Eliza Fay
Encyclopedia
Eliza Fay was an English letter-writer and traveller.
shipwright. She died in Calcutta in 1816. Her mother died in or before 1783. Very little is known of her family. One of her sisters, Eleanor, married Thomas W. Preston.
Eliza married Anthony Fay, a barrister, on 6 February 1772 in London
. He was the only son of Francis Fay of Rotherhithe, Surrey, and of Irish extraction. Fay intended to practise as an advocate in the Calcutta Supreme Court, and the couple set out for India in April 1779. He managed to enter himself on June 16, 1780, but ran into debt and fathered an illegitimate child, before returning to England, where he died some time before 1815. The couple separated in August 1781. There were no children of the marriage.
by Hyder Ali
, king of Mysore
. Eventually escaping with the help of a Jewish merchant of Cochin
, Mr Isaac, she and her husband arrived in Calcutta in May 1780.
The letters reveal great narrative power and include what E. M. Forster
, as her editor, described as "little character sketches... delightfully malicious." She appears to have had religious convictions and a distaste for any kind of indelicacy, also a command of French and an ability to learn other languages such as Italian, Portuguese and Hindustani at high speed, but otherwise not much education. Eliza Fay found her way into Calcutta society during her first period there, meeting several prominent people, including Warren Hastings
, but this goodwill may have been dissipated by the wild behaviour of her husband, or possibly by her own ill temper. She was more interested than many in the life of the Indians around her and provides quite a lot of detail.
Fay returned to England by way of Madras and St Helena in 1782, but set out again in 1784. This time her social status was lower and she supported herself with a millinery shop and by mantua
making, but became bankrupt in 1788, although she continued to trade and paid off her creditors by 1793. Her business partner Avis Hicks and Anthony Fay's son, whom Hicks was accompanying to England, drowned at sea in September 1786. Returning to England in 1794, Eliza inherited property in Glamorgan
on the death of her father and became a merchant, but was dogged by disasters, so that bankruptcy ensued again in 1800. Her third visit to Calcutta in 1796 lasted only six months. She acquired another ship, loaded it with muslin
s and set off for the United States, but the ship sank in the mouth of the Hooghly. She managed by other means to reach New York
on 3 September 1797.
Sailing again for Calcutta in August 1804, she returned the following year with 14 children, to open a school at Ashburnam House, Blackheath
. This she continued to run with a partner, Maria Cousins, until 1814. She stayed in Blackheath with Mrs Preston in 1815, before a final voyage to Calcutta, where she began to prepare her letters and papers for publication. She died aged sixty on 9 September 1816.
A new edition appeared ninety years later, edited by Walter Kelly Firminger (1870-1940), author of the long-running Thacker's Guide to Calcutta. This was superseded in 1925 by E. M. Forster's scholarly edition.
Early life
Eliza was one of the three known daughters of Edward Clement (died 1794), a RotherhitheRotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
shipwright. She died in Calcutta in 1816. Her mother died in or before 1783. Very little is known of her family. One of her sisters, Eleanor, married Thomas W. Preston.
Eliza married Anthony Fay, a barrister, on 6 February 1772 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was the only son of Francis Fay of Rotherhithe, Surrey, and of Irish extraction. Fay intended to practise as an advocate in the Calcutta Supreme Court, and the couple set out for India in April 1779. He managed to enter himself on June 16, 1780, but ran into debt and fathered an illegitimate child, before returning to England, where he died some time before 1815. The couple separated in August 1781. There were no children of the marriage.
Passages to India
Fay's graphic letters begin in Paris on 18 April 1779; her account suggests she had been to France several times before. Then follows her eventful journey by land and sea, across the Alps, by sea to Egypt, then across the deserts of Egypt in a caravan that was attacked by bandits, only to be imprisoned on arrival in CalicutKozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
by Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
, king of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
. Eventually escaping with the help of a Jewish merchant of Cochin
Kochi
-Places:* Kochi, a city in the state of Kerala, India, formerly known as Cochin* Kingdom of Cochin, a former feudal city-state on Malabar Coast, India** Fort Kochi, one of the three main urban components which constitute the present day city of Kochi, Kerala, India...
, Mr Isaac, she and her husband arrived in Calcutta in May 1780.
The letters reveal great narrative power and include what E. M. Forster
E. M. Forster
Edward Morgan Forster OM, CH was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society...
, as her editor, described as "little character sketches... delightfully malicious." She appears to have had religious convictions and a distaste for any kind of indelicacy, also a command of French and an ability to learn other languages such as Italian, Portuguese and Hindustani at high speed, but otherwise not much education. Eliza Fay found her way into Calcutta society during her first period there, meeting several prominent people, including Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings PC was the first Governor-General of India, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but was acquitted in 1795. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1814.-Early life:...
, but this goodwill may have been dissipated by the wild behaviour of her husband, or possibly by her own ill temper. She was more interested than many in the life of the Indians around her and provides quite a lot of detail.
Fay returned to England by way of Madras and St Helena in 1782, but set out again in 1784. This time her social status was lower and she supported herself with a millinery shop and by mantua
Mantua (clothing)
A mantua is an article of women's clothing worn in the late 17th century and 18th century. Originally a loose gown, the later mantua was an overgown or robe typically worn over stays, stomacher and a co-ordinating petticoat....
making, but became bankrupt in 1788, although she continued to trade and paid off her creditors by 1793. Her business partner Avis Hicks and Anthony Fay's son, whom Hicks was accompanying to England, drowned at sea in September 1786. Returning to England in 1794, Eliza inherited property in Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
on the death of her father and became a merchant, but was dogged by disasters, so that bankruptcy ensued again in 1800. Her third visit to Calcutta in 1796 lasted only six months. She acquired another ship, loaded it with muslin
Muslin
Muslin |sewing patterns]], such as for clothing, curtains, or upholstery. Because air moves easily through muslin, muslin clothing is suitable for hot, dry climates.- Etymology and history :...
s and set off for the United States, but the ship sank in the mouth of the Hooghly. She managed by other means to reach New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 3 September 1797.
Sailing again for Calcutta in August 1804, she returned the following year with 14 children, to open a school at Ashburnam House, Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
. This she continued to run with a partner, Maria Cousins, until 1814. She stayed in Blackheath with Mrs Preston in 1815, before a final voyage to Calcutta, where she began to prepare her letters and papers for publication. She died aged sixty on 9 September 1816.
Editions of the letters
Fay died insolvent, and her invaluable letters were handled by the administrator of her estate as one of her few assets. Her account of the first two voyages appeared in 1817 and according to official records, made a profit for her creditors of 220 rupees in four years. However, the administrator "lost enthusiasm" according to Forster, so that the published versions go only up to 1797. Later glimpses of her come from notes by her 1908 editor, some surviving manuscript pages, and English court and other archive materials. The volume was reprinted in 1821.A new edition appeared ninety years later, edited by Walter Kelly Firminger (1870-1940), author of the long-running Thacker's Guide to Calcutta. This was superseded in 1925 by E. M. Forster's scholarly edition.