THE Lady Tars: The Autobiographies of Hannah Snell, Mary Lacy and Mary Anne Talbot [Paperback]

If you've read any of the recent general books on women at sea in the age of sail (Stark 1996, Cordingly 2001, Druett 2000, Baird 2001), then you have a nodding acquaintance with one or more of these ladies. Such a passing glance doesn't hint at the abundance of incident and detail in these three primary source documents, originally published in 1750, 1773 and 1809 respectively. They are the principal representatives of a genre popular in their time, and as such suffered varying degrees of embellishment in order to meet readers' expectations and thus increase sales. So they have much in common: lots of tomboyish mischief in childhood; cross-dressing; pious admonitions to the young to avoid her errors; evasion of a sour relationship with some man as the initial impetus to assume male dress; serial careers; a litany of crippling wounds, injuries and diseases resulting in multiple hospitalizations; perpetual fears of exposure (especially when wounded, or on encountering former acquaintances) or even rape; transmission from master to master, whether as payment for a debt, or due to the exigencies of war; dependence on the whims of the master of the moment for the necessities of life; suffering the disasters of battles, on land as well as sea, of storms, even of hurricanes; an endless series of economic hardships of every kind; the necessity of playing the gallant to keep up appearances during revels ashore, leading to compromising flirtations; and finally endless quests for solvency by trying to collect back pay and prize money, soliciting the government for a pension, begging for charity from the well-to-do nobility, even capitalizing on her notoriety by going on the stage. These are just the common themes of these three stories, revisited innumerable times in each autobiography, each with its own unique instances, and many other idiosyncratic episodes, appearing here for the first time, nicely bound, under one cover.
Hannah Snell, soldier, deserter, and marine, set off at age 22 to track down her soldier husband who had abandoned her before the birth of their child. Her biography includes a detailed history of the siege of Pondicherry, where she received a dozen wounds. She married again and had children before dying in Bedlam Hospital of probable syphilis.
Mary Lacy Slade, a "boy" servant in the Navy, then an apprentice and finally a certified shipwright, like Hannah, ultimately made a happy marriage, in spite of having run away at age 19 in male garb just to avoid a certain young man. Most of her episodes can be fully verified, except her "final chapter", since she disappeared after publication of her autobiography, which comprises half the current volume.
Mary Anne Talbot, army footboy and drummer, deserter, privateer, navy cabin boy, P.O.W., merchant ship steward, jeweler, and imprisoned debtor, was sold at age 14 by her guardian to an army Captain who, until his death in battle, evidently used her, in the guise of his footboy, as his secret concubine. Her story, the most melodramatic, is also the least verifiable, in fact, largely inconsistent with known fact. She died at age 30, presumably in the arms of the female companion of her last years.
There are many memoirs available from officers and common sailors, but these seem to be unique in giving the point of view of the powder boy, the drummer boy, the footboy, the officer's servant, the cabin boy, or the apprentice, all in the authentic language (and spelling) of the latter 18th century.
Michael Wonio, Volunteer, the 1877 Iron Barque Elissa, Galveston Texas

The Lady Tars is an excellent book for everyone interested in the history of the British navy and/or women's studies. Here are three autobiographical accounts of women who passed as men and served on British warships in the 18th century, along with a summary and historical note contained in the Forward.
Hannah Snell's story is told in the third person, written by her publisher as a promotion for her stage career; but both Mary Lacy and Mary Anna Talbot speak to us in their own voices. Besides being pieces of history, these accounts are studies in three very different personalities.
Hannah Snell is trying to find an errant husband when she enlists in the British army; later she joins the marines and fights at Pondicherry, where she is wounded. The surgeons work to take most of the shot pellets out of her legs, but she keeps the groin injury secret and eventually operates on herself. She describes the discomforts, noises, confusion, and bloodshed of battle with the directness on one who was there; and whereas much of her story is overlaid with a flowery and apologetic tone by the writer, the battlefield account comes through almost unvarnished. After years of active duty, Hannah applies for a pension, revealing her identity as a woman, and makes a career for herself as a novelty act: the woman who was a soldier. In all respects, Hannah Snell was a resourceful, determined, and resilient human being.
Next up is Mary Lacy, and her account is the most cheerful. She runs away from home at age 19, disguises herself, takes a man's name, and joins the navy. The life on a British ship is certainly more strenuous than her former work as a family servant in her village, but it seems to suit her better. She gets along well with her fellow tars, working and carousing; she has a series of lady friends on shore, which supports her masculine role; and she writes the funniest, most charming letters home, signing herself as `Your Undutiful Daughter, Mary Lacy." She survives her time in service and eventually marries.
Mary Anne Talbot's history, on the other hand, is tragic. Hers is the stuff of a novel by Charles Dickens, only it really happened. Her induction into the navy is involuntary: at age 13 she was disguised as a boy to be `servant' to an unscrupulous officer who effectively abducted her, and who played part in a scheme to defraud her from an inheritance. This officer gets himself killed in battle - good riddance - but she stays on with the ship. In the Mediterranean, her ship is part of Sir Sidney Smith's squadron. Mary's education allows her to eventually become an accountant assistant to a captain, and she travels to the United States in this capacity. In New York State a young lady of good family falls passionately in love with the disguised Mary Talbot and wants to marry her; fleeing this dilemma, Talbot returns to England, where illness, injuries, and penury lead to her death at age 30. Her direct narrative is simply told and very moving: the tale of her misadventures haunts you long after you have finished reading.
The writing is authentic, which means that punctuation and spelling are variable.

The editor and publisher, Tom Grundner, has brought these memoirs to light as part of The Lady Warriors series of historical books for Fireship Press.
Another in that series is Lady Rebel: Loreta Velazquez - Confederate Officer. How's that for a `you gotta have it' gift? It works for historians, feminists, Hispanic studies, AND for those who never surrendered the South.