The Fall of the House of Wilde by Emer O'Sullivan

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7
    Marriage
    In November 1851 all the Dublin papers carried the following announcement: ‘Married on the 12 th inst. at St Peter’s Church by the Reverend John M. Wilde, A.M., Incumbent of Trinity Church, Northwich, William R. Wilde, Esq., F.R.C.S., to Jane Francesca, youngest daughter of the late Charles Elgee, Esq., and granddaughter of the late Archdeacon Elgee, of Wexford.’
    It was a small wedding, as Jane was still in mourning for her mother. Jane’s uncle, John Elgee, accompanied her. Having seen the couple depart for the Holyhead steamer, John Elgee wrote the following to Jane’s sister Emily:
    Everything went off remarkably well, the carriage called for me this morning a little after eight . . . as soon as Wilde came I drove to Lesson Street for Jane, and
found her ready
, so that no time was lost and at nine precisely we entered the church – a brother of the Dr’s who is a clergyman residing in Cheshire was the chief priest – William ‘assisting’ – We fairly stole a march on the Town, no one was expecting the affair til tomorrow, and so nobody were present save our party and the old hangers on of the church . . . Jane looked and comported herself admirably – she wore a very rich dress of Limerick lace with a very rich lace veil, a white wreath in her hair etc. – by ten we were at breakfast at the Glebe and by eleven Jane had resumed her mourning and had driven off for Kingstown.
    He added a postscript in reply to a letter he had received from Emily. What he writes shows a certain ill feeling between the sisters. Emily was living in England and married to a military man. Whether Emily took issue with Jane’s politics and her outspokenness is uncertain, but it is certain that she did with Jane’s ego. John Elgee wrote:
    I am compelled to agree with you entirely in your estimate of Jane’s character and it was only coming from the wedding this morning and talking to Wright [unknown] about her that I expressed myself to the effect that whether it would be a happy marriage was problematical – my hope rested in Wilde’s good sense but he will have I think [?] a major [?] ordeal to pass through – she likes him, which I think a great point – she respects him another – his intellectual and literary standing is superior to hers which is also very material, had she married a man of inferior mind he would have dwindled down into insignificance or their struggle for superiority would have been terrific – Jane has some heart, she has good impulses, but the love of self is the prominent feature of her character – as to caring for either of us, I don’t believe our fortunes give her a thought – however, I don’t want to see open war between you and them – I did not wish to hurt Wilde’s feelings therefore I have agitated myself and I hope successfully to bring matters between you to a decent state of intercourse. 1
    Did John Elsee know William had three illegitimate children? The first, Henry Wilson, was born in 1838 when William was overseas, and his mother remains unknown. Henry was thirteen when William married and was commonly referred to as his nephew. William paid for Henry’s education and medical training – he too would become an ophthalmologist and join William’s practice. Throughout Henry’s life, William was on familiar terms with his family. William also had two illegitimate daughters – Emily, born in 1847, and Mary, born in 1849 – before William and Jane married. William’s eldest brother, Reverend Ralph Wilde, took them on as wards, and the identity of their mother, or mothers, is unknown. It is not known how involved William was in their lives, or what Jane knew of all this when she married William.
    Victorian Dublin tolerated sexual licence for men more than women, naturally. The