Posted on 09/12/2010 10:29:28 AM PDT by decimon
Modern military wives typically don't ship out alongside their husbands, but the young wife of a British naval officer did just that during the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th century. Now a historian who tracked down 40 unpublished volumes of her diaries has gotten the go-ahead to write a book investigating her life.
Elizabeth "Betsey" Wynne accompanied her husband aboard his warship during a disastrous British assault on the Spanish Canary Islands. She spent the voyage home-nursing the wounded Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson, whom lost his right arm during the attack and would go on to become one of England's greatest military heroes of all time.
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From what Chalus has so far learned, Wynne began writing her diaries at age 11 in 1789 - just weeks after the French Revolution had begun shaking Europe. She kept up her journaling until she died in 1857.
Her early diary entries told of living with her family in Switzerland along with one of King Louis XVI's leading political agents and other French emigres who fled the turmoil in France. The Wynne family later fled before Napoleon's conquest of central Europe and ended up at the Italian port city of Livorno, where they found refuge with the British navy.
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Wynne's journeys aboard her husband's warship as a young and, for some time, pregnant wife may sound odd today. But many British navy ships carried the wives or mistresses of tradesmen, and even the captains' wives.
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(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Sea cruise ping.
“Baby let me take you on a sea cruise.”
Wynne's journeys aboard her husband's warship as a young and, for some time, pregnant wife may sound odd today. But many British navy ships carried the wives or mistresses of tradesmen, and even the captains' wives.
Yes, actually, if you read Jane Austen's Persuasion there's quite about about this.
very interesting.
It reminds me of the Battle of Bull Run where locals sat out on hillsides having picnics to watch the battle.
JUST PUBLISH THE DIARIES!
Too many times they are SELECTIVE on what they publish and put their spin on it.
>> It reminds me of the Battle of Bull Run where locals sat out on hillsides having picnics to watch the battle. <<
They sure packed up pretty quick though when the yanks got routed! lol :)
I love Jane Austen and ALL her books.
Outstanding movie!
I don’t do as well with Emma or Northanger Abbey, but I love the other four.
Yes!! The best, I was just watching this a couple weeks ago. I love the music when they go to Lyme and look out over the water... I think it’s Chopin... and Sophie Thompson is so funny as Mary... I didn’t know till recently that she’s Emma Thompson’s sister. She’s every bit as good an actor. This is one of my all-time favorites.
cool
Thanks.
I have some old family letters and they are so interesting to read.
That didn’t last long did it?
Picnic at wars ended when soldiers stopped lining up shoulder to shoulder...
Her husband let her near Nelson with his reputation.
Very daring.
ht comments
"Betsey, I'd give my right arm to..."
>> That didnt last long did it? <<
It sure didn’t... :) All those DC picnic folks must have been amazed when the rebs didn’t just fall down dead at the sight of the yanks parading around in their bright blue uniforms. :) I’m sure it came as quite a shock to those who thought the war would be over in one battle.
yup
Mrs jimfree read some of the Wynne sister diaries researching her book on Federal period costume history.
I’ll buy this book when its published.
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