That British women were present in Brussels during the Battle of Waterloo will likely come as no surprise. As William Makepeace Thackeray observed in his 1847 novel "Vanity Fair": "There never was since the days of Darius such a brilliant train of camp-followers as hung round the Duke of Wellington's army… and led it dancing and feasting, as it were up to the very brink of battle."

Yet there is more to the story of the women of Waterloo than the glamorous social whirl of the Duchess of Richmond's ball on the eve of the battle. This talk will illuminate the experiences of a diverse group of women of varied social backgrounds, from across the British Isles, each of whom found themselves in Brussels for very different reasons. They include the young aristocrat for whom the battle was an unexpected and unwelcome interruption to the pleasurable round of picnics, parties and balls at the British military garrison in Brussels; the aspiring author who sailed to the Continent with hopes of publishing an account of her travels and ended up publishing a best-selling account of the battle; and the camp-follower who journeyed with her soldier husband and young baby to Waterloo.

These women's accounts of their experiences during and after those fateful days, provide not only an alternative perspective on one of the most written about battles in history, but also an insight into the broader experiences and identities of British women at the time of the Napoleonic Wars.

Dr. Catriona Kennedy is a senior lecturer in the history department and member of the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies of the University of York. She works on modern British and Irish history with particular interests in the cultural history of war, politics, gender and national identity. She is currently Treasurer for the British Association for Irish Studies.

Catriona Kennedy has recently completed a post-doctoral project on the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars in Britain and Ireland . The resulting monograph analyses a wide range of personal testimonies by civilians and combatants to explore how the wars were experienced, perceived and narrated by contemporaries. This research is connected to the international Nations, Borders and Identities Project based in York and Berlin.

Venue:  Army & Navy Club, 36-39 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5JN, UK

Time:  12.30pm

Entry to this Lunchtime Lecture is free.

However, places must be reserved in advance by contacting the NAM General Enquiries desk on 020 7730 0717 or info@nam.ac.uk

Please note that the dress code for the Army & Navy Club is smart casual !

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Contact:

National Army Museum

General Enquiries desk

020 7730 0717

info@nam.ac.uk