Historical Homos

Two Lesbians, 1 Castle: A Tale of Two "Romantic Friends" (feat. Indigo Dunphy-Smith)

4 snips
Feb 20, 2026
Indigo Dunphy-Smith, a queer history researcher in Edinburgh who uncovers LGBTQ+ stories in historic homes, digs into Eliza Fraser and Mary Bristow. They lived together in Castle Fraser, wrote erotic poetry, kept travel journals, and created a shared domestic life. The conversation explores romantic friendship, queer material culture, and how objects and rooms reveal hidden relationships.
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INSIGHT

Romantic Friendship Redefined

  • Romantic friendship shows 18th-century meanings of romance and friendship differed from today, so emotional intensity didn't necessarily imply erotic sex.
  • Bash and Indigo explain the term reflects cultural codes where devotion improved moral character, not only sexual desire.
ANECDOTE

Spa Meet Cute Turned Lifelong Partnership

  • Eliza Fraser and Mary Bristow met at Clifton Spa on 18 June 1781 and celebrated that date as their anniversary for life.
  • They immediately traveled Europe together (Portugal, Spain, Monaco, Italy) and kept travel journals full of affectionate poetry.
INSIGHT

Castle Architecture Mirrors Secrecy

  • Castle Fraser's architecture and hidden features echo the Fraser family's Jacobite history and culture of secrecy.
  • Indigo describes secret chapels, trapdoors and spy-holes that reflect living between appearance and truth in their daily space.
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