In the UK it’s Women’s History Month, and I wanted to write a detailed article about unconventional ninteenth-century women. Before I knew it, the last week of March was upon me, and I’d done nothing.
So, I feel I need to salvage something for the last day.
My former work colleagues bought me a useful leaving gift (one of many) by Bea Koch. Her book Mad & Bad Real Heroines of the Regency (2000) has been a delight to read.
I’m only halfway through, but so far, it’s been an enjoyable foray into the lives of some unconventional women of the nineteenth century. It’s a great starting point if you want to dip into women’s history from this period and there’s plenty of recommended reading if you want to delve a little deeper. The author has also included recommendations for fiction that feature female characters who followed a similar path to those real-life heroines.
I’ve put together some brief facts about a few women mentioned in Bea Koch’s book who followed their passion for the arts, sciences, medicine, or lived without regard for strict social conventions.
Caroline Herschel (1750–1848)
Caroline Herschel was born in Hanover but moved to Bath in 1772. Her contribution to astronomy has often been sidelined because many saw her as simply her brother’s assistant, rather than an astronomer in her own right.
Caroline taught herself mathematics, sciences, and the mechanics of telescopes so she could assist her brother while he followed his craze for astronomy, and along the way proved her worth in the field. She discovered eight comets and re-cataloged the Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (which had been littered with mistakes) for the Royal Astronomical Society and they made her an honorary member in 1835.
The Ladies of Llangollen
Sarah Ponsonby (1755-1831) and Eleanor Butler (1739-1829) ran away together, despite much opposition from both their families, in 1778 and lived together for the rest of their lives in Llangollen, Wales.
The Ladies of Llangollen always claimed their relationship was not sexual and their neighbours accepted their unconventional living arrangements, but this is hotly debated.
Unlike Ann Lister, possibly the most famous Georgian lesbian and a landowner in her own right, the ladies had to maintain their respectability to continue to receive financial help from their families.
However, they asserted their individuality and refused to conform by wearing their hair cropped short, and showed a preference for black riding habits and top hats.
Rolinda Sharples (1793–1838)
As a female artist, Rolinda Sharples earned the rare honour of exhibiting at the Royal Academy on multiple occasions between 1805 and 1815.
She was critically well-received and painted one of the iconic images of the Regency The Cloakroom, Clifton Assembly Rooms (1817-1818). (See Featured Image)
In 1827, she was elected for membership in the Society of British Arts.
Mary Seacole (1805-1881)
Florence Nightingale has always overshadowed the contributions to nursing made by the daughter of a Jamaican healer nicknamed “The Doctress” and a Scottish army lieutenant during the Crimean War (1853–1856) . As recently as 2013 in the UK, the Secretary for Education, Michael Gove, tried (and failed) to remove Mary Seacole from the National Curriculum.
While the establishment failed to recognize Mary Seacole, the soldiers she cared for did not.
Her autobiography, published in 1857, the first published by a black woman in England, provides evidence of her dedication to her profession as well as documenting the racial prejudice she faced.
When conditions in the Crimean War hospitals came to light, Mary tried to join the unit of nurses that were to be sent to care for the soldiers but was turned down twice, once directly by Florence Nightingale.
Despite the setback, Mary journeyed to the Crimea anyway and established a hotel where she cared for the injured soldiers and even traveled out to the front lines to treat the wounded on the battlefield.
There’s so much more I could include, and I think Mary deserves a longer article which I will reserve for Black History Month in November.
I hope you enjoyed this short and sweet piece. It goes to show there’s plenty of real-life inspiration for historical fiction authors to draw upon to create interesting and complex female characters that are more than just daughters of noblemen who marry, make babies, and sew.
