ''Service with a Smile'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 15 October 1961 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, and in the United Kingdom on 17 August 1962 by Herbert Jenkins, London.McIlvaine (1990), pp. ...

'' (1961), in which James Schoonmaker first appears * " Sticky Wicket at Blandings" (1966) * '' A Pelican at Blandings'' (1969) Lady Constance is mentioned in: * ''

'' (1963) in which she marries James Schoonmaker

Adaptations

;Television *

Joan Sanderson Joan Sanderson (24 November 1912 – 24 May 1992) was an English actress. During a long career on stage and screen, her tall and commanding disposition led to her playing mostly dowagers, spinsters and matrons, as well as intense Shakespearean ...

played Lady Constance in a televised play adapted from "Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey" in 1954, and a televised play titled "Lord Emsworth and the Little Friend" in 1956. * In the 1967 television series ''Blandings Castle'', the first series of ''

The World of Wodehouse ''The World of Wodehouse'' is a comedy television series, based on the Blandings Castle and Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge, Ukridge stories written by P. G. Wodehouse.Taves (2006), pp. 179–182. (Episode titles, broadcast dates, and original ...

'', Lady Constance was played by

Meriel Forbes Meriel Forbes, Lady Richardson (13 September 1913 – 7 April 2000) was an English actress. She was a granddaughter of Norman Forbes-Robertson and great-niece of Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson. After making her stage debut with her father's tour ...

. *

Judy Parfitt Judy Catherine Claire Parfitt (born 7 November 1935) is an English theatre, film, and television actress. She made her film debut in the 1950s, followed by a supporting role in the BBC television serial ''David Copperfield'' (1966). She also ap ...

played Lady Constance in the 1995 television film '' Heavy Weather'', made by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

and partners and broadcast in the United States by

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. *

Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School ...

played Lady Constance in the 2013–2014 series '' Blandings'', made by the BBC. ;Film * In the 1933 film ''

Leave It to Me Leave may refer to: * Permission (disambiguation) ** Permitted absence from work *** Leave of absence, a period of time that one is to be away from one's primary job while maintaining the status of employee *** Annual leave, allowance of time away ...

'', Lady Constance was played by

Toni Edgar-Bruce Toni Edgar-Bruce (4 June 1892 – 28 March 1966) was a British actress, frequently seen on stage. Her theatre work included the original West End production of Somerset Maugham's '' The Circle'' in 1921. The actor-manager Edgar Bruce was h ...

. ;Radio * She was portrayed by Gladys Young in the 1939

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

radio adaptation of "The Crime Wave at Blandings", and in the 1940 radio adaptation of "Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey". * In the 1981 dramatisation of ''Leave It to Psmith'' broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, she was voiced by

Joan Greenwood Joan Mary Waller Greenwood (4 March 1921 – 28 February 1987) was an English actress. Her husky voice, coupled with her slow, precise elocution, was her trademark. She played Sibella in the 1949 film ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'', and also app ...

. * In the 1985–1992 '' Blandings'' radio series, she was voiced in different episodes by

Margot Boyd Margot Boyd (born Beryl Billings, 24 September 1913 – 20 May 2008) was an English stage, television and radio actress. She grew up in Bath and trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Here Boyd acted in a production ...

Elizabeth Spriggs Elizabeth Jean Spriggs (18 September 1929 – 2 July 2008) was an English actress. Spriggs' roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company included Nurse in ''Romeo and Juliet'', Gertrude in ''Hamlet'', and Beatrice in ''Much Ado About Nothing''. I ...

, and Joan Sanderson. * Lady Constance was portrayed by

Patricia Hodge Patricia Ann Hodge (born 29 September 1946) is an English actress. She is known on-screen for playing Phyllida Erskine-Brown in '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' (1978–1992), Jemima Shore in '' Jemima Shore Investigates'' (1983), Penny in '' Miranda ...

in radio adaptations of ''Summer Lightning'' (2010), ''Uncle Fred in the Springtime'' (2012), and ''Leave it to Psmith'' (2020).

References

; Sources consulted * ; Endnotes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keeble, Lady Constance P. G. Wodehouse characters Fictional lords and ladies Literary characters introduced in 1923 Fictional English people Female characters in literature