Margaret Brooke
Encyclopedia
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke. She published her memoir My Life in Sarawak in 1913, that offers a rare glimpse of life in The Astana
The Astana, Sarawak
The Astana is a palace in Kuching, Sarawak, on the north bank of the Sarawak River, opposite the Kuching Waterfront. It is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, the Governor of Sarawak...
in Kuching
Kuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
and colonial Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
The Ranee became legendary during her lifetime as a woman of strength and intelligence, as well as her extraordinary circumstance as Eurasian
Eurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
royalty.
Brooke loved his wife dearly. The Astana
The Astana, Sarawak
The Astana is a palace in Kuching, Sarawak, on the north bank of the Sarawak River, opposite the Kuching Waterfront. It is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, the Governor of Sarawak...
was built specially for her as a wedding present. And Fort Margherita
Fort Margherita
Fort Margherita is an old fort built in 1879 by Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak situated in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The fort is an important landmark and monument in Sarawak's history which goes back to the Brooke Dynasty. The fort, built in the style of an English castle, was designed to...
, also in Kuching
Kuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
, was named after her.
Background
Born Margaret Alice Lili de Windt, she was the daughter of Captain Joseph Clayton Jennyns de Windt, of Blunston Hall, and his wife, Elizabeth Sarah Johnson. Her brother, Harry de WindtHarry de Windt
Captain Harry Willes Darell de Windt was the aide-de-camp to his brother-in-law Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak , and is best known as an explorer and travel writer...
, was a well-known explorer.
Margaret de Windt married Rajah Charles at Highworth
Highworth
Highworth is a market town in the unitary authority of Swindon in Wiltshire, England, located about north-east of Swindon town centre. At the 2001 census it had a population of 7,996...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
on 28 October 1869. She was raised to the title of Ranee
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Sarawak with the style of Her Highness upon their marriage. She arrived in Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
in the early 1870s.
The couple had six children, three of whom survived infancy
Infant mortality
Infant mortality is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. Traditionally, the most common cause worldwide was dehydration from diarrhea. However, the spreading information about Oral Re-hydration Solution to mothers around the world has decreased the rate of children dying...
:
- Dayang Ghita Brooke (1870-1873)
- James Harry Brooke (1872-1873)
- Charles Clayton Brooke (1872-1873)
- Vyner of Sarawak (1874-1963)
- Bertram, Tuan Muda (1876-1965)
- Harry Keppel Brooke, Tuan Bongsu (1879-1926)
Trivia
One of Oscar WildeOscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's fairy-tales, "The Young King", is dedicated to "Margareth, Lady Brooke, Ranee of Sarawak".