Anne Disbrowe
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Charlotte Anne Albinia Disbrowe (''
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
'' Kennedy; 1795 – 18 October 1855) was a British society hostess who lived abroad as the wife of
Edward Cromwell Disbrowe Sir Edward Cromwell Disbrowe Royal Guelphic Order, GCG (1790–1851) was a British politician and diplomat. Life and career Disbrowe was born at Walton Hall, Walton-on-Trent, Walton Hall, Walton-on-Trent, South Derbyshire, the son of Colonel ...
, a diplomat. Her letters, written while residing in the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, were later published and provide historians with valuable first-hand accounts of life at the Imperial Russian court in the early 19th century.


Early life and family

Anne Kennedy was the eldest child of the Robert Kennedy, a younger son of
Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis Captain Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis (1720 – 30 December 1794) was a British peerage, Scottish peer who lived in the English colony of New York which became part of the United States. Early life Kennedy, who lived in New York City ...
. Her mother was Jane Macomb, the daughter of a successful American merchant. The family lived for several years in
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, where Anne was born, before moving their residence to England. On 24 October 1821, she married
Edward Cromwell Disbrowe Sir Edward Cromwell Disbrowe Royal Guelphic Order, GCG (1790–1851) was a British politician and diplomat. Life and career Disbrowe was born at Walton Hall, Walton-on-Trent, Walton Hall, Walton-on-Trent, South Derbyshire, the son of Colonel ...
, a British diplomat. The couple met in Switzerland. Their first child was born the year after their marriage in
Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
. In late 1822, they returned to England, where Edward became a Member of Parliament (MP) for
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...
(1823–26). The growing family lived in Walton Hall, Derbyshire. They eventually had four surviving children: daughters Charlotte and Jane (who later married Henry Christopher Wise), and sons Edward and William.


Life as a diplomatic wife

In April 1825, Edward Disbrowe travelled to
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
to serve as Minister ''
Plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can als ...
'' at the court of
Tsar Alexander I Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russia during the chaotic period of the Napoleo ...
. Anne followed in June, accompanied by her father. Initially told this would be a short-lived posting, they decided to leave their two young daughters behind in England out of fear the sea journey would be too dangerous. The girls stayed with Anne's parents at Walton Hall. Events at court quickly extended the couple's stay; Tsar Alexander died, which precipitated the
Decembrist revolt The Decembrist revolt () was a failed coup d'état led by liberal military and political dissidents against the Russian Empire. It took place in Saint Petersburg on , following the death of Emperor Alexander I. Alexander's brother and heir ...
and Nicholas I's eventual succession. The Disbrowes were then posted to Moscow in 1826, as part of a large English delegation for the new tsar's coronation. As there was no permanent ambassador to Russia in place, Anne was the highest ranking English lady present and had many social duties to perform, further delaying their return home. Anne's letters reveal her anguish at being separated from her children. She and her husband considered sending for them, but worried about the serious risks associated with travel and Russia's climate. Anne would not see them again until her return to England in March 1828, a gap of three years. After Russia, Disbrowe held appointments in
Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...
and Stockholm, and in 1831 he was knighted into the
Royal Guelphic Order The Royal Guelphic Order (), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Kingdom of Hanover, Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name from the House ...
. Beginning in January 1836, he and his family moved to
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
where he served as an envoy. There he fell ill in September 1851, and died on 29 October. His grieving family then returned to England. In his will, he left his widow and two daughters an annuity of £500. The family properties were later divided among both daughters; Walton Hall was inherited by Charlotte, and Jane acquired an estate in Northamptonshire. Their son Edward died in 1854, and according to his sister Charlotte, Anne's "health never recovered from that terrible loss". Anne died in October of the following year.


Legacy

Charlotte later published much of her mother's correspondence; these letters have provided historians with valuable first-hand accounts of life at the Russian court in the early 19th century. She edited a collection of letters and had them printed by the Ladies' Printing Press for private publication in 1878, under the name ''Original Letters from Russia 1825–1828''. Some of these letters were later adapted into another book, ''Old Days in Diplomacy: Recollections of a Closed Century'', published in 1903 by Jarrold & Sons.


References

Works cited * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Disbrowe, Anne 1795 births 1855 deaths Victorian women writers Victorian writers People from New Jersey Schuyler family
Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...
American emigrants to the United Kingdom British expatriates in the Russian Empire