Gentleman Jack is a new BBC drama series about the extraordinary life of Anne Lister, a businesswoman, who entered politics, climbed mountains, dressed as a man and adored women, falling passionately in love time and again. She wrote a detailed diary in code of her promiscuous and predatory lesbian exploits from childhood onwards.
Born 3 April 1791 in Halifax, England, she was an “unmanageable tomboy” and sent to boarding school aged seven, where teachers feared she would influence the other girls with her rebellious behaviour so from her teens, she was confined to an attic bedroom, where she lived in virtual seclusion. There was a calculating and ruthless side top her since she dreamed of being rich but despite some long running affairs with wealthy women never found happiness. A relative did leave her money and an estate allowing her to travel and live as she pleased.
She had a stark chart with an Aries Sun conjunct Moon as well as Saturn Mars Mercury in Aries – so the cruelty that was done to her in childhood, echoed by her later behaviour towards lovers, is well described with such a central Mars Saturn which was also in a risk-taking, excitement-loving trine to Uranus. Her Uranus was also conjunct an indulgent, sensual Venus in Taurus so she’d be changeable in her affections.
She died aged 49 of a fever while travelling in the Caucasus with a wealthy friend, Ann Walker, with whom she undertook a form of marriage.
Ann Walker was born 28 May 1803 (FindMyGrave net) and was a Sun Gemini on the point of a T Square to Saturn Moon in Virgo opposition Pluto – and she was subject to depressions through her life which caused problems in the relationship. Lister’s diaries, describe a turbulent relationship rife with financial and emotional stresses with Lister intolerant of Walker’s health and depression and Walker upset by Lister’s bossy personality and control of her fortune.
Walker’s Mars in Leo was conjunct Lister’s Uranus which would be fairly explosive. Their relationship chart had an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunction opposition Neptune and trine Uranus – so idealistic but not realistic, subject to disappointment and needing space. A Uranus square Mars would prove inflammatory and argumentative since neither would wish to back down. And there was an up and down Saturn square Jupiter.
The likelihood if Lister had lived would have been a split. Ann Walker had a breakdown latterly after Lister’s death and spent some years in an asylum.