Catherine Wilmot
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Katherine (or Catherine) Wilmot (c.1773 – 28 March 1824) was an Irish traveller and
diarist A diary is a writing, written or audiovisual Memorabilia, memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by Calendar date, date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwriti ...
. She made a Grand Tour from 1801 to 1803 and documented her experiences through letters, including encounters with notable figures like
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. She later traveled to
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
to join her sister
Martha Wilmot Martha Wilmot (1775 – 18 December 1873) was an Irish traveller and diarist. Early life Martha Wilmot was born in 1775 in Glanmire, County Cork. Her parents were Edward and Martha Wilmot (née Moore). She had five sisters and three brothe ...
and lived there from 1805 to 1807. She later moved to France and died in Paris in 1824. Her writings, letters, and diaries provide insight on the
Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and history of Europe, Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly (French Revoluti ...
, on the Russian society and on travel in the 19th century. Her works also include her sister's transcript of the memoirs of Princess Dashkova.


Life

Catherine Wilmot was born in
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
,
County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...
, to Edward and Martha Wilmot (née Moore). She was the eldest daughter of six daughters and three sons. Her father was the port surveyor in Drogheda, having previously served as captain in the
40th Regiment of Foot The 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1717 in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunte ...
. He was transferred to a similar post in
County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
in 1775, where Wilmot was raised. The family settled in
Glanmire Glanmire () is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork city, in the civil parish of Rathcooney, County Cork, Ireland. The greater Glanmire area encompasses the communities of Riverstown (Baile Roisín), Brooklodge (Cill Ruadhái ...
, near the seat of the Earl of Mountcashell in Moore Park. The earl's family used the surname Moore. Wilmot was friendly with Lady Mountcashell, formerly Margaret King, an early and eager pupil of
Mary Wollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft ( , ; 27 April 175910 September 1797) was an English writer and philosopher best known for her advocacy of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional ...
. Wilmot was invited to accompany the party of
Stephen Moore, 2nd Earl Mount Cashell Stephen Moore, 2nd Earl Mount Cashell (19 March 1770 – 27 October 1822), styled Lord Kilworth between 1781 and 1790, was an Anglo-Irish politician. Moore was the eldest son of Stephen Moore, 1st Earl Mount Cashell, and Lady Helena Rawdon, daugh ...
, and his wife on a grand tour of the continent. Her letters from the time survive, in France from November 1801 to October 1802, and in Italy until July 1803. The Mount Cashells entertained lavishly, especially during the first nine months in Paris, and through them she met
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, and made friends with the Austrian painter
Angelica Kauffman Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss people, Swiss Neoclassicism, Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered prima ...
. She also met the French diplomat and politician
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (; ; 2 February 1754 – 17 May 1838), 1st Prince of Benevento, then Prince of Talleyrand, was a French secularization, secularized clergyman, statesman, and leading diplomat. After studying theology, he b ...
, and the Irish republican
Robert Emmet Robert Emmet (4 March 177820 September 1803) was an Irish Republican, orator and rebel leader. Following the suppression of the United Irish uprising in 1798, he sought to organise a renewed attempt to overthrow the British Crown and Prote ...
fleetingly. She recounted her meeting in Rome with the English aristocrat Frederick Augustus Hervey, and her audience with the Pope,
Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
. Wilmot returned to London from Italy in October 1803, via Germany and Denmark, after England and France resumed hostilities. Wilmot then went to Russia to bring home her sister
Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...
, and spent two years there. Martha was in the country as a favourite of Princess Dashkov, one of the key figures of the
Russian Enlightenment The Russian Age of Enlightenment was a period in the 18th century in which the government began to actively encourage the proliferation of arts and sciences, which had a profound impact on Russian culture. During this time, the first Russian unive ...
and a close friend to
Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...
. Martha was living at the Princess's estate in Troitskoe (on the
Oka River The Oka (, ; ) is a river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the regions of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod and is navigable over a large part of its total length, ...
, about 100 km from Moscow). Katherine Wilmot arrived on 4 August 1805, having set out from Cork on 5 June. Wilmot's writings from this time record the
Russian aristocracy The Russian nobility or ''dvoryanstvo'' () arose in the Middle Ages. In 1914, it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members, out of a total population of 138,200,000. Up until the February Revolution of 1917, the Russian noble estates staffed ...
's opulence and attitudes to the servile classes ( the serfs). The sisters came to know the customs the Russian elite, as well as the festivals and religious rites of the country people. Wilmot left Moscow on 4 July 1807, a combination of passport problems, wars and storms at sea, resulted in delays and in her reaching Yarmouth on 7 September 1807, and returning to Ireland in October 1807. Wilmot moved to France, Moulins, to live in a warmer, drier climate than Ireland. Her health declined when she moved to Paris, dying there 28 March 1824. Her nephew by Martha, Wilmot Henry Bradford, lived to be "Father of the Army".


Works

Wilmot had taken Martha's transcript of the memoirs of the Princess Dashkova when she left Russia. These were published by Martha in 1840, as she had burnt the original manuscript before her departure from Russia in 1808. Wilmot's letters were published a century later, and have been described as a unique portrayal of the Napoleonic period. They describe the social scene, as well as the experience of travelling by coach and ship at that time. The family made transcriptions of the letters; the collection belonging to Martha were donated to the library of the
Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
by Elisabeth van Dedem Lecky, the historian and writer. Amongst these Russian letters are a number written by Eleanor Cavanagh, who described the lives of servants. Wilmot's diaries were published in 1920 by Thomas Sadleir, and later by H. Montgomery Hyde and the Marchioness of Londonderry. *''An Irish Peer on the Continent, 1801-03'' (1920) *''The Russian Journals of Martha and Catherine Wilmot'' (1934) *''More letters from Martha Wilmot; Vienna 1819-29'' (1935) *''The Grand Tours of Katherine Wilmot, France 1801-1803, and Russia 1805-07'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1992)


References


External links


Royal Irish Academy Wilmot Papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmot, Katherine 1770s births 1824 deaths Irish expatriates in France 19th-century Irish diarists People from Drogheda 19th-century Irish women writers 19th-century Irish travel writers Irish women travel writers Irish women diarists Writers from County Meath