Sybil Birling (played by Jeritza McCarter)

...was born in 1861 in Delhi, India to a British career officer, Colonel William D’Orsay and his wife, the former Elizabeth Preston. Colonel D’Orsay had been posted to India in 1859, two years after the British government took over rule of that country. His wife joined him in 1860 and their first daughter was born the following year. Her younger sister Agnes was born in India in 1863. Sybil and her sister lived with their parents and were educated in India until 1869 when they moved to Cape Colony, South Africa. In 1871, in anticipation of Cape Colony independence, Sybil, her sister and mother were sent back to England while their father remained behind in Africa. Back in England, Sybil, her mother and sister lived with her maternal grandparents, Thomas and Grace Preston in Reading, not far from London. There, she began to receive what was considered a more traditional education for a young English gentlewoman, including lessons on piano for her and violin for her sister and exposure to the London social scene. Beginning in 1876, with their father still away, Sybil, Agnes, their mother and grandmother, along with private tutors, toured extensively through the continent and America. Finally, in 1879, Colonel D’Orsay rejoined the family in England and relocated them to York to take a military administrative position in quartermaster supply. In 1881, as part of this assignment, Colonel D’Orsay met Arthur Birling, whom he subsequently introduced to his daughter Sybil. Shortly thereafter, Arthur began calling at the D’Orsay home to court Sybil, who accepted his marriage proposal in 1882.

Following their marriage in 1884 at the home of her grandparents in Reading, Sybil and Arthur set up housekeeping at a newly-purchased home in Brumley, where Arthur’s factory was located. Sybil gave birth to a daughter Sheila in 1886, but never seemed to be able to develop a close relationship with her. Rather, after a miscarriage, her pride and joy Eric was born in 1890. Her father the colonel died in 1892 and her mother the following year. Her unmarried sister Agnes remained in the family home in Reading. Throughout the youth of her son Eric, Sybil tended to dote on the boy, much to his father’s chagrin. The child was quite sickly for his first six years, and Sybil spent much of her time tending to him, reading to him, playing the piano to entertain him. Sheila was packed off to boarding school in 1900; shortly thereafter, Eric substantially recovered. Sybil continued to devote herself to running the household and seeing to her son’s health and education. At his father’s urging, however, Eric was himself shortly sent to boarding school in 1902. She largely ignored Sheila until late that same year when her daughter became infatuated with an army officer. After the Christmas holidays that year, against her father’s wishes, Sheila was summarily sent to live with Sybil’s sister Agnes in Reading. Thereafter, Sybil refocused much of her energy on a variety of civic activities, charity organizations and events. Then, in 1904, frustrated by her own unrequited ambition, she urged her husband to seek an appointment as Alderman. However, in 1906, Eric was expelled from school and her husband became ill. Sybil then asked Sheila to return from a trip to Italy and enlisted her aid at her husband’s factory to try to straighten the accounts and operations. Headstrong and willful, Sybil made various decisions about the business that she presumed would have a positive effect, but in reality made little positive change. But with an outwardly-common goal, she and daughter Sheila actually began to have a less fractious relationship. The business was ailing badly and it was during this period that she was approached by George Croft of Crofts Limited to sell him Birling and Company. She proudly refused his offer, and thankfully, shortly thereafter, her husband regained his vitality and returned to once again operate the business successfully. When her husband was named Lord Mayor of Brumley in 1909, Sybil again returned to her work with charitable organizations, sometimes accompanied by Sheila.