Florence Arnold-Forster
| Florence Vere O'Brien | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Florence Mary Arnold-Forster 3 July 1854 Bayswater, London, United Kingdom |
| Died | 8 July 1936 (aged 82) Ballyalla, County Clare, Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | establishment of The Limerick Lace School and Clare Embroidery |
| Parent(s) | William Delafield Arnold and Frances Anne Arnold |
| Relatives | Thomas Arnold, Matthew Arnold, William Edward Forster |
Florence Vere O'Brien (3 July 1854 – 8 July 1936) was a British diarist, philanthropist, and craftswoman. She set up The Limerick Lace School and Clare Embroidery.
Florence Vere O'Brien was born Florence Mary Arnold in Bayswater, London, on 3 July 1854. She was the second of four children of William Delafield Arnold and Frances Anne Arnold (née Hodgson). Her father was the son of Thomas Arnold and brother of the poet Matthew Arnold. He served in the Indian army from 1850, later being appointed in the civil service becoming director of public instruction in Punjab in 1856. When Frances Anne Arnold died in India in March 1858, the children were sent back to England in January 1859 by ship by their father. He intended on joining them in England, but during the journey overland he became seriously ill and died in Gibraltar on 9 April 1859. The children were raised by their aunt Jane (née Arnold) and William Edward Forster, becoming so close that the children formally decided to adopt the name Arnold-Forster when the youngest sister, Frances, came of age in 1878.
From a young age, O'Brien was an avid letter writer, diarist and artist, who travelled from age 14 around continental Europe with her stepfather. She had a keen interest in European and British politics, in particular following the fortunes of the liberal party. After visiting Budapest in 1876, she researched and wrote a biography of Ferenc Deák which she published anonymously in 1881 in English and Hungarian. O'Brien visited Ireland for the first time in 1878 on holiday. In May 1880 she returned during William Forster's first official visit as chief secretary for Ireland. During the two years of his service in this position, O'Brien spent most of her time in Dublin, whilst there she became part of numerous political and social circles. From her journals, she shows an interest in political developments in Ireland as well as a distrust of the Land League and Irish nationalism. The journal which cover all elements of her interests including the politics, family life, and society of Victorian Britain and Ireland. Later published as Florence Arnold-Forster's Irish Journal, the journal offers a rare account of the everyday experience of Irish administration at a critical period in the Irish Land War. The book received a number of reviews in major publications.
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