About

Eleanor Smith (1902–45) led a life which reads as if it might have come from one of her own novels. Daughter of the First Earl of Birkenhead, she was a reluctant aristocrat who enthusiastically embraced the idea that gipsy blood ran in her veins; and she spent much of her adult life travelling Europe, drinking in gipsy lore, and learning the Romani language and customs. Eleanor was also a great admirer of the circus, its traditions and its characters, absorbing the drama that went on behind the colourful façade; and she adored the theatre and, in particular, the ballet.