Lady Anne Barnard
Encyclopedia
Lady Anne Barnard née
Anne Lindsay, eldest daughter of James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres
was born at Balcarres House, Fife
, Scotland
. She was author of the ballad
Auld Robin Gray
and an accomplished travel writer, artist and socialite of the period. Her five year residence in Cape Town
, South Africa
, although brief, had a significant impact on the cultural and social life of the time.
Anne moved to London where she met and was married in 1793 to Andrew Barnard, Not related to General Sir Andrew Francis Barnard
12 years her junior, a son of Thomas Barnard, the Bishop of Limerick
, for whom she obtained from Henry Dundas (1st Viscount Melville) an appointment as colonial secretary
at the Cape of Good Hope
, which was then under British military occupation. The Barnards travelled there in March 1797, Lady Anne remaining at the Cape until January 1802.
Her letters written to Dundas, then secretary for war and the colonies, and her diaries of travels into the interior have become an important source of information about the people, events and social life of the time. She is also retained in popular memory as a socialite, known for entertaining at the Castle of Good Hope
as the official hostess of Governor Earl Macartney.
The remarkable series of letters, journals and drawings she produced was published in 1901 under the title South Africa a Century Ago. In 1806, on the reconquest of the Cape by the United Kingdom
, Barnard was reappointed Colonial Secretary
, but Lady Anne did not accompany him there; he died at the Cape in 1807. The rest of her life was passed in London
, where she died on 6 May 1825.
Lady Anne was also an accomplished artist, some of her works being included in her published accounts of life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Her works include oil paintings and drawings.
Rev. William Leeves revealed in 1812 that Auld Robin Gray had been written by her in 1772, and set to music by him. It was published anonymously in 1783, Lady Anne only acknowledging the authorship of the words two years before her death in a letter to Sir Walter Scott
(1823), who subsequently edited it for the Bannatyne Club
with two continuations.
Lady Anne is commemorated in several ways in Cape Town
. A chamber in the Castle of Good Hope is known as "Lady Anne Barnard's Ballroom"; a road in the suburb of Newlands
, where the Barnards lived, is named "Lady Anne Avenue"; and a carved effigy of her is displayed in the foyer of the civic centre in the neighbouring suburb of Claremont
. The Barnards' country house, The Vineyard, survives as part of a hotel.
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Anne Lindsay, eldest daughter of James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres
James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres
James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres was a Scottish peer, the son of Colin, 3rd Earl of Balcarres and Lady Margaret Campbell, daughter of the Earl of Loudoun...
was born at Balcarres House, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. She was author of the ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
Auld Robin Gray
Auld Robin Gray
Auld Robin Gray is the title of a Scots ballad written by the Scottish poet Lady Anne Lindsay in 1772.The title comes from the name of its hero, a good old man who marries a young woman whose is in love with a man called Jamie who goes away to sea in order to earn money so that the couple can marry...
and an accomplished travel writer, artist and socialite of the period. Her five year residence in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, although brief, had a significant impact on the cultural and social life of the time.
Biography
Andrew Barnard
General Sir Andrew Francis Barnard, GCB, GCH was an Irish-born, British Army officer. He served in various capacities in the West Indies, the Cape of Good Hope, Canada, the Netherlands, Sicily, Spain and in the Napoleonic Wars including the Battle of Waterloo for which service he was highly...
12 years her junior, a son of Thomas Barnard, the Bishop of Limerick
Bishop of Limerick
The Bishop of Limerick is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Limerick in the Province of Munster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it still continues as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of...
, for whom she obtained from Henry Dundas (1st Viscount Melville) an appointment as colonial secretary
Chief Secretary
The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...
at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, which was then under British military occupation. The Barnards travelled there in March 1797, Lady Anne remaining at the Cape until January 1802.
Her letters written to Dundas, then secretary for war and the colonies, and her diaries of travels into the interior have become an important source of information about the people, events and social life of the time. She is also retained in popular memory as a socialite, known for entertaining at the Castle of Good Hope
Castle of Good Hope
The Castle of Good Hope is a star fort which was built on the original coastline of Table Bay and now, because of land reclamation, lies nearer to the Cape Town city centre in South Africa.-History:...
as the official hostess of Governor Earl Macartney.
The remarkable series of letters, journals and drawings she produced was published in 1901 under the title South Africa a Century Ago. In 1806, on the reconquest of the Cape by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, Barnard was reappointed Colonial Secretary
Chief Secretary
The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...
, but Lady Anne did not accompany him there; he died at the Cape in 1807. The rest of her life was passed 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...
, where she died on 6 May 1825.
Rev. William Leeves revealed in 1812 that Auld Robin Gray had been written by her in 1772, and set to music by him. It was published anonymously in 1783, Lady Anne only acknowledging the authorship of the words two years before her death in a letter to Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
(1823), who subsequently edited it for the Bannatyne Club
Bannatyne Club
The Bannatyne Club was founded by Sir Walter Scott to print rare works of Scottish interest, whether in history, poetry, or general literature. It printed 116 volumes in all. It was dissolved in 1861....
with two continuations.
Lady Anne is commemorated in several ways in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. A chamber in the Castle of Good Hope is known as "Lady Anne Barnard's Ballroom"; a road in the suburb of Newlands
Newlands, Cape Town
Newlands is an upmarket suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.It is located at the foot of Table Mountain in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, and is the wettest suburb in South Africa due to its high winter rainfall...
, where the Barnards lived, is named "Lady Anne Avenue"; and a carved effigy of her is displayed in the foyer of the civic centre in the neighbouring suburb of Claremont
Claremont, Cape Town
Claremont is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated six miles south of the city, and is one of the so-called "Southern Suburbs". It is an important commercial and residential area, which is currently experiencing significant growth and development.-History:Until the arrival of Dutch...
. The Barnards' country house, The Vineyard, survives as part of a hotel.