Stepsister of Mary Shelley. Her mother was the second wife of Mary's father William Godwin.In 1816 Claire had a brief fling with Lord Byron that produced a daughter, Allegra, who sadly died at the age of five from typhus. After a Continental trip with the Shelleys during which they stayed with Byron in his Swiss villa, Claire took up residence in Bath, later moving on to Vienna then Russia, where she worked as a governess. She returned to England in 1828, but soon departed for Dresden, where she was again employed as a governess.Claire settled in Paris in the 1840s, maintaining constant communication with her now-widowed stepsister. She was popular in her governess work. She moved to Florence in 1870 and converted to Catholicism before dying at the age of 81. The Aspern Papers by Henry James is based on the author's failed attempts to gain ownership of the Shelley memorabilia in Claire's possession.
Stepsister of Mary Shelley. Her mother was the second wife of Mary's father William Godwin.In 1816 Claire had a brief fling with Lord Byron that produced a daughter, Allegra, who sadly died at the age of five from typhus. After a Continental trip with the Shelleys during which they stayed with Byron in his Swiss villa, Claire took up residence in Bath, later moving on to Vienna then Russia, where she worked as a governess. She returned to England in 1828, but soon departed for Dresden, where she was again employed as a governess.Claire settled in Paris in the 1840s, maintaining constant communication with her now-widowed stepsister. She was popular in her governess work. She moved to Florence in 1870 and converted to Catholicism before dying at the age of 81. The Aspern Papers by Henry James is based on the author's failed attempts to gain ownership of the Shelley memorabilia in Claire's possession.
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