That is not to say she lacked interest in acquiring knowledge, as her voracious reading of her father’s library proved. But the volumes she preferred to digest were the travel books he had accumulated and which from an early age put notions of adventure in her mind. As soon as circumstances and opportunity allowed, she had left the tiny hamlet of her birth for good; only returning for the funeral of her sister.
She had met her future husband, Lord Henry Smithson, when introduced at a supper party in Bath, given by a mutual friend. Although financially independent, he had recently been engaged in work of a sensitive nature for the government. He had come to the spa city to take its famous medicinal waters for a recurrent attack of gout. On his own admission, he had not been the most handsome man in the room that evening, but there was something about his rugged features and quietly spoken nature that made Harriet immediately fall in love with him. By the end of the evening, it was reciprocated. They were married later that year, 1764, at St Swithin’s Church, in the parish of Walcot, and Harriet added the title of Lady to her name.
The newlyweds spent their honeymoon on the Grand Tour. They had chosen the shortest route across the Channel, from Dover to Calais, undertaking a night crossing which saw them approach the French coast at dawn. Although in sight of shore, a contrary wind had forced the couple into a small rowing boat in order to complete their journey. They had spent the following night at the Hotel Dessein, a charming old hotel in Calais, before heading south to Paris, passing through the towns of Boulogne, Abbeville, Amiens and Chantilly on the way. They had made good time, as the roads were in good condition, stopping only twice; once to stay a night at an inn and again to see the acclaimed treasures at the Abbey of Saint-Denis.
In the French capital they had visited such sights as the Louvre, Tuileries, the Luxembourg and the Observatory, along with pilgrimages to the churches of Val-de-Grâce, St Sulpice and Notre Dame; while in Italy they had marvelled at the Coliseum in Rome, been captivated by Florence’s art and attended the Real Teatro di San Carlo in Naples.
Although her husband had initially resisted pressure from the government to continue his work with them while on honeymoon, by the time they left Italy for Switzerland he had capitulated. It was, as far as the government was concerned, the perfect cover; a newly married couple on their honeymoon travelling through Europe and being able to come and go as they pleased. For a while Lord Henry combined duty and pleasure, but before long he became increasingly busy and preoccupied.
The end of their Grand Tour came in Greece. They had intended to stay in Athens only long enough to visit the Acropolis and enjoy the view from Mount Lycabettus, but with someone of her husband’s particular skills required there in the long term, they had ended up staying eighteen months. As part of his remit, Lord Henry had made several journeys to Crete, reluctantly leaving his wife to amuse herself with the other diplomatic wives. Lady Harriet’s closest companion from this circle had been Esperanza, wife of the Spanish Ambassador, and they would often accompany each other, along with assorted bodyguards, into the Turkish quarter, located on the north-east slope of the Acropolis and famed for its labyrinthine streets full of market stalls and bazaars.
In 1770 they finally left Athens for Constantinople, where Lord Henry was to undertake work for the British envoy to Turkey. No sooner had they arrived, however, than he was required in Crete on an urgent matter. This time Lady Harriet insisted she accompany him. Having arrived on Crete and accommodation been secured, her husband immediately left for a clandestine rendezvous. On his way to this meeting, he was tragically killed in a fall from a mountain path. Harriet was informed of her husband’s death by two
She had met her future husband, Lord Henry Smithson, when introduced at a supper party in Bath, given by a mutual friend. Although financially independent, he had recently been engaged in work of a sensitive nature for the government. He had come to the spa city to take its famous medicinal waters for a recurrent attack of gout. On his own admission, he had not been the most handsome man in the room that evening, but there was something about his rugged features and quietly spoken nature that made Harriet immediately fall in love with him. By the end of the evening, it was reciprocated. They were married later that year, 1764, at St Swithin’s Church, in the parish of Walcot, and Harriet added the title of Lady to her name.
The newlyweds spent their honeymoon on the Grand Tour. They had chosen the shortest route across the Channel, from Dover to Calais, undertaking a night crossing which saw them approach the French coast at dawn. Although in sight of shore, a contrary wind had forced the couple into a small rowing boat in order to complete their journey. They had spent the following night at the Hotel Dessein, a charming old hotel in Calais, before heading south to Paris, passing through the towns of Boulogne, Abbeville, Amiens and Chantilly on the way. They had made good time, as the roads were in good condition, stopping only twice; once to stay a night at an inn and again to see the acclaimed treasures at the Abbey of Saint-Denis.
In the French capital they had visited such sights as the Louvre, Tuileries, the Luxembourg and the Observatory, along with pilgrimages to the churches of Val-de-Grâce, St Sulpice and Notre Dame; while in Italy they had marvelled at the Coliseum in Rome, been captivated by Florence’s art and attended the Real Teatro di San Carlo in Naples.
Although her husband had initially resisted pressure from the government to continue his work with them while on honeymoon, by the time they left Italy for Switzerland he had capitulated. It was, as far as the government was concerned, the perfect cover; a newly married couple on their honeymoon travelling through Europe and being able to come and go as they pleased. For a while Lord Henry combined duty and pleasure, but before long he became increasingly busy and preoccupied.
The end of their Grand Tour came in Greece. They had intended to stay in Athens only long enough to visit the Acropolis and enjoy the view from Mount Lycabettus, but with someone of her husband’s particular skills required there in the long term, they had ended up staying eighteen months. As part of his remit, Lord Henry had made several journeys to Crete, reluctantly leaving his wife to amuse herself with the other diplomatic wives. Lady Harriet’s closest companion from this circle had been Esperanza, wife of the Spanish Ambassador, and they would often accompany each other, along with assorted bodyguards, into the Turkish quarter, located on the north-east slope of the Acropolis and famed for its labyrinthine streets full of market stalls and bazaars.
In 1770 they finally left Athens for Constantinople, where Lord Henry was to undertake work for the British envoy to Turkey. No sooner had they arrived, however, than he was required in Crete on an urgent matter. This time Lady Harriet insisted she accompany him. Having arrived on Crete and accommodation been secured, her husband immediately left for a clandestine rendezvous. On his way to this meeting, he was tragically killed in a fall from a mountain path. Harriet was informed of her husband’s death by two
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