Blanche Heriot holds clapper Chertsey 2014

Blanche Heriot was a legendary heroine from

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in ...

, Surrey, whose story was brought to a wider public in two works by the Chertsey-born early

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

writer Albert Smith.

Background

In 1842 Smith's first play, ''Blanche Heriot, or The Chertsey Curfew'', was produced at the

Surrey Theatre The Surrey Theatre, London began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided entertainment of both horsemanship and drama ( hippodrama). It stood in Blackfriars Road, near the ju ...

. "As a native of Chertsey," wrote Henry Turner in

Clement Scott Clement William Scott (6 October 1841 – 25 June 1904) was an influential English theatre critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' and other journals, and a playwright, lyricist, translator and travel writer, in the final decades of the 19th century ...

's magazine ''The Theatre'', "he was naturally acquainted with the local legend of the heroic girl who, in order to gain time for her lover's pardon to arrive, and so save his head from 'rolling on the

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

mead Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining chara ...

,' clung to the clapper of the enormous bell in the belfry tower, and thereby attained her object." The Irish actress Maria Honner "was the heroine and her portrait (life-size) was on every hoarding in London, swinging to and fro with her hair streaming in the wind." In 1843 Smith published ''The Wassail-Bowl: A Comic Christmas Sketchbook'', Volume II of which included a short story, "Blanche Heriot: A Legend of Old Chertsey Church", on the same subject as his play of the previous year. A summary of "Blanche Heriot: A Legend of Old Chertsey Church" follows.

Synopsis

Blanche Heriot is a young woman, living in Chertsey during the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought be ...

. The story is set in May 1471 when

Edward IV of England Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...

, the first and longest-serving Yorkist King, has just won back the throne from his cousin. Blanche has a lover, Neville Audley, who has been away in the wars, fighting for the Lancastrians. He returns to Chertsey with a price on his head and is intent on fleeing to the Continent. However, he is apprehended by Yorkist soldiers in Chertsey. He kills one soldier and a dog and flees to

Chertsey Abbey Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the England, English county of Surrey. It was founded in 666 AD by Saint Erkenwald who was the first abbot, and from 675 AD the Bishop of London. At the s ...

, seeking sanctuary. Neville, however, is arrested and sentenced to die at curfew the next day. A mutual friend of Blanche and Neville, Herrick Evenden, agrees to take a token (a ring given to Neville by a nobleman from the Yorkist side for Neville sparing his life) to London to call in that favour by in turn sparing Neville's life. With only five minutes to go before curfew bell will toll, Herrick is seen by townsfolk approaching

Laleham Laleham is a village on the River Thames, in the Borough of Spelthorne, about west of central London, England. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, it was transferred to Surrey in 1965. Laleham is downriver from Staines-upon-Thames ...

ferry, half a mile away, on his return from London. Realising that Neville's life depends on her delaying the curfew, Blanche runs to the bell tower and ascends the old stairs. She crouches down beneath the bell and clings onto the clapper. Despite being dashed against the bell and frame, she holds on until the sexton (accompanied by soldiers) decides to climb the tower to investigate. Just then, Herrick Evenden arrives with a pardon for Neville. Following his release, a party ensues at the local hostelry, and Neville and Blanche are married shortly afterwards. Albert Smith completes the story with a reference to the motto inscribed around the band of the Curfew Bell, ''"Ora mente pia pro nobis, Virgo Maria"''. This was the fifth bell in the ring of eight at the medieval

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

church, St. Peter's, Chertsey. It was cast circa 1310 and re-cast circa 1380 for Chertsey Abbey by the Wokingham founders who were linked to the Abbey. On the dissolution of Chertsey Abbey in July 1537, it was moved from the abbey church just behind the other medieval church, which was left for plunder of its stone.

Related matters

A bronze statue of Blanche Heriot by Sheila Mitchell F.R.B.S stands in Chertsey.

Lydia Sigourney Lydia Huntley Sigourney (September 1, 1791 – June 10, 1865), ''née'' Lydia Howard Huntley, was an American poet, author, and publisher during the early and mid 19th century. She was commonly known as the "Sweet Singer of Hartford." She had a ...

wrote an article, "Love and Loyalty", which appeared posthumously in ''

Peterson's Magazine ''Peterson's Magazine'' (1842–1898) was an American magazine focused on women. It was published monthly and based in Philadelphia. In 1842, Charles Jacobs Peterson and George Rex Graham, partners in the ''Saturday Evening Post'', agreed t ...

'' in September 1865. This is highly likely to be based on the Blanche Heriot story. It was then picked up and formed the basis of the narrative poem " Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight" by

Rose Hartwick Thorpe Rose Hartwick Thorpe (July 18, 1850 – July 19, 1939) was an American poet and writer, remembered largely for the narrative poem, ''Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight'' (1867), which gained national popularity. It was translated into nearly every lang ...

in 1867. The main specialist genitourinary medicine clinic of

St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey St. Peter's Hospital is an NHS district general hospital in Chertsey, Surrey, England. It has 400 beds and a wide range of acute care services, including an Accident & Emergency department. It is located between Woking and Chertsey near junct ...

is the Blanche Heriot Unit in honour of her, and also as an ironic tribute to the

sexually transmitted infections Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and ora ...

the unit treats.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Chertsey's Curfew
1842 plays 1843 short stories Surrey folklore