Today, the overriding perception of Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland (1901–2000) is one of a woman sitting on a cloud of pink chiffon with a lap dog in one hand and a pen in the other ready to dash off another tale of high romance with chaste protagonists personifying traditional ideals of beauty. Her leading males were always chivalrous and magnanimous in duty and always knew the right thing to do whilst her female leads were typically cast as vulnerable innocents who were just waiting for a gallant gentleman to sweep them off their feet and save them from their own folly and some dastardly cad in breeches – I simplify things there somewhat. Cartland is credited with writing over 700 novels and selling over 750 million copies of her books and being bestowed with the title of the Queen of Romance.
Yet beneath the gauze of taffeta, hides an astute businesswoman and prolific writer of non-fiction who amongst other things wrote a book on health food, ‘Barbara Cartland’s Health Food Cookery Book’, 1971 (L 52.41 CAR) and a manual on married life, ‘Love and Marriage’, 1971 (L 52.41 CAR). The dedication in Love and Marriage is to her mother and reads, ‘Dedicated to my wonderful Mother who taught me that a Husband must always come first.’ And yet in her own life, she married only once to a Captain Alexander McCorquodale in 1927 and divorced in 1933. Her first novel, ‘Jigsaw’, published in 1923 was considered too sexually suggestive for the tastes of the time and her manual on married life published in the 1950s was apparently banned in Ireland.
Birmingham Beginnings
In 1966, Barbara Cartland gave an interview to Nova magazine entitled ‘Back To Square One’ (LP 78.1 CAR) in which she spoke about her Birmingham origins. There’s scant reference to the women in Cartland’s life apart from her grandfather’s wife, Flora Falkner who Cartland describes as a ‘beautiful Scottish woman descended from Robert the Bruce.’ The focus of the article is on the men in her life: her grandfather, James; her great uncle, Major Howard; and Barbara’s brother, Ronald.
Interestingly, Nova which ran from 1965–1975 often carried articles on topics such as abortion, divorce and sexual health which at the time were considered politically radical. Not the type of publication you would automatically associate with such as champion of the establishment. Yet, Barbara was a social commentator and not afraid to voice her views. She had worked as a columnist for a national UK newspaper in the 1920s.
In the piece Cartland said she was born in Birmingham at Vectis Lodge, Augustus Road in Edgbaston. The family were living in Worcestershire at the time but it had been suggested to Cartland’s parents they travel up to Birmingham to stay with her grandfather, James Cartland where a ‘distinguished gynaecologist’ would bring baby Barbara safely into the world. Her mother was Mary Hamilton Scobell who lived to a grand age like her daughter and her father was Major James Bertram Falkner Cartland who was killed in battle in World War One. Cartland subsequently went on to loose both of her brothers, Major Ronald and James Anthony Hamilton in the retreat from Dunkirk in 1940.
It’s not said for how long after her birth Barbara remained in Birmingham. She went on to be educated at a private girls’ school in Malvern, Worcestershire and an institution in Hampshire.
The Cartland Men
In the interview with Nova, Barbara describes James Cartland as a financier. She mentions that James’ father, John arrived in Birmingham during the Industrial Revolution and opened a brass foundry. The business was founded in Loveday Street c1823 as Dyer and Cartland. Subsequent premises were at Constitution Hill and Little Green Lane, Bordesley where the company became known as James Cartland & Son. The final factory closed its doors c 1955. Our Birmingham Trade Catalogue Collection holds documents for James Cartland & Sons (LS/10/C/62).
In the interview, Barbara mentions the Cartland family home and estate, The Priory which was located in King’s Heath near to Hazelwell railway station and at the time of her birth occupied by John Cartland’s eldest son, Major Howard Cartland who by all accounts was a bit of a character (it must run in the family). According to Barbara, ‘up to the age of eighty–eight, he not only rode every day of his life but he showed his horses at the King’s Heath Horse Show.’ Howard died aged 91 in June 1940 which according to Barbara was only twenty–seven days after the death of her brothers at Dunkirk. The Priory was demolished in 1950 and the King Edward Grammar School, Camp Hill was built on the site.
It’s been suggested Cartland’s closest relationship was with her brother, Ronald who was Conservative MP for Kings Norton, Birmingham. In the Nova interview, Barbara states her brother was living at the Priory in 1935 when he was a serving MP. Barbara is credited in being instrumental in bolstering her brother’s electoral campaign and would often go canvassing with him. When he died in 1940, Barbara wrote and published a biography with a preface by Winston Churchill entitled ‘Ronald Cartland. A biography containing references to Birmingham by his sister. With a preface by Winston S. Churchill and obituaries by many famous people’, 1942 (L 78.1 CAR).
If you want to find out more about Barbara Cartland and her extended Birmingham connections, you can search our archival catalogue and the catalogue to the library’s printed collections.
Paul Taylor, Archives & Collections Coordinator
The Iron Room 
Is Vectis Lodge still standing? I can’t find any contemporary reference. A number of people were born there over the years.