Two Irishwomen, Lady Eleanor Butler, whose brother was Earl of Ormonde, and Miss Sarah Ponsonby, a cousin of the Earl of Bessborough, pioneered a type of lesbian relationship in the eighteenth century.

After becoming close friends at school they eloped but were brought back in disgrace and forbidden to communicate with each other in any way. Eventually, however, their relatives allowed them to live together and even made provision for a small allowance. They settled in a cottage in the Vale of Llangollen in North Wales and, in consequence, became known as "The Ladies of Llangollen."

Sometimes also called "The Platonists," they became the two most celebrated virgins in Europe and were visited by a host of famous people, including Sir Walter Scott and the Duke of Wellington.