Andrea here, musing today on women in historical fiction who don’t behave as they are “supposed” to behave. Murder at Queen’s Landing, my new Wrexford & Sloane mystery releases on September 29th, and I have to confess, my women protagonists are not the sort who sit demurely in the drawing rooms of Mayfair, sipping tea and chatting about fashionable styles of ballgowns.
Nope—they’re out creating “good” trouble . . . dressing as men, using their heads as more than perches for extravagant bonnets, running profitable businesses . . .
So, I thought I’d share a few examples of unconventional women from an exhibit I saw a few years ago at the Weston Library at Oxford. As more and more fascinating stories are coming to light, we’re all learning that history is full of women in the regency—and all eras—who didn’t play by the rules.
I’ll start with with intellectual pursuits: Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron’s daughter, who was a brilliant mathematician, and is credited with writing the first computer program—yes, in the Regency! Ada was far too smart and curious to be content with the traditional strictures on what a woman could and couldn’t do. She worked with Charles Babbage on the concept of his revolutionary Computing Engine, and actually envisioned the day when a machine could create pictures and music! (Lady Cordelia, a main secondary character in my series is an homage to Ada.)
Now, let’s have even more fun: women dressing as men! Given all the really fun things that women were forbidden to do in the past eras, it’s no wonder that women dressed as men much more often than one might think!
Take the case of Mary Lacy. In 1759, she stole a set of men’s clothing and ran away to have a more adventurous life. She first served as a ship’s servant, and then fished an apprenticeship and became a shipwright. Rheumatism finally forced her to retire—she’s though to be the first ever to receive a pension from the British Admiralty for her service. A book on her story was an instant hit in 1810!
Then there was Hannah Snell (aka James Grey) , who served for over two years in a regiment of Marines before revealing her true identity. (Her comrades-in-arms were gobsmacked at the revelation!) She sold her story to a published and it was a hit. She also lobbied the government for a military pension—and won! She’s one of only two women ever buried at the Royal Chelsea Hospital.
There were, of course, some bad-girl cross-dressers! Mary Frith is a famous example from the 1600s. It’s hard to separate myth from reality, but she supposedly was a notorious thief and organized criminal activity. Known for swearing, smoking and dressing as a man, she earned the moniker of ‘roaring girl,’ which was a take-off on ‘roaring boy’, the term used for a wild young male criminal.
Mary Read and Ann Bonny led really unconventional lives. They were brought up as boys, then did revert to their traditional female role and married—only to go back to dressing as men and becoming pirates. They met aboard John Rockham’s pirate ship and became very good friend. Known for their cussing and toughness, they ended up escaping execution when their ship was caught because they were both pregnant at the time.
Bonny’s last words to Rackham were supposedly: “Had you fought like a man, you need not have been hang'd like a dog.” Read died in prison, Bonney was released after giving birth, and nothing more is known of her.
These are just a few of the historical women who refused to conform to the conventions of their times. My feeling is there are countless more stories out there like these . . .women who dressed as men to attend university . . . women who ran the family business . . . frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were women who had legal, medical or political careers too!
So, I feel I’m being true to history when I have my women do things they’re not supposed to do.
How do you feel about unconventional characters in historical fiction. Do you find it takes you out of the story? Or are you will to accept that there were always rebels, no matter the era, who marched to their own inner drummer? Have you ever read any transgressions that you find too unbelievable?