Regency Women of Character: Ladies in Masquerade

From the April 1802 issue of The Lady’s Monthly Museum, comes a story of two young women who determine, for survival, the need to masquerade as gentlemen and join the armed forces:

THE BRITISH AMAZONS SOM OME years since a gentleman in the city extensively engaged in West Indian commerce was involved in bankruptcy by a misplaced confidence he retired into the neighbourhood of Bradford with two daughters and shortly after sunk beneath the pressure of his misfortunes leaving them wholly without provision The former affluence of their father had prevented their acquiring a knowledge of any profession by which to earn a respectable maintenance they could not work and were ashamed to beg In this dilemma their enterprize rose superior to thoughts of fear and prompted the bold expedient of assuming the dress and character of men and entering into the navy They went to Portsmouth and by their address obtained a situation on the quarter deck of a troop ship bound to the West Indies
Indies They were engaged in the reduction of Curacoa & c and served with credit in two or three actions in those seas till one of them was wounded by a splinter in the side when her sex being discovered she was discharged and came to England about six weeks since The other sister was at this period sinking under the fever which has proved so fatal to Europeans in the West Indies and had been sent ashore at Dominica there under an impression of approaching death she disclosed to one of the officers of the ship her sex The discovery gave tenderness to the esteem he had before entertained for his young friend his attentions contributed to her convalescence In short she recovered and they were married and are now on their return to Europe in possession of the means to render happy the remainder of their days

There is a story preceding this about a similar German woman and their masquerade, that was also only discovered because of serious injury.  They lived with the grace and precision of their military bearing until the ripe age of eighty-four.

Tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Regency Women of Character: Ladies in Masquerade