Briars is the small pavilion in which

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

stayed for the first few weeks of his

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

in late 1815 before being moved to Longwood House. The pavilion was in the garden of William Balcombe, an English merchant who became a purveyor to Napoleon. His 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth Lucia ("Betsy") Balcombe was the only family member who spoke

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, and she became the family translator. Because of his family's closeness to Napoleon, Balcombe attracted the suspicion of Governor

Hudson Lowe Sir Hudson Lowe, (28 July 176910 January 1844) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Saint Helena from 1816 to 1821. Seeing service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, he is best kn ...

, and in 1818 he was forced to leave the island and return to England. The Briars was then used as the home for the admiral assigned to St Helena.

History

By coincidence, the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

also stayed in The Briars, in 1805, on his return from a tour of duty in India. He wrote to the admiral commanding the garrison on 3 April 1816, "You may tell Bony that I find his apartments at the Elysée-Bourbon very convenient and that I hope he likes mine at the Balcombes." In 1827 the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

bought the property for £6,000 and used it for making silk and growing mulberry trees. In 1959 the Pavilion was purchased by Dame

Mabel Brookes Dame Mabel Brookes, DBE (15 June 189030 April 1975) was an Australian community worker, activist, socialite, writer, historian, memoirist and humanitarian. Born Mabel Balcombe Emmerton in Raveloe, South Yarra, Victoria in 1890, her best-known ...

, a great granddaughter of William Balcombe, and donated to the French government, which appointed her as

Chevalier Chevalier may refer to: Honours Belgium * a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * a title in the Belgian nobility France * a rank in the French Legion d'h ...

de la

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in 1960 in recognition of her generous gesture. It became the third of the French properties on the island, together with his former tomb in Sane Valley and Longwood House. Later, Balcombe was offered a post in Australia and established a new estate called "The Briars" in the

Carwoola Carwoola is a locality in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is immediately to the south of the Kowen district, which is located in the Australian Capital Territory. The Molonglo River passes through the Carwoola area before opening ou ...

area of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. On this new estate, it is believed that he was responsible for introducing two plants to Australia, the Sweet Briar (''Rosa rubiginosa'') and the

Weeping Willow ''Salix babylonica'' (Babylon willow or weeping willow; ) is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, Korea, Mongolia, Japan, and Siberia but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the Silk Road to southw ...

(''Salix babylonica''). The willow grew nearby Napoleon's grave on St Helena and Balcombe is reported to have taken cuttings from these trees. William's youngest son, Alexander Beatson Balcombe, named his pastoral run and homestead in Mount Martha " The Briars" (the run was previously known as Chen Chen Gurruck, or Tichingorourke).

References

{{reflist, 30em Geography of Saint Helena Palaces and residences of Napoleon French government properties on Saint Helena

History

See also

References