Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1714

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

.4 linear feet (1 box)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Gertrude Carew Robinson letters to Eliza Crawford Laurie, 1885-1892, 1898, Ms. Coll. 1714, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1885-1892, 1898 (inclusive)

Creator:

Carew Robinson, Gertrude, 1860-1945

Form:

Correspondence

Abstract:

Gertrude Carew Robinson (1860-1945) was a British woman who moved to Calcutta following her marriage to barrister Courtenay Carew Robinson (1849-1923). The collection consists of letters Robinson writes to her mother, Eliza Crawford Laurie (1825-1903), and features a firsthand account of her vibrant social life amidst an entirely new culture, as well as the story of her close friend, Ethel Grimwood, the sole woman to escape the massacre of the British residency during the Manipur revolt of 1891.

Gertrude Carew Robinson nee Laurie (1860-1945) was born in London to Scottish parents Eliza Crawford Laurie nee Christie (1825-1903) and David Crawford Laurie, M.D. (1823-1905). Eliza and David were married in Scotland in 1849 before moving to Kensington where they had five children: Robert, William, David, Gertrude and Henry. They would later return to Edinburgh prior to their deaths.

In 1885, Gertrude married Courtenay Carew Robinson (1849-1923) a barrister from Calcutta. The marriage would bring Gertrude to Calcutta in 1885 where she and her husband would have two children: Courtenay Davis (1887-1958) and Gertrude Barbara (1895-unknown). The couple would move back to London by 1921.

While in Calcutta, Gertrude Carew Robinson would develop a large social circle amongst the expatriate community, including Ethel Grimwood (1867-1928), the sole woman to escape the massacre of the British residency during the Manipur revolt of 1891. For her bravery, Grimwood would receive the Red Cross and £1000 from Queen Victoria.

The collection includes letters from Gertrude Carew Robinson to her mother Eliza Crawford Laurie, primarily from the years 1885 to 1892. The letters cover her voyage from London to India, her arrival in Calcutta, her adjustment to an entirely new culture, her vibrant social life and her challenges with climate, communication and health.

The letters provide Gertrude's firsthand account of how she chooses to set up her new home, extensive descriptions of her clothing, and her outings with friends to Indian palaces, state balls and dances. With many of her letters running to a dozen or more pages, Gertrude's detailed and thorough reports to her mother showcase her sociability and expansive network of expatriate friends. Those connections allow her to regale her mother with stories of the entire community's health, education, parenting and activities.

One of these connections is with Ethel Grimwood, the sole woman to escape the massacre of the British residency during the Manipur revolt of 1891. The Manipur Revolt provoked the Anglo-Manipur War, a short but significant conflict between the British Empire and the dissenting royal princes of the independent Manipur Kingdom that would ultimately lead to the end of Manipur's sovereignty. In the weeks following the event, Gertrude relates a long account of the story of her close, personal friend, along with narratives from other survivors who she knows.