Briars, Saint Helena
Briars is the name of the small pavilion in which Napoleon Bonaparte stayed for the first few weeks of his captivity on Saint Helena. The pavilion was in the garden of William Balcombe, an English merchant who became a purveyor to Napoleon. His 14 year old daughter Elizabeth Lucia ("Betsy") Balcombe was the only family member who spoke French and she became the family translator. Because of his and his family's closeness to Napoleon, Balcombe attracted the suspicion of Governor Hudson Lowe, and in 1818 he decided to leave the island and return to England. [1] The Briars then was used as the home for the Admiral on duty in the station [2].
Later, Balcombe was offered a post in Australia. In 1959 the Pavilion was offered to the French Government by a descendant of William Balcombe, Dame Mabel Brookes, and became the third of the French properties on the island.
The Balcombe family homestead in the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, was also named the Briars, and is now run by Mornington Peninsula shire and open to the public as a heritage house. Dame Mabel Brookes collected Napoleonic memorabilia which was also donated to the Mornington Peninsula shire; some is on display at the house.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Abell, Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe, To Befriend an Emperor: Betsy Balcombe's Memoirs of Napoleon on St. Helena. Welwyn Garden City, UK: Ravenhall, 2005. ISBN# 1905043031.
- ^ See The main dwellings during Napoleon's captivity
- ^ I. Hackett (2006) Balcombe Family and "The Briars"Park, Mt Martha, Victoria tourist pamphlet published by Mornington Peninsula Shire.
Coordinates: 15°56′33″S 5°42′41″W / 15.9425°S 5.71139°W
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