She Married Into the Astor Fortune. Then She Took Her Husband’s Seat in Parliament: Nancy Astor

Hey guys! We're now on Spotify 🎧 Join us here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cvs0yj... Born in Danville, Virginia, on 19 May 1879, Nancy Langhorne left her first husband on their honeymoon and married Waldorf Astor in 1906, a man born on exactly the same day. His father gave them Cliveden and the 55-carat Sancy diamond, then accepted a peerage that forced Waldorf out of the House of Commons when the old man died in October 1919. Nancy stood for his Plymouth seat to keep it warm, won by a majority of 5,203, and on 1 December 1919 became the first woman to take her seat in the Commons. She held it for more than 25 years. Then the one man who had sent her there decided she had to go. Subscribe to the channel: @velvetsociety-s7l In this video, we talk about what happened to Nancy Astor, including her Virginia childhood at Mirador, the first marriage to Robert Gould Shaw II, the shipboard meeting with Waldorf Astor, the Astor fortune and the gift of Cliveden, the peerage that cost Waldorf his seat, the 1919 Plymouth Sutton by-election, her walk into the Commons between Lloyd George and Balfour, the maiden speech on drink, the 1923 law that made 18 the age for a drink in a pub, her son Bobbie Shaw, the Cliveden Set, the Plymouth Blitz, the letter that ended her career, and her last words at Grimsthorpe Castle. 🔔 Subscribe so the next heiress, hostess or rebel wife finds you. 💬 Comment where you're watching from, and tell me whether Waldorf was right to make Nancy step down. 📢 Share this with someone who loves political history, on Facebook, Reddit or in the family group chat. You are the reason this channel keeps going. Chapters: 00:00 Opening 01:19 A Virginia Girl Raised on Ruin and Railroads 08:09 The Bride Who Ran Home on Her Honeymoon 14:51 The Man Born on Her Birthday 22:21 The Hostess Who Never Drank 31:23 The Title His Father Bought 49:13 George, You Forgot to Bow 58:06 Alone Among Six Hundred Men 1:06:41 The Son in the Cell and the Set at Cliveden 1:15:48 Dancing on the Hoe While Plymouth Burned 1:23:43 The Hardest Letter She Ever Wrote 1:31:23 Is It My Birthday, or Am I Dying Sources: Hansard, Nancy Astor's maiden speech, 24 February 1920 https://api.parliament.uk/historic-ha... Hansard, Peerage (Surrender) Bill, 26 November 1919 https://api.parliament.uk/historic-ha... University of Reading, Astor 100: a short timeline https://research.reading.ac.uk/astor1... Plymouth City Council, Nancy Astor resources https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/nancy-ast... History of Parliament, Nancy Astor: the first female MP in the House of Commons https://historyofparliament.com/2014/... The National Archives, Nancy Astor: 100 years of women in Parliament https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/... London Review of Books, Musical Chairs with Ribbentrop https://lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v34/n24/b... DISCLAIMER: This video is based on real historical events and figures, drawn from the sources listed above alongside primary archives, biographies, court records, period press, and leading historical scholarship. While every video is heavily researched, occasional minor inaccuracies in dates, quotes, or specific details may occur — historical sources sometimes disagree, and interpretation is sometimes required where the historical record is silent. Any errors are unintentional. #NancyAstor #Cliveden #VelvetSociety