The Anne Rushout Project
Artist, diarist and witness to change
"I've spent my entire adult life immersed in Britain’s historic buildings and landscapes, not just caring for them, but researching their stories and sharing them with people from all walks of life.
My curiosity for the past doesn’t stop there. Whether at home or travelling the world, you'll often find me exploring museums, galleries, gardens, and landscapes. But now, my adventures come with a remarkable guide from the past.
I’ve inherited over five decades of diaries from Anne Rushout, an aristocratic lady born more than two centuries before me. These diaries were passed down to me by my mother, who was captivated by their richness. Now, I want to share my discoveries with all of you.
Anne’s world was filled with travel, grand entertainments, royal events—and the upheavals of Europe, which continue to shape our world today. As her story unfolds, you’ll find a life that both mirrors and contrasts our own in surprising ways.
Join me as we travel through time together—rediscovering history through the eyes of a woman who captured it all."
Jon O’Donoghue - Founder of Eagle & Oak
Anne Rushout, an unmarried aristocratic woman writing between 1791 and 1846, left behind more than five decades of diaries—factual, observant, and rich in everyday detail.
She recorded society life, travel, weather, landscape, and events of national significance, yet omitted emotion, commentary, and self-revelation. Her life, like many women’s, is both hidden and revealed in plain sight.
"In the morning I went with Lady Coventry to see Mr O’Kelly’s Parrot. It is a wonderful bird & appeared to answer the questions put to it, but perhaps the person knew when to time his questions. He sang two or three Psalms which he learnt of the Washer-woman to whom he first belonged." 6 June 1800
"In the morning I went with Lady Coventry to see Mr O’Kelly’s Parrot. It is a wonderful bird & appeared to answer the questions put to it, but perhaps the person knew when to time his questions. He sang two or three Psalms which he learnt of the Washer-woman to whom he first belonged." 6 June 1800
Why This Work Matters Now
Anne Rushout’s diaries offer a rare window into the world of a woman who lived at the heart of aristocratic privilege but chose to document the world around her—not her inner self.
A Hidden Voice
She wrote not to confess or comment, but to observe. Her silence on emotion and opinion speaks volumes about the expectations placed on women, and the limits of self-expression in her time.
Silence and Power
Anne's omissions are as striking as her detail. They remind us how silence in archives can carry meaning—and how absence can speak.
Eagle & Oak’s Values
This project reflects our belief in connecting past and present, uncovering forgotten stories, and using them to support cultural understanding today.
Anne’s diaries cover a period of immense change in the United Kingdom and Europe.
She travels extensively around the United Kingdom when it wasn’t safe to travel in Europe
She travels in Europe when it was safe to do so
She records many social and political moments
There’s also everyday detail - people’s coming and goings, weather, illness and more
There are omissions - namely her emotions and strong opinions
“in the Card room we saw four Men who had been playing at Cards from 8 o’clock the preceding evening” Visit to the Assembly Rooms in Bath, October 1791
If Bridgerton is the glittering surface of Regency life, Anne Rushout is the deeper current — private, thoughtful, subversive in quiet ways.
She is what happens when the curtain falls on the ball and a woman picks up her pen.
Exploring the diaries and beyond
The diaries are in the process of being transcribed (29% so far)
Research is underway with global archives to add depth and richness to the diaries
Collaborations with heritage sites, researchers and archives
Public engagement activities such as talks and events
Follow the project
We’ll share updates on the Anne Rushout project on the Eagle & Oak Instagram feed, so give us a follow to discover more.
"I leave my little dog Fido to the care of Mrs. Jane Naish, as I know she will be kind to him, with an annuity of twenty pounds per annum to be paid to her half-yearly from the day of my decease for taking care of him as long as he lives."
From the will of Anne Rushout
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