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

