Frances Parthenope Verney (1819–1890)

Frances Parthenope Verney, Lady Verney, née Nightingale, was born in Naples, Italy, to a wealthy, well-connected British family. She was christened Parthenope for the ancient Greek settlement at Naples, and was called "Parthe" or "Pop" by her family. Her parents William Nightingale, a Whig politician, and his wife Frances Smith were on an extended honeymoon tour of Italy when she was born. She was the older sister of Florence Nightingale. The sisters grew up at Embley Park, their father's estate in Hampshire, England, and were educated by governesses. Their father later taught them Greek, Latin, German, French, Italian, history, and philosophy. In 1858, Parthe married as his second wife Sir Harry Verney, 2nd Baronet, a Member of Parliament and supporter of liberal causes. At Claydon House, their home in Buckinghamshire, and at their London house, she presided over a salon visited by artists and social reformers from around the world. She was an active supporter of her sister's relief work during the Crimean War. She wrote stories and articles published by periodicals such as Fraser's Magazine, Cornhill Magazine, and Macmillan's. She also published several novels and collections of essays and stories in book form. She took a great interest in the voluminous Verney family papers and put together Memoirs of the Verney Family during the Seventeenth Century, published by her daughter-in-law Margaret Verney after her death. See the 1836 watercolor painting of the two sisters by William White.