Mary Anne Talbot
British sailor (1778–1808)
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Key Takeaways
- Mary Anne Talbot also known as John Taylor (2 February 1778 – 4 February 1808) was an Englishwoman who wore male dress and became a soldier and sailor during the French Revolutionary Wars.
- Later she claimed that she was one of the sixteen illegitimate children of Lord William Talbot, Baron of Hensol.
- She spent her childhood in the care of different guardians, living with a wet nurse at Worthen, Shropshire from after her birth until the age of five, and then attended a girls' boarding school in Chester until age fourteen.
- Sucker (also known as Shuker), who was also in charge of her inheritance from her sister.
- The regiment, the 82nd of Foot, were diverted for service in Flanders against the French and she served as a drummer-boy in the battle for Valenciennes, where Captain Bowen was killed.
Mary Anne Talbot also known as John Taylor (2 February 1778 – 4 February 1808) was an Englishwoman who wore male dress and became a soldier and sailor during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Life
Mary Anne Talbot was born in London at 62 Lincoln's Inn Fields. Later she claimed that she was one of the sixteen illegitimate children of Lord William Talbot, Baron of Hensol. Her mother died in childbirth when she was four. She spent her childhood in the care of different guardians, living with a wet nurse at Worthen, Shropshire from after her birth until the age of five, and then attended a girls' boarding school in Chester until age fourteen. She fell in the hands of a man she called Mr. Sucker (also known as Shuker), who was also in charge of her inheritance from her sister.
In 1792 Talbot ended up as a mistress of Captain Essex Bowen, who enlisted her as his footboy under the name "John Taylor" for a voyage to Santo Domingo. The regiment, the 82nd of Foot, were diverted for service in Flanders against the French and she served as a drummer-boy in the battle for Valenciennes, where Captain Bowen was killed. She was also wounded by a sabre slash and treated the wound herself. From Bowen's letters Talbot found out that Sucker had squandered what was left of her inheritance. She decided to go on working as a male sailor.
She deserted, fleeing through Luxembourg into the German Rhineland and became a cabin boy for a French ship. When the British Royal Navy captured the ship she was transferred to the Brunswick where she served as a powder monkey.
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