Elma Napier
Encyclopedia
Elma Napier was a Scottish-born writer and politician who lived most of her life in the Caribbean
island of Dominica
. She published several novels and memoirs based on her life, and was the first woman elected to a Caribbean parliament.
Born Elma Gordon-Cumming in Scotland, she was the eldest daughter of Sir William Gordon-Cumming
, a wealthy landowner. Her father's reputation had been ruined shortly before her birth, in what became known as the Royal Baccarat Scandal
. Accused of cheating in a game of baccarat
with the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), Sir William sued for defamation and lost. Elma would come to understand that she was expected to rehabilitate the family by entering a good marriage. At the age of 19, she married Maurice Gibbs, an upper-class English businessman, with whom she had two children: Ronald and Daphne. The couple moved to Australia, where they lived for nine years until Elma met and fell in love with another English businessman, Lennox Napier. Elma divorced, losing custody of her children in the process. Elma and Lennox married in 1924, and had two children: Patricia and Michael.
The Napiers first visited Dominica, then a British colony, while on a Caribbean cruise in 1931. They moved there the following year, settling on its north coast near Calibishie
, at a house they built and named Pointe Baptiste. Her daughter by her first husband, Daphne, now 20, also came to live with them. Lennox died in 1940.
Elma was first elected to the colony's Legislative Council that year, where she championed local government and development in the form of village boards and cooperative ventures. She also became involved in local conservation efforts to preserve Dominica's forests. Elma remained at Pointe Baptiste, entertaining guests that included Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward
, Patrick Leigh Fermor
, and Princess Margaret.
Napier wrote two novels, both set in Dominica, that were published in the 1930s. She wrote three memoirs, each covering a different stage of her life. Youth is a Blunder dealt with her youth; Winter Is In July was mostly about her life in Australia. Black and White Sands, about her life in Dominica, was written in 1962, but first published in 2009. She also periodically wrote articles for The Manchester Guardian.
Napier died in Dominica in 1973. She was buried, alongside her husband, near Pointe Baptiste. She was posthumously honored by Dominica (which became independent in 1978) with a postage stamp bearing her portrait.
Her grandson, Lennox Honychurch
, is a Dominican historian and former politician.
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
island of Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
. She published several novels and memoirs based on her life, and was the first woman elected to a Caribbean parliament.
Born Elma Gordon-Cumming in Scotland, she was the eldest daughter of Sir William Gordon-Cumming
Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet
Sir William Alexander Gordon Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet was a Scottish landowner, soldier and adventurer. A notorious womaniser, he is best known for being the central figure in the Royal Baccarat Scandal...
, a wealthy landowner. Her father's reputation had been ruined shortly before her birth, in what became known as the Royal Baccarat Scandal
Royal Baccarat Scandal
The Royal Baccarat Scandal, also known as the Tranby Croft scandal, was an English gambling scandal of the late nineteenth century involving the future King Edward VII.-Background:...
. Accused of cheating in a game of baccarat
Baccarat
Baccarat is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of King Charles VIII , and it is similar to Faro and Basset...
with the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), Sir William sued for defamation and lost. Elma would come to understand that she was expected to rehabilitate the family by entering a good marriage. At the age of 19, she married Maurice Gibbs, an upper-class English businessman, with whom she had two children: Ronald and Daphne. The couple moved to Australia, where they lived for nine years until Elma met and fell in love with another English businessman, Lennox Napier. Elma divorced, losing custody of her children in the process. Elma and Lennox married in 1924, and had two children: Patricia and Michael.
The Napiers first visited Dominica, then a British colony, while on a Caribbean cruise in 1931. They moved there the following year, settling on its north coast near Calibishie
Calibishie
Calibishie is a town in Dominica. It is located on the north coast of the island, immediately to the east of the village of Hampstead. The Calibishie Coast Travel Area is thought by many to be the most scenic and unspoiled region of Dominica...
, at a house they built and named Pointe Baptiste. Her daughter by her first husband, Daphne, now 20, also came to live with them. Lennox died in 1940.
Elma was first elected to the colony's Legislative Council that year, where she championed local government and development in the form of village boards and cooperative ventures. She also became involved in local conservation efforts to preserve Dominica's forests. Elma remained at Pointe Baptiste, entertaining guests that included Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
, Patrick Leigh Fermor
Patrick Leigh Fermor
Sir Patrick "Paddy" Michael Leigh Fermor, DSO, OBE was a British author, scholar and soldier, who played a prominent role behind the lines in the Cretan resistance during World War II. He was widely regarded as "Britain's greatest living travel writer", with books including his classic A Time of...
, and Princess Margaret.
Napier wrote two novels, both set in Dominica, that were published in the 1930s. She wrote three memoirs, each covering a different stage of her life. Youth is a Blunder dealt with her youth; Winter Is In July was mostly about her life in Australia. Black and White Sands, about her life in Dominica, was written in 1962, but first published in 2009. She also periodically wrote articles for The Manchester Guardian.
Napier died in Dominica in 1973. She was buried, alongside her husband, near Pointe Baptiste. She was posthumously honored by Dominica (which became independent in 1978) with a postage stamp bearing her portrait.
Her grandson, Lennox Honychurch
Lennox Honychurch
Lennox Honychurch is Dominica's most noted historian and a politician. He is well-known for writing 1975's The Dominica Story, the 1980s textbook series The Caribbean People, and the 1991 travel book Dominica: Isle of Adventure...
, is a Dominican historian and former politician.
Nonfiction
- Nothing So Blue (1927)
- Youth is a Blunder (1948)
- Winter Is In July (1949)
- Black and White Sands (written 1962; first published 2009)