Helen Gladstone

Helen Jane Gladstone was born on June 28, 1814, in Liverpool, England. She was the youngest of six children in the family of Sir John Gladstone, 1st Baronet.

In her early years, Gladstone exhibited signs of compulsive eating starting at age 14. She received electric shock treatment, a procedure known as Galvanism, to address her condition. Subsequently, she experienced severe illness, leading her family to relocate to Ems in 1838. During her time in Ems, she encountered Count Leon Sollohub, who was of Polish-Russian descent. Although she initially considered converting to the Greek Orthodox Church, her prospective marriage to Sollohub was forestalled by opposition from his family.

Following a period characterized by reclusiveness, Gladstone publicly converted to Roman Catholicism in June 1842, a conversion that attracted significant public attention and controversy, notably provoking disapproval from her brother William Gladstone, a prominent politician.

After her conversion, Gladstone spent some time in Baden-Baden. During her stay, she became addicted to opium, which led her to return to Britain. Once back in the United Kingdom, her former acquaintances alleged that her family was illegally confining her on their property. These claims prompted legal scrutiny, but her family succeeded in maintaining control over her by asserting her lunacy, leading to her confinement.

Gladstone was endowed with an inheritance of £10,000 from her father, which allowed her to travel between Britain and continental Europe. She eventually became associated with the Dominican Order as a tertiary member and settled in Cologne, Germany. She resided at the Hotel Disch on Brückenstrasse at the time of her death.

Helen Jane Gladstone died in Cologne on January 16, 1880. She was interred in the Gladstone family vault located in St Andrew's Chapel, Fasque, Scotland. Despite her religious journey and burial arrangements, she was reportedly denied the customary prayer of commendation.

Her life intersected with notable religious and social debates of her era, including her conversion, her relationships with European Catholic communities, and her familial conflicts over her care and religious beliefs.