Female characters in Georgian naval fiction

Old Salt Press author Linda Collison recently asked her fellow OSP stable-mates for comments on female characters in Georgian and Victorian maritime fiction.

Well, one immediately thinks of Lady Barbara in the Hornblower books, though the ghastly landlady and her even ghastlier daughter who play such a big part in the first of the series also intrude on the mind.  More pertinently, however, two of our authors do feature women in their character lists.

One is Antoine Vanner, author of the "Britannia" series.

LS Collison: Do you have any recurring female characters in your series and upon what historical figures or fictional figures were they drawn (if any?) What role do they play in the series?

Antoine Vanner:  Florence Dawlish, wife of Nicholas Dawlish, plays a leading role in several of the novels, a lesser role in others, and she has an entire novel to herself (Britannia's Amazon) which she demanded so strongly of me that I couldn't refuse her. Brave, ambitious, resourceful - and self-educated - he is Nicholas Dawlish's tower of strength and the love of his life. Starting life as a maid in an aristocratic household she's on her way to being the respected Lady Florence whom we meet in the time of the (free) short story Britannia's Eventide.

Though not direct comparisons, she has a lot in common with Flora Shaw, later Lady Lugard (Florence starts with lower social status) and with the wonderful Lady Florence Baker (Sold to her husband Sir Samuel Baker as a slave in Romania). There are also traces in her of Mary Kingsley.

Lady Agatha Kegworth, to whom, Florence was once a lady's maid and later a paid companion, is usually a presence also, sometimes (Wolf and Amazon) a very important one. She recognised and fostered Florence's desires to self-educate and this grew into warm friendship that will continue through life. Stout, myopic and clever, she is elected as the first female fellow of the Royal Society. 

Florence and Agatha's activities in Britannia's Wolf were inspired by the real life British lady volunteers who went to teh aid of refugees in the Russo-Turkish War 1877/8

The American lady journalist Mabel Bushwick made a fleeting appearance in Britannia's Shark but he returned a a major character in Britannia's Amazon. She was based on several American female journalists who took an increasing role in magazine publications in the late 19th Century.

Eleonora Blomqvist, a Swedish volunteer nurse in the early days of the Red Cross, plays a secondary but important role in Britannia's Innocent, due for publication on December 8th. She is based on real-life nurses of the period.

A thoroughly nasty female villain appears in Britannia's Amazon, and i closely based on real-life procuresses unmasked by the great investigative  journalist W.T.Stead.

A specific real-life character who is referred to, and is important to Florence as an ally, though she hasn't played an active role herself, is Miss Agnes Weston, who worked tirelessly for almost half-a-century for the welfare of British seamen and their families. 

Memorable female characters in Georgian Naval Fiction

C.S.Forester is excellent in this respect. Lady Barbara, whom Hornblower marries, and the wonderful Frenchwoman who facilitated his escape in Flying Colours, and died in Lord Hornblower, are unforgettable. (Forester pulled off a trick that nobody has ever queried by giving Wellington a sister he never had!)

And then there is Alaric Bond, author of the "Fighting Sail" Series

LS Collison: Do you have any recurring female characters in your series and upon what historical figures or fictional figures were they drawn (if any?) What role do they play in the series?

Alaric Bond: My Fighting Sail series currently runs to twelve books and features several female characters who appear regularly and play an essential role in developing the plot. Their backgrounds are diverse and so far have included current or previous partners of a ship’s crew, shipwreck survivors and relatives of diplomats as well as others from more humble stock. None are based on any specific historical character and, as you would expect, their qualities vary greatly. The majority take little part in the actual running of the ship, although they frequently influence those that do.

The introduction of what is probably best described as an unexpected female often creates sexual tension within the confines of a broadly masculine environment and, should a relationship develop, that in itself can be important in portraying both parties. But apart from that aspect, I don’t regard any character as being gender defined as such. Temperament, personality and attitude are far more important than their sexual orientation; I have no room for token women!

Do you have any interesting minor female characters of interest who make an appearance in one of your novels? What role do they play in the story? Who were they based on?

The roles of minor female characters are just as varied and frequently carry the same importance as their more prominent sisters. To my mind, single-use characters in general are often overlooked but a carefully drawn walk-on can alter a plot dramatically while providing additional colour and contrast.

LS Collison: What female characters in the world of Georgian Naval Fiction are memorable to you, if any?

Alaric Bond: Diana Villiers is an obvious one, and I would also include Lady Barbara Wellesley and Maria Hornblower. All strong characters and superbly drawn.