Known for: female soldier
Also known as: Hannah Summs, Hannah Snell Summs, Hannah Eyles, Hannah Habgood
About Hannah Snell:
Born in Worcester, England, Hannah Snell married James Summs in 1744. When she became pregnant, Summs left, and after the death of their daughter, Susannah, who lived only a year, she decided to find her husband.
Hannah Snell decided to track down her missing husband by traveling in male attire borrowed from her brother-in-law, James Gray, whose name she assumed. "He" quickly found herself pressed into General Guise's Regiment. She fought with the Duke of Northumberland's army against Bonnie Prince Charlie. She deserted after a sergeant sentenced her to 500 lashes.
Hannah Snell then enlisted in the Marines at Portsmouth, still hoping to find her missing husband. She shipped out to the East Indies on the Swallow. She fought in the siege of Araapong and in the campaign to capture Pondicherry, and later in the battle in Devicotta. By her own account, she was wounded a number of times, avoiding exposure by removing a bullet from her own groin with the help of an Indian nurse.
When the ship returned to Lisbon, Hannah Snell had news of her missing husband: he'd been executed for murder in Genoa.
After her unit returned to England in 1750, Hannah Snell told her fellow soldiers about her disguise, and returned to wearing female attire.
After that revelation, Hannah Snell published her life story, written by Robert Walker, in The Female Soldier, or the Surprising Adventures of Hannah Snell. She appeared on stage in London in military uniform and her story became known through the country. She received an honorable discharge, her service was recognized officially, and she was granted a military pension.
Hannah Snell briefly opened a pub, perhaps named The Female Warrior though sources differ. Pregnant, she married carpenter Samuel Eyles in 1759 and had two children, and after she was again widowed, she married Richard Habgood in 1772. In 1785 she was living with her son, an attorney in London.
Hannah Snell died in 1792 at Bethlehem Hospital ("Bedlam"), where she had been admitted six months earlier for insanity.
Bibliography:
Matthew Stephens. Hannah Snell: The Secret Life of a Female Marine, 1723-1792. 1997.
The Female Soldier: Or the Surprising Life and Adventures of Hannah Snell. Reprint.
