Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell (1802 − 29 June 1871) was a friend of
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
during his exile at
Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constit ...
. She was also an author and a landowner in
New South Wales, Australia
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
Biography
Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe, commonly known as Betsy Balcombe, was born in 1802 as the second child of
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and Jane Balcombe, ''née'' Cranston.
Joan Kerr
Joan Kerr (1938–2004) was an Australian academic and cultural preservationist. Initially her interest was sparked in preserving the architectural heritage of Australia, but over time her interests spread to art history and Australian culture ...
, ed., The Dictionary of Australian Artists
The ''Dictionary of Australian Artists'' (DAA) was the outcome of a project begun in the 1970s at the University of Sydney under the leadership of Bernard Smith, and was continued after his retirement in 1981 by Joan Kerr. The dictionary wen ...
Painters, Sketchers, Photographers and Engravers to 1870, Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambridge University Pr ...
, New York, 1989 , p. 4. Her father was Superintendent of Public Sales for the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...
. Balcombe and her sister Jane, two years her senior, were educated in England. In 1814, the sisters returned to Saint Helena with their parents and two younger brothers. There they resided in a cottage called the
Briars, which was the residence of
Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
during the first three months of his exile in
Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constit ...
.
[L. Abell (Mrs. Lucia Elizabeth Abell)]
Recollections of the Emperor Napoleon during the first three years of his captivity on the island of St. Helena
London: Murray, 1844.
In October 1815 Napoléon Bonaparte was exiled to Saint Helena by the British government. Because Napoleon's residence,
Longwood House
Longwood House is a mansion in St. Helena and the final residence of Napoleon Bonaparte, the former Emperor of the French, during his exile on the island of Saint Helena, from 10 December 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821.
History
Longwo ...
, had not yet been rehabilitated, he was housed in a pavilion near The Briars for the next two months. Although Balcombe was fearful of Bonaparte the first time they met, over time she and the emperor became friends.
'Abell, Lucia Elizabeth'
''Design & Art Australia Online'', '1992–2011. Retrieved 6 October 2019. The French officers and servants were jealous of the young English girl, who addressed Napoleon as "Boney", without being reprimanded by him.
Balcombe often visited Napoleon after he was removed to Longwood House. The European press recognised the relationship between the 47-year-old Napoleon and the teenage girl and wrote about a love story. In March 1818, the Balcombes left St Helena and went back to England. St Helena Governor Hudson Lowe
Sir Hudson Lowe (28 July 176910 January 1844) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and colonial administrator who is best known for his time as Governor of St Helena, where he was the "gaoler" of the Emperor Napoléon.
Early life
The son of John Lowe, ...
disapproved of the friendship between the Balcombes and Napoleon, suspecting them of smuggling secret messages out of Longwood House.New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia, but returned to England soon after.Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...
.
Bibliography
*L. Abell (Mrs. Lucia Elizabeth Abell)
Recollections of the Emperor Napoleon during the first three years of his captivity on the island of St. Helena
London: Murray, 1844
*Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell: ''To Befriend an Emperor: Betsy Balcombe's Memoirs of Napoleon on St. Helena''. Welwyn Garden City, UK: Ravenhill, 2005,
*Anne Whitehead: ''Betsy and the Emperor: The True Story of Napoleon, a pretty girl, a Regency rake and an Australian colonial misadventure''. Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2015,
*Thomas Costain, "The Last Love". Republished: Doubleday, 2000. A fictionalized story of the relationship between Napoleon and Betsy Balcombe and her family
*M. Brookes (1960). St. Helena story / Dame Mabel Brookes; with a foreword by R. G. Menzies. London; Melbourne: Heinemann
In film
*''Napoléon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
'' is a 2002 historical TV miniseries exploring the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, based on Max Gallo
Max Gallo (; 7 January 1932 – 18 July 2017) was a French writer, historian and politician. He wrote over one hundred books.
The son of Italian immigrants (his father was of Piedmontese descent and his mother was from the region of Parma), Gall ...
's book ''Napoleon'') of Napoleon's life. In the series, the 14-year-old Betsy Balcombe is played by Tamsin Egerton-Dick.
*''Monsieur N
''Monsieur N.'' is a 2003 British-French film directed by Antoine de Caunes. It tells the story of the last years of the life of the Emperor Napoléon (played by Philippe Torreton), who was imprisoned by the British on St Helena. Napoléon ret ...
.'' is a 2003 British-French film depicting Napoleon's life on St Helena, directed by Antoine de Caunes. Betsy Balcombe is played by Siobhan Hewlett
Siobhan Hewlett is a British-born Irish film, television, radio and theatre actress as well as being a producer, poet and artist. She hails from a theatrical dynasty stretching back to the 19th-century.
Background and early life
Her great-gr ...
.
See also
* Samantha Smith
* Sarah York
References
External links
*
Radio 4 – Betsy and Napoleon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balcombe, Betsy
1802 births
1871 deaths
Saint Helenian people of European descent
British writers
British emigrants to Australia