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She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen
- British Women in India
- Narrated by: Katie Hickman, Tania Rodrigues
- Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins
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She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen
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Summary
The first British women to set foot in India did so in the very early seventeenth century, two and a half centuries before the Raj.
Women made their way to India for exactly the same reasons men did - to carve out a better life for themselves. In the early days, India was a place where the slates of 'blotted pedigrees' were wiped clean; bankrupts given a chance to make good; a taste for adventure satisfied - for women. They went and worked as milliners, bakers, dress-makers, actresses, portrait painters, maids, shop-keepers, governesses, teachers, boarding house proprietors, midwives, nurses, missionaries, doctors, geologists, plant-collectors, writers, travellers, and - most surprising of all - traders.
As wives, courtesans and she-merchants, these tough adventuring women were every bit as intrepid as their men, the buccaneering sea captains and traders in whose wake they followed; their voyages to India were extraordinarily daring leaps into the unknown.
The history of the British in India has cast a long shadow over these women; Memsahibs, once a word of respect, is now more likely to be a byword for snobbery and even racism. And it is true: prejudice of every kind - racial, social, imperial, religious - did cloud many aspects of British involvement in India. But was not invariably the case.
In this landmark book, celebrated chronicler, Katie Hickman, uncovers stories, until now hidden from history: here is Charlotte Barry, who in 1783 left London a high-class courtesan and arrived in India as Mrs William Hickey, a married 'lady'; Poll Puff who sold her apple puffs for 'upwards of thirty years, growing grey in the service'; Mrs Hudson who in 1617 was refused as a trader in indigo by the East Indian Company, and instead turned a fine penny in cloth; Julia Inglis, a survivor of the siege of Lucknow; Amelia Horne, who witnessed the death of her entire family during the Cawnpore massacres of 1857; and Flora Annie Steel, novelist and a pioneer in the struggle to bring education to purdah women.
For some it was painful exile, but for many it was exhilarating. Through diaries, letters and memoirs (many still in manuscript form), this exciting book reveals the extraordinary life and times of hundreds of women who made their way across the sea and changed history.
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Critic reviews
"Sharply observed, snappily written and thoroughly researched, She Merchants provides a fabulous panorama of a largely ignored area of social history. Katie Hickman successfully challenges the stereotype of the snobbish, matron-like memsahib by deploying a riveting gallery of powerful and often eccentric women ranging from stowaways and runaways through courtesans and society beauties to Generals' feisty wives and Viceroys' waspish sisters. It is full of surprises and new material and completely engaging from beginning to end." (William Dalrymple)
"Absolutely brilliant . . . remarkable women, until now almost unknown. I was so gripped I couldn't put it down." (Antonia Fraser)
"Goes beneath the surface of imperial male history . . . a cast of extraordinary women. Wonderful" (Anita Anand)
What listeners say about She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jamie Barron
- 25-04-23
Fascinating history
A fascinating and in-depth exploration of the lives of several British women who went to India in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries. Hickman writes with great empathy both towards the subjects of her history, and also towards the history and culture of the subcontinent. Hickman uses a lot of first-person narratives, which therefore bring these characters vividly to life. Rodrigues reads clearly and intelligibly.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Christine
- 04-04-20
Amazing Women
I do love these books that tell a familiar tale from an alternative viewpoint. The story of these women is very interesting, going from horrendous travel conditions to being in lock down during the Indian uprisings. Well worth a listen.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Gadgetfanatic
- 03-03-20
Struggled to finish.
Really wanted to like this book but gave up half way through. I just didn't like the subject matter. That said the narration was excellent as usual by Tania Rodrigues.
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