It is true to say that over the span of the century-and-a-half of the British occupation of Malta, women generally, but especially the wives of the British officials who commanded our islands, received little attention. For the most part, the stories of these honourable ladies is one of service and support; support of their husbands and their immediate household and service to the wider community in the form of patronage to charitable endeavours.

Typically for their era, they served for many years with little recognition, and in some cases they even put their duty before their health and gave their lives for their and our country. Men received medals for their sacrifice but women went unnoticed. Given that International Women’s Day is but a few days away, it seems timely to highlight the valuable contribution that female members of the governors’ families made to the success of their careers in Malta.

One of the saddest stories is that of Evelyn, Lady Grenfell. When Sir Francis Grenfell was appointed to the command of the British garrison in Egypt in 1892, his wife was already suffering from ill health, so when he was offered the governorship of Malta in 1898, he had serious concerns about accepting this position. After lengthy discussions with his wife, Sir Francis, a serving military officer, decided he “ought to accept”.

When the Grenfells arrived in Malta in January 1899, there were already signs that Lady Grenfell was gravely ill, and so, February’s carnival celebrations were postponed for a month as a result. Although she rallied by the time the festivities were eventually held, her health subsequently deteriorated and she passed away on June 21 that year. Lady Grenfell was buried at Ta’ Braxia cemetery.

Lady Grenfell’s grave at Ta’ Braxia cemetery is marked by four cyprus trees.

A detailed account of Lady Grenfell’s last months was published by this author in ‘Sir Francis Grenfell, Governor of Malta (1899-1903)’, The Sunday Times of Malta, September 17, 2017.

Grenfell was fortunate to have been accompanied in Malta by his niece, Florita, who was married to Captain (later Colonel) Guy Stewart St Aubyn of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, who served first as the governor’s aide-de-camp and later as assistant military secretary. After Lady Grenfell’s death, Florita performed many of the duties that her aunt would have performed.

Sir William Reid, one of the most highly respected colonial governors, was a devoted husband to his wife Sarah. They married in 1818 when she was 22 and he was 27 years old.

When Reid was posted to Bermuda in 1839, he found that agricultural practices there were hopelessly antiquated, so he set about a process of modernising them. Of interest to our islands was the fact that he found a large quantity of bitter orange trees that served no useful purpose. After seeking expert advice, he experimented with grafting these trees to produce sweet oranges, which proved very successful.

As a means of assisting her husband to educate the local population, Sarah translated extracts from the French original of Antoine Risso’s book Histoire Naturelle des Orangers (The natural history of oranges). This translation proved so successful that her booklet ran to a second edition, and, when they arrived in Malta, Governor Reid authorised the publication of a further edition, a copy of which is located in our national library.

The portrait of Lady Reid painted by Henry Collen circa 1840 shows a lady of golden locks and pale complexion that one would imagine to have been extremely sensitive to the harsh sunshine of Malta. In fact, one visitor to Malta in the mid-1850s, George William Frederick Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle, described Lady Reid as a “great invalid”, and went on to write “my readers would not guess the only place where I have yet met her – on the roof of the house”.

Lady Reid, by the artist Henry Collen.

Queen Victoria was renowned for keeping the palace windows open even in mid-winter so that everyone would benefit from fresh air; however, Lady Reid seems to have taken the idea further and outdone her sovereign! It is quite likely that many years of ill-health forced Lady Reid to take the basic isolation and natural ventilation precautions that we have lately become accustomed to as a result of the COVID pandemic.

The only family to have raised a family in the Governor’s Palace was that of Lieutenant-Governor Ponsonby (1827-1836). Malta had been downgraded to a lieutenant-governorship for economic reasons, and hence, Ponsonby’s salary was reduced by £1,000 less than that of his predecessor, Governor Hastings; however, this did not deter the Ponsonbys from enjoying the many social events that were held in the capital.

Sir Frederick Ponsonby had married Lady Emily Bathurst in 1825. Lady Emily was the daughter of Earl Bathurst, the Secretary of State for the Colonial and War Departments. As the daughter of one of the most important members of the British government, Lady Emily enjoyed numerous privileges.

The Ponsonbys had six children in total, four of whom were born at the Palace in Valletta. The eldest, Henry, born in Corfu in 1825, was to become Queen Victoria’s private secretary. The first child to be born in Malta, on December 4, 1827, was named Arthur Valette; his first name reflecting that of his godfather, Arthur, the Duke of Wellington, and his second name chosen as an acknowledgement of his birthplace. The letter from the Duke of Wellington reproduced here states, “I assure you that I shall have great pleasure in standing godfather to your latest child”.

Excerpt from letter by Arthur, the Duke of Wellington, to Sir Frederick Ponsonby.

Despite her high standing in society, no detailed portrait of Lady Emily has yet been discovered by this author; however, one of the watercolours painted by Charles Frederick von Brocktorff in the Ponsonby Album held by the national library may just give us a glimpse of her.

Brocktorff was known for the accuracy with which he depicted his architectural views. In fact, art historian Theresa Vella has made a detailed study of Brocktorff’s work, which led her to identify and trace paintings depicted by the artist in his interior views of the Palace.

The view in question shows the Corridor leading to the Armoury, which includes two soldiers and two ladies about to enter a room. The ladies are accompanied by three children. Having carried out an examination of this watercolour, this author can confirm the accuracy of the artist’s rendering: the perspective view shown by the artist, as well as the uniforms worn by the soldiers in this view, are remarkably accurate.

Corridor leading to the Armoury, by the artist Charles Frederick von Brocktorff. Courtesy of the National Library of Malta.

Furthermore, an examination of the birth dates and ages of the Ponsonby children would indicate that this watercolour might well have been painted around 1831, when the youngest child Harriet would have been around a year old; the next oldest, Georgina, a little over two years old; and Arthur around three-and-a-half.

Henry, then aged five-and-a-half, clearly isn’t included. If this were the case, then it is very likely that it is Lady Emily, wearing a green dress and white bonnet, who is passing through the doorway on the right followed by a governess carrying Harriet in her arms.

It is probably Sir John and Lady Simmons’s daughter, also named Blanch, whose legacy among art historians in Malta is the strongest

One other governor’s family worth mentioning is that of Sir John Lintorn Simmons. Blanch, Lady Simmons, was a well-connected lady. When Prince Louis-Napoléon of France was a cadet at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, of which her husband was then governor, Lady Simmons developed a close friendship with the Prince Imperial’s mother, Empress Eugénie of France. Letters kept by Lady Simmons indicate that the empress wrote to the couple after Sir John had relinquished his governorship of Malta, congratulating the couple on their success in Malta.

Blanch Lady Simmons, by the artist Giuseppe Calì.

Blanch Lintorn Simmons. Photo by Fall of Baker Street, London.

However, it is probably Sir John and Lady Simmons’s daughter, also named Blanch, whose legacy among art historians in Malta is the strongest. Blanch demonstrated a profound interest in art, as shown by the detailed accounts in the diaries she kept of her visits to European museums and art galleries with her parents.

While in Malta, Blanch junior acted as her father’s amanuensis, copying and transcribing her father’s correspondence; more importantly, she embarked on a comprehensive catalogue of the works of art in the governor’s residences in Malta. Although prone to some errors, the book, Description of the Governor’s Palaces in Malta, 1895, serves as a valuable record of the contents and locations of these works of art.

The examples described above give just an inkling of the activities performed by the wives and relatives of governors in support of the men who governed our islands in the 19th century. This is a rich field of activity that deserves greater attention.

Author’s note

All the images used in this article are from the author’s collection unless otherwise stated. The unauthorised reproduction of images from this article is not permitted.