Barbara Arbuthnott
Encyclopedia
Barbara Elrington Douglas Arbuthnott (12 September 1822 - 28 August 1904) was a Scottish woman who lived in Sunndal
, Norway
where she engaged in charitable work and wrote about her life.
, Ireland
. Her father, Sir Neil Douglas, KCB, KCH (d. 1853) was a Scottish officer and Lieutenant General in the British army
. Her mother was the daughter of a wealthy banker in Edinburgh
. In her youth, she studied the Greek
, Latin
and German language
s in Brussels
(1831–1840). She met Queen Victoria in 1842. On her father’s travels in the East she learned to speak Hindi
.
She first married James Allen (1846–1849) who died of cholera
, then Neil Ferguson who died in the Crimean War
. In London
she had met the famous Norwegian violinist and theatre founder Ole Bull
. She came to Sunndal, in Møre og Romsdal
county, Norway on her honeymoon with her third husband (married 6 December 1865), Hon William Arbuthnott, son of 8th Viscount of Arbuthnott
. They were divorced after her 20-year old son from her first marriage died, allegedly because she thought her husband had provoked an epileptic fit by quarrelling with her son, who then died at Fokstua coach inn on September 15, 1868.
She was renowned, among other things, for driving her sick son with a horse and wagon across the Dovrefjell
mountain range, while trying to save his life. After her son’s death she bought the farm Løken, which is now a local museum.
She then cleared the land for a new farm, Elverhøy. She taught herself to speak Norwegian
, cohabited with the translator, Oluf Endresen from Sunndal, and was said to be very generous, giving magnificent parties for the bourgeoisie
. She took an interest in the local health service and the local rifle club, founded a local library and was an agricultural pioneer. She brought poultry
and swine from Great Britain
to the valley. And she wrote books about chicken
farming, The Henwife (1861) and The Henwife – Her own experience in her own Poultry-Yard (1870).
She had built Alfheim, the mountain farm high up above the valley of Grødalen, in 1876. Her English bank went bankrupt in 1886. She sold some of its properties, but bankruptcy and forced sales was inevitable. She lived with the local teacher Lars Hoaas. Her board and lodging were paid for by benevolent neighbours. From 1892 to her death she lived in poverty at Einabu near the village of Grøa
.
Sunndal
is a municipality in the Nordmøre region located in the northeast part of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Sunndalsøra. Other villages include Jordalsgrenda, Øksendalsøra, Grøa, Hoelsand, Ålvund, and Gjøra.With an area of it is the...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
where she engaged in charitable work and wrote about her life.
Biography
Barbara Elrington Douglas was born into a wealthy Scottish family in TemplemoreTemplemore
Templemore is a town in North Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty. It is part of the Roman Catholic parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea....
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Her father, Sir Neil Douglas, KCB, KCH (d. 1853) was a Scottish officer and Lieutenant General in the British army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. Her mother was the daughter of a wealthy banker in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. In her youth, she studied the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
s in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(1831–1840). She met Queen Victoria in 1842. On her father’s travels in the East she learned to speak Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
.
She first married James Allen (1846–1849) who died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
, then Neil Ferguson who died in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. In London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
she had met the famous Norwegian violinist and theatre founder Ole Bull
Ole Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull was a Norwegian violinist and composer.-Background:Bull was born in Bergen. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden . His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect...
. She came to Sunndal, in Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
county, Norway on her honeymoon with her third husband (married 6 December 1865), Hon William Arbuthnott, son of 8th Viscount of Arbuthnott
Viscount of Arbuthnott
The title Viscount of Arbuthnott was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1641, along with the title Lord Inverbervie, for Sir Robert Arbuthnot.The Viscount of Arbuthnott is the hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Arbuthnott....
. They were divorced after her 20-year old son from her first marriage died, allegedly because she thought her husband had provoked an epileptic fit by quarrelling with her son, who then died at Fokstua coach inn on September 15, 1868.
She was renowned, among other things, for driving her sick son with a horse and wagon across the Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell is a mountain range in central Norway that forms a natural barrier between Eastern Norway and Trøndelag, the area around Trondheim. As a result, it has been heavily trafficked during and probably preceding historical times...
mountain range, while trying to save his life. After her son’s death she bought the farm Løken, which is now a local museum.
She then cleared the land for a new farm, Elverhøy. She taught herself to speak Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
, cohabited with the translator, Oluf Endresen from Sunndal, and was said to be very generous, giving magnificent parties for the bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
. She took an interest in the local health service and the local rifle club, founded a local library and was an agricultural pioneer. She brought poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
and swine from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
to the valley. And she wrote books about chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
farming, The Henwife (1861) and The Henwife – Her own experience in her own Poultry-Yard (1870).
She had built Alfheim, the mountain farm high up above the valley of Grødalen, in 1876. Her English bank went bankrupt in 1886. She sold some of its properties, but bankruptcy and forced sales was inevitable. She lived with the local teacher Lars Hoaas. Her board and lodging were paid for by benevolent neighbours. From 1892 to her death she lived in poverty at Einabu near the village of Grøa
Grøa
Grøa is a village in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the river Driva about east of Sunndalsøra and about east of Hoelsand. The Vinnufossen waterfall lies about west of the village....
.
Legacy
- Leikvin Cultural Heritage Park (Leikvin Bygdemuseum) has a collection from Barbara Arbuthnott's estate.
- The musical Lady Arbuthnott – The mistress of Elverhøy (Lady Arbuthnott -Frua på Elverhøy), by Norwegian playwright, Stig Nilsson with music by Lars Ramsøy-Halle, has been performed annually since the Sunndal Cultural Festival (Sunndal Kulturfestival) of 1996.
- The documentary film, Lady Arbuthnott – The Queen of Sunndal was shown during 1999 on the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.
Other sources
- Hauge, Eiliv Odde (1957) Lady Arbuthnott og hennes menn (Gyldendal) ISBN 82-91132-06-2
- Selmer, OddOdd SelmerOdd Selmer is a Norwegian journalist, novelist and playwright. In 1977 he wrote a historical novel about the eccentric "Lady" Barbara Arbuthnott. His audio plays have been translated into fifteen languages. He was awarded the Ibsen Prize in 1988 for the audio play series På egne ben.-References:...
(1977) Barbara Arbuthnott (Gyldendal norsk Forlag) ISBN 978-8205105249