From Persuasion
Lady Russell
Anne’s wise godmother • Proper and cautious
A sensible, dignified widow who wants the best for Anne but cares too much about rank.
Who is Lady Russell?
Lady Russell is Anne’s sensible godmother and a close family friend, and she tells Sir Walter he must rent out Kellynch Hall to pay his bills. Years earlier she warned Anne not to marry a sailor without money, because she worried about Anne’s future. She loves Anne dearly, and in the end she is brave enough to admit when she has been wrong.
Lady Russell is a character in Persuasion, the 1817 novel by Jane Austen, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Lady Russell like?
- sensible
- caring
- dignified
Lady Russell’s story
Lady Russell is a widow who lived near Kellynch Hall and became close to the Elliot family after Anne’s mother died. She loves all three Elliot sisters, but Anne is the one she loves most, because Anne reminds her of the mother she lost. Lady Russell is sensible, well mannered and careful with money, and the Elliots rely on her.
When Sir Walter’s debts grow, she helps make the plan to rent Kellynch Hall and move to Bath. Years earlier she had talked Anne out of marrying Frederick Wentworth, believing that the match would bring Anne hardship. Anne does not blame her, but she wonders whether the advice was right.
In the later chapters Lady Russell likes the polished Mr Elliot and hopes Anne will marry him, partly because he would one day inherit Anne’s family home. She changes her mind when the truth about him comes out, and finally says plainly that she was wrong about Wentworth too, and that she welcomes him.
“She had a cultivated mind, and was, generally speaking, rational and consistent”
A moment to remember
At the end, she hugs Frederick with happy tears and tells Anne she is glad Anne followed her own heart.
Family and friends
- Anne Elliot: her beloved goddaughter
- Sir Walter Elliot: the family friend she tries to guide
- Captain Frederick Wentworth: the man she once advised Anne against
- William Elliot: the cousin she wrongly admires
Talk about it
Lady Russell admitted she made a mistake. Why is saying “I was wrong” sometimes hard, and why does it help?
Questions about Lady Russell
- Who is Lady Russell in Persuasion?
- Lady Russell is Anne Elliot’s godmother and a close friend of the Elliot family. She lives near Kellynch Hall.
- Why did Lady Russell persuade Anne not to marry Wentworth?
- She believed Wentworth had no fortune and an uncertain future, and she worried Anne would suffer for it. Anne was nineteen at the time.
- Does Lady Russell admit she was wrong?
- Yes. By the end of the novel she accepts that she misjudged Wentworth and welcomes him as Anne’s husband.
Read the story in
Persuasion
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
