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Frederick Gustavus Burnaby was born in Bedford in England. If you are wondering where he got his unusual middle name, I will give you a hint: He was the son of the Reverend Gustavus Andrew Burnaby who was Canon at Middleham in Yorkshire, England.
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Colonel Frederick Burnaby and Elizabeth Hawkins Whitshed's marriage was a short one. He was a Victorian celebrity: a soldier, adventurer, and writer. They travelled to North Africa on honeymoon, but due to delicate health, Elizabeth returned to Greystones. She moved to Switzerland for health reasons. Colonel Burnaby was killed in action (near Khartoum in Sudan) in 1885. Elizabeth went on to become a mountain climber and alpine expert. She married twice more and lived to the ripe old age of 73.
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This was very significant day in the development of Greystones. The first steam train travelled from Dublin to Greystones on this day. The railway was engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This involved building tunnels through the rock along Bray Head.
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Frederick Burnaby was about 17, when he joined the Royal Horse Guard. He had no chance of active service, so he looked for adventures travelling through Russia and Spain. He also enjoyed ballooning.
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Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed was born in London. But she spent most of her childhood and teenage years at Killincarrick House, Greystones, Co.Wicklow. She came from an upperclass background, being the daughter of Captain Sir St. Vincent Hawkins-Whitshed, 3rd Baronet and his wife Anne Alicia (nee Handcock)
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When Elizabeth was a baby, the population of the Greystones and Delgany area was 605.
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James Tissot's detailed and elegant portrait of Lieutenant Colonel Burnaby was painted. Burnaby is wearing the blue dress uniform of the Royal Horse Guards to which he belonged. This portrait is now in the British National Gallery.
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Elizabeth was about eleven when her father died. She was an only child. The Lord Chancellor took her on as his ward.
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The population of Greystones and Delgany was 619. At this time Elizabeth was eleven years old.
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He wrote a book about this journey 'A Ride to Khiva'. It brought Frederick Burnaby fame and celebrity. There is a mock Tudor type house in the Burnaby Estate in Greystones called Khiva. The Burnaby Estate was built from 1901.
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In the hard winter of 1876 Burnaby rode a thousand miles eastwards from Constantinople (now called Istanbul) He wrote a book, 'On Horseback through Asia Minor 'about this journey.
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In the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, Burnaby worked as 'travelling agent' to the Red Cross Committee, but he had to reutrn to England before the campaign was over. Soon afterwards he became a lieutenant-colonel
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At eighteen Elizabeth goes to London as a debutant to be introduced to London society. This would have been seen as an opportunity to find a suitable husband. Elizabeth was very impressed by Colonel Burnaby who was a celebrity of the time. He was six foot four, a soldier, adventurer, traveller, balloonist and writer.
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They newly married couple travelled to North Africa after their marriage but due to ill health, Elizabeth couldn't continue.
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Colonel Frederick Burnaby is remembered in many of the placenames around Greystones, even though he only stayed here for fourteen days, when he came to visit the home place of his future bride!
If you were to hear a story about an eighteen year old heiress who married a soldier and adventurer of almost twice her age, you might think that this was the plot of novel or film. The story of the romance between Elizabeth Hawkins Whitshed is a short one and reading between the lines, a sad one. -
Colonel Burnaby threw himself into a number of projects in what looks like an attempt to take his mind off his failed marriage. He tried to get elected to parliament as a Tory-Democrat in Birmingham.
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Elizabeth returns to Greystones to give birth to her only child Harry St. Vincent Augustus Burnaby.
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In the census of 1881 the population of Greystones and Delgany was 529
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In another adventure, Colonel Frederick Burnaby successfully crossed the English Channel in a hot air balloon.
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Elizabeth is sent to Switzerland by her doctor because of her health. She has 'lung trouble'. The climate in Switzerland was thought good for such a complaint. This seems to have worked as the following winter, she climbed Mount Blanc, the highest mountain in Switzerland. She went on to become a pioneering mountaineer, a writer, photographer and expert in all things to do with the Alps.
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Elizabeth's book, The High Alps in Winter: or Mountaineering in Search of Health published.
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Having been disappointed in his hope of seeing active sevice in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882, he participated in the Suakin (again in Egypt) campaign of 1884, without official leave, and was wounded at El Teb, when acting as an intelligence officer.
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He met his death in the hand-to-hand fighting of the Battle of Abu Klea, Omdurman (near Khartoum in Sudan) in 1885. He was forty two years old. In his day Burnaby was so famous that Queen Victoria reportedly fainted at news of his death. The 'Times' gave him a 5,000 word obituary. It is said that grown men broke down and wept in the streets.
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The Times newspaper in London had a 5,000 word obituary for Colonel Frederick Burnaby on which praise was heaped.
'The Queen had no more loyal subject, the army no finer officer, the country no truer patriot that Frederick Gustavus Burnaby. -
Elizabeth marries Doctor Johnathan Frederick Main, a professor of natural science.
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Doctor JF Main dies. There is some question that he and Elizabeth were divorced at this point.
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Elizabeth marries a Frenchman: Francis Bernard Aubrey Le Blond. He is a wealthy and enthusiastic collector of china, with property in the South of France. She travels through Asia with him.
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It is around this time that building begins at The Burnaby in Greystones on land that Elizabeth inherited from her father, Sir St. Vincent Hawkins-Whitshed. She calls the estate after her first husband, Frederick Burnaby. There is also a Whitshed Road, St. Vincent Road and a Hawkins Lane in the Burnaby Estate. Elizabeth was related to the Dukes of Portland. There is also a Portland Road in the Burnaby.
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Elizabeth's book 'Cities and Sites of Spain' published
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Elizabeth's book 'Adventures on the roof of the world' published.
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Elizabeth's book 'Old Gardens of Italy' published.
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Elizabeth Le Blond publishes her autobiography 'Day in, Day out'. In it she says she was educated by her mother and a nanny, This she describes as a handicap.
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Elizabeth Aubrey Le Blond dies at the age of 73.
