Wentworth Castle (9)

The inscription on this tablet reads "To the memory of the Rt. Hon. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu who in the year 1720 introduced inoculation of the smallpox into England from Turkey." (There is another, older tablet just above this one, with the same inscription, but it is eroded and much harder to read.)

Lady Mary's husband Edward was appointed Ambassador to the Ottoman royal court in 1716, and while in Turkey she saw how local people would infect children with a mild dose of smallpox in order to give them immunity and protect them from serious illness.

Lady Mary tried to introduce this form of inoculation on her return to England, and after some initial resistance, the practice was gradually accepted. Among the early adopters were Lord and Lady Strafford of Wentworth Castle; it was probably their son William, who inherited the estate in 1739, who dedicated the memorial to Lady Mary, because he knew personally how important she had been.

(Part of the Yorkshire collection)

Picture taken: June 2024

Page last updated: 20 September 2024