Lady Ranelagh is a year old publication by Dr. Michelle DiMeo about the life and contributions of Katherine Jones, Lady Ranelagh. Dr. DiMeo, a historian of science, is the Arnold Thackray Director of the Othmer Library. She has a PhD in History and English from the University of Warwick and a certificate in curation and management of digital assets from the University of Maryland. She has particular interest in alchemy, ethics, and networking. These interests are front and center within Lady Ranelagh as Dr. DiMeo investigates Ranelagh’s unique role within her society and her relationship to her brother, Robert Boyle. Robert Boyle would eventually be recognized as the father of modern chemistry and a pioneer of the scientific method. His study of ethics in science is attributed to the guidance of Ranelagh as a moral authority. Much of his experiments and research was conducted at Ranelagh’s house in a private laboratory. Robert Boyle’s work overshadowed his sisters due to gender norms, hence the significant delay in revelation of her contributions by historians such as Dr. DiMeo.
The overall argument of Dr. DiMeo’s book is that Ranelagh heavily influenced not only her brother’s, but multiple significant intellectuals’ as well as political players’ social and political opinions while contributing to scientific advancements in chemistry, horticulture, and medicine during the Scientific Revolution (62). The book is broken up into seven chapters, each coinciding with different periods in Ranelagh’s life. The first chapter examines Ranelagh’s birth and upbringing in Ireland. Her childhood was characterized by her family’s position of nobility and wealth in Ulster and her father’s strong Protestant beliefs. After the death of her mother, she stepped into the role of a surrogate parent in order to assist with raising her younger siblings, particularly her brother, Robert Boyle. Ranelagh eventually marries Arthur Jones, heir to the First Viscount Ranelagh. The marriage is strained, but produces several children. After the outbreak of religious rebellion in Ireland and the English Civil Wars, Ranelagh leaves her husband and children and moves to London in favor of a more simple and independent lifestyle. Chapter two discusses her entry into the Hartlib circle and the progressive recognition of her as a woman of piety and virtue as well as an intellectual. Here we see the shift in Ranelagh’s political ideology as her support of Charles I waned in favor of her growing support for Parliament. Chapter three shows the intellectual shift in Ranelagh’s studies toward medicine and the intersection of natural philosophy and ethics. She learns Hebrew in order to better study religious texts and gains religious agency as a translator and scholar. She assists in advocating for the allowance of Jews back into England. Ranelagh also returns to Ireland during this time to reclaim the Boyle family estates. Chapter four examines the three subsequent years she spends in Ireland and her intellectual networking in the 1650s. Chapter five focuses on her life during the Stuart restoration and her interpretation of plague, fire, and the Anglo-Dutch War as divine products of Gods wrath. She also advocates for the toleration of nonconformists, like herself. Chapter six examines Ranelagh’s medical practice as she treats high profile patients, including the future king James II. Chapter seven examines Ranelagh’s final 23 years where Robert Boyle permanently moves in with her and the two continue their studies together.
Dr. DiMeo states within her introduction that finding primary sources by or about Ranelagh proved difficult during her research and had to resort to piecing together tidbits from the works of Ranelagh’s peers and family. Dr. DiMeo utilizes personal correspondence, manuscripts, medicinal recipes, official documents, religious records, and various scientific publications as primary sources. Her secondary sources consist of works by her peers that bolster her argument and show the progression of recognition of Ranelagh’s contributions. Judging by the diction and complexity of the book, Dr. DiMeo’s intended audience is any interested reader. The book is a quick and easy read that captivates the audience with relatable details and various intimate twists and turns. The only weakness of the work is the lack our sources from Ranelagh herself, which is acknowledged by Dr. DiMeo.
For further information on Dr. DiMeo: https://www.sciencehistory.org/profile/michelle-dimeo
