Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain and Ireland.Andrews, William
General
Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain and Ireland.
Andrews, William
Epitaphs -- Great Britain
The stirring lives of many female soldiers have furnished facts for
several important historical works, and rich materials for the writers of
romance. We give an illustration of the stone erected by public
subscription in Brighton churchyard over the remains of a notable female
warrior, named Phoebe Hessel. The inscription tells the story of her long
and eventful career. The closing years of her life were cheered by the
liberality of George IV. During a visit to Brighton, when he was Prince
Regent, he met old Phoebe, and was greatly interested in her history. He
ascertained that she was supported by a few benevolent townsmen, and the
kind-hearted Prince questioned her respecting the amount that would be
required to enable her to pass the remainder of her days in comfort.
"Half-a-guinea a week" said Phoebe Hessel, "will make me as happy as a
princess." That amount by order of her royal benefactor was paid to her
until the day of her death. She told capital stories, had an excellent
memory, and was in every respect most agreeable company. Her faculties
remained unimpared to within a few hours of her death. On September 22,
1821, she was visited by a person of some literary taste, and the
following particulars were obtained respecting her life. The writer
states:
"I have seen to-day an extraordinary character in the person of Phoebe
Hessel, a poor woman stated to be 106 years of age. It appears that she
was born in March 1715, and at fifteen formed a strong attachment to
Samuel Golding, a private in the regiment called Kirk's Lambs, which was
ordered to the West Indies. She determined to follow her lover, enlisted
into the 5th regiment of foot, commanded by General Pearce, and embarked
after him. She served there five years without discovering herself to
anyone. At length they were ordered to Gibraltar. She was likewise at
Montserrat, and would have been in action, but her regiment did not reach
the place till the battle was decided. Her lover was wounded at Gibraltar
and sent to Plymouth; she then waited on the General's lady at Gibraltar,
disclosed her sex, told her story, and was immediately sent home. On her
arrival, Phoebe went to Samuel Golding in the hospital, nursed him there,
and when he came out, married and lived with him for twenty years; he had
a pension from Chelsea. After Golding's death, she married Hessel, has had
many children, and has been many years a widow. Her eldest son was a
sailor with Admiral Norris: he afterwards went to the East Indies, and, if
he is now alive, must be nearly seventy years of age. The rest of the
family are dead. At an advanced age, she earned a scanty livelihood at
Brighton by selling apples and gingerbread on the Marine Parade.
[Illustration: A GRAVESTONE IN BRIGHTON CHURCHYARD.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account