British women’s accounts on 1857

An overview

Presented by-Ameeta Singh

Sarojini Naidu govt. girls P.G. college Bhopal

Some important women’s writings on 1857

1. Mrs. G. M Harris; A lady’s diary of the siege of lucknow, London 1858

2. Mrs. Frances; Duberly ; Campaigning in Rajputana and central India the ,suppression of the mutiny ; A tragic personal History London 1858

3. Katherine Mary Bartrum ; A widows reminiscences of the siege of Lukhnow London 1858

4. Maria Germon; Journal of the siege of Lukhnow ; An episode of the Indian Mutiny 1858 London

5. Amy Horne; Miss Amy Horne’s narrative Department of manuscripts British library

6. Julia English; The siege of Lucknow ;A diary London 1892

7. Hilden Julia ; Story of our Escape from Delhi in 1857

8.  9.  

Some important women’s writings on 1857

Mrs C; Collin; English woman in the rebellion in the

Calcutta review 1859 Mrs Matilda Ouvary ; A lady’s diary before and during

the Indian Mutiny 1892 Mrs Fanny Peile ; The Delhi Massacre, a narrative

by Lady, Calcutta 1890 Harriet Tytler ; Through the sepoy mutiny and the

siege of Delhi Florance Wagenlreiber ; The story of our escape

from Delhi 1894 Forbes Mrs Hamilton ; some recollections of the

siege of Lucknow

Scene at Lucknow after the seigeMrs G Harris ;A lady's diary of the siege of Lucknow

Julia English; The seige of Lucknow; An episode of the Indian mutinyMary Catherine Bartrum; A widow’s reminiscences of the siege of Lucknow

Mrs Francis Duberly ;campaigning in Rajputana and central india,the suppression of the mutiny

She gained a certain notoriety as the Crimian heroine. She was the only officers wife to accompany the British army during Crimia war and published a journal of

her experience . She also experienced the great war of Indian independence 1857 . Her journal gave us very useful information about central India during

1857

Mrs Ruthe Coopland ;A lady’s escape from Gwaliar and the life in fort of Agra during the mutinies

Routhe Coopland,s husband was the Chaplain at Gwalior and killed by the natives . she with eight other British women managed to escape and reached

Agra. she gives vivid account of day to day life at fort Agra She also accounted remarkable feature of mutiny is how class barriers within the British

community remain intact : even at the most perilous moment of the siege the Anglo Indian life remained as rigid as in the time of peace

Amy horme ; Miss Amy horne‘s narrativeShe was an Euro -Asian girl abducted by a muslim sepoy Liyakatali khan of

2nd cavalary and converted to Islam and she remained nine months in captivity

Shyam Benegal made a famous movie Jnunoon on this story

The episode of the mutiny that remained seared in British women’s memory was the massacre of women and children by Nana Sahib at

kanpur picture------well at kanpur where the bodies of the English women

thrown.

The Flagstaff Tower, Delhi, where the European survivors of the rebellion gathered on May 11, 1857; photographed by Felice Beato.

Harriet Taytler ; Through the sepoy mutiny and the siege of Delhi .

She was the only women in the British camp during the siege of Delhi and first lady who photographed Delhi’s monuments.

“ One English woman ( Mrs. Leeson rescued by the two Afgan Sawars”.

“if our natives were to rebel against us ,India is lost.’’

A memorial erected (circa 1860) by the British after the Mutiny at the Bibi Ghar Well. After India's Independence

the statue was moved to the Memorial Church, Cawnpore. Albumen silver print by Samuel Bourne

Call for revenge WHEN I THINK UPON THIS TERRIBLE INSURRECTION AND RECOLLECT HOW DEEPLY THE REBELS HAVE STAINED THEMSELVES WITH ENGLISH BLOOD AND THE BLOOD OF ENGLISH WOMEN AND OF LITTLE HELPLESS CHILDREN. I CAN ONLY LOOK FORWARD WITH AWE TO THE DAY OF VENGEANCE , WHEN OUR HANDS SHALL BE DIPPED IN THE BLOOD OF OUR ENEMIES AND THE TONGUES OF OUR DOGS SHALL BE RED THROUGH THE SAME “’. MRS. DUBERLY.

….. DELHI OUGHT TO BE RAZED TO THE GROUND AND ON ITS RUINS A CHURCH OR MONUMENT SHOULD BE ERECTED, INSCRIBED WITH A LIST OF ALL THE VICTIMS OF THE MUTINYMRS. MRS COOPLAND.

Mrs Coopland was invited by an officer as an amusement to go and see the captive emperor Bahadur shah Zafar. She

described how they burst into his room.

‘’ As we looked upon him we thought how strange it was that this frail old man tottering on the brink of the grave could harbour

such a plot and such revengeful filling against us---an aristocratic expression reminded us of his descendent.’’

Conclusion My study on the mutiny narrative by British women leads me to the

conclusion that while there were differences in looking at the causes of the 1857 and the role of the servants, the memsahib's

concur on the necessity of retaliation. Except few like Harriet Tytlar had written in a humanistic approach and she was against

the naked racist attitude . Almost all of them have exhibited demand for revenge and bloody retribution for having mutilated women and children . All memsahib's thought that 1857 was an

insult that ought not to be forgotten.

ThanksAmeeta Singh