Romantic Liars: Obscure Women Who Became Impostors and Challenged an Empire

260 Pages·2006·2.816 MB·English

by  Debbie Lee (auth.)

ROMANTIC LIARS

ROMANTIC LIARS
OBSCURE WOMEN WHO
BECAME IMPOSTORS AND
CHALLENGED AN EMPIRE
Debbie Lee
ROMANTICLIARS
© Debbie Lee, 2006.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2006 978-0-312-29458-8
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in 2006 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
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Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS
Companies and representatives throughout the world.
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
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and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-63517-7 ISBN 978-1-137-07740-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-07740-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lee, Debbie.
Romantic liars : obscure women who became impostors and
challenged an empire / by Debbie Lee.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index.
1. Impostors and imposture—England—Biography. 2. Women—
England—Biography. 3. Poor women—England—Biography.
4. England—Biography. I. Title.
CT9980.L44 2005 2005053905
305.48(cid:2)96942(cid:2)094209034—dc22
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: February 2006
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Transferred to Digital Printing 2008
For Stephanie
who is always true to herself

CONTENTS
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
1. Crossings 1
2. The Goddess and the Anorexic 21
3. The Gentleman, the Witch, and the Beauty 79
4. The Governor and the Princess 139
Afterword 201
Notes 205
Works Cited 233
Index 245

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
1.1 Mary Anne Talbot, 1804, stipple engraving by G. Scott
after James Green, National Portrait Gallery, London 2
1.2 Mary Anne Talbot, 1804, stipple engraving by
G. Scott after James Green, National Portrait
Gallery, London 7
2.1 Ann Moore, 1813, artist unknown, published by
James Ward, Some Account of Mary Thomas of
Tanyralt...and of Ann Moore, commonly called
the Fasting Woman of Tutbury, British Library 57
2.2 Ann Moore, the Fasting Woman of Tutbury,
1813, artist unknown, published by Robert S. Kirby,
British Library 63
2.3 Joanna Southcott, 1812, pencil engraving by
William Sharp, National Portrait Gallery, London 71
3.1 John Hatfield, 1802, police sketch, published by
Robert S. Kirby, British Library 81
3.2 Mary Robinson, 1846, artist unknown, published by
Scott and Benson, British Library 93
3.3 Mary Robinson, 1800, pen and ink drawing by
James Gillray, The Wordsworth Trust, Dove Cottage,
Cumbria, England 103
3.4 Mary of Buttermere Sketch’d from Life, 1802,
hand-colored etching by James Gillray, published
by Hannah Humphrey, National Portrait
Gallery, London 118
4.1 Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, 1817, oil
on canvas by George Francis Joseph, National
Portrait Gallery, London 142
4.2 Mary Wilcox...alias Caraboo, 1817, stipple
engraving by Nathan Cooper Branwhite © Bristol
City Museum and Art Gallery, United Kingdom 174