Lady Kitty Hampshire Soams?

[Willie]

I'm watching the 1897 episodes, and I'm puzzled - KLS's character was called Lady Kitty Hampshire for quite a while, and then all of a sudden she's Kitty Soams.  Why?     Was she Lady Kitty of Hampshire, and Soams was her last name?  If so, why didn't they call her that in the first place?

-Perplexed in Minnesota-

[Brandon Collins]

Soams was her last name, if I remember correctly. She was married to the Earl OF Hampshire, or at least I think that's what Edward called him a number of times. I forget what her husband's first name was, but he was good friends with Edward.

So, I believe that her name is Kitty Soams, and she is Lady OF Hampshire.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I forget what her husband's first name was

That would have been Gerald.

And you are quite right - when she's referred to by her title, Kitty is Lady Hampshire, but her name is Kitty Soames.

[Willie]

Thanks guys, that had me puzzled    It was just odd that they always referred to her as Lady Kitty Hampshire, and then one day they decided to start calling her Kitty Soams.

[Brandon Collins]

Maybe "of" was to lowly of a word for such high-brow Collinses to speak everytime they talk to or about her.

[adamsgirl]

As I recall, Kitty was a social climber. Soames was her maiden name, I believe. Her roots were in Pennsylvania, because that's where she was going to move back to before trying to get her claws into Edward. She was to go back to her mother and live in, as they said at the time, "reduced circumstances."

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Soames was her maiden name, I believe.

Soames was Kitty's married name - as these two excerpts from Robservations point out:

From Ep #845:

Your houseguest, Lady Hampshire?--she's married to... Gerald Soames, answers Quentin, but her husband is dead

From Ep #868:

Because Gerald Soames is dead and Kitty is grieving for him! insists Edward.

Gerald had also been referred to as "Gerald Soames" in several other instances/episodes.