TIMES PAST: Major Edward McGauran – A knight in shining armour
In this week's Times Past column by historian Jonathan Smyth, we continue with more of Major Edward McGauran’s adventures and an encounter with he had with a Greek princess, on whom, he made an impression.
Some years earlier, in Vienna, as a young recruit to the Austrian army, he encountered the Empress Queen of Austria and her children one day under strange circumstances. It was the custom of Austrian soldiers to grow a full beard, but as McGauran pointed out, his lip was as ‘smooth as Hebe’s’ and to compensate, he went to great lengths to disguise the lack of facial follicles by acquiring a false beard made from the hide of a bear, which he confessed, was a bit on the shaggy side, and contrasted oddly against his own ‘flaxen locks and fair complexion’.
The effect of the disguise was ‘rather extraordinary,’ effused Edward. One day, while relieving a sentry of his duty in the royal garden, upon which the Empress and her children were playing, McGauran had a ‘wardrobe malfunction’. The false beard slipped from his face and caught the Imperial children’s attention, reducing them to fits of laughter. But, on learning that he was a newly enlisted cadet, they invited him to lay down his weapons and join them ‘with their diversions’.
Damsel in distress
Later in his career, following a brief trip to Italy, he wrote: ‘the women of Genoa are beautiful’ and added, ‘they have the finest black eyes and fresh complexions I ever met in my travels, except in Greece.’
On another occasion he saved a Greek Princess from being butchered by the Turks. We will return to the princess in a moment.
On his return from Italy, Edward paid a visit to the duke and duchess of Northumberland who supported him in ‘a liberal manner’, making him a present of fifty pounds, which in those days was a lot of money. He set off for Ireland but soon exhausted the funds and needed to find employment.
Word came that a Russian squadron ‘destined against the Turks’ had landed in England and McGauran wanted to join the Russians in the fight. With a letter of recommendation from Lord Clare of Co Westmeath, Edward McGauran approached M. Pouskin, the Russian Ambassador who recommended the Irishman to join Admiral Elphinstone at Portsmouth.
Forty days later, the arrived in the bay of Stephano, Greece. Some of the Greeks employed to assist in helping the army were in the habit of stealing and running away with the baggage. The Greeks often dismounted their horses and carried gear off on their backs. McGauran witnessed them running in all directions with the goods and upon his horse gave chase to one of them at full gallop; the Greek drew his sword, and McGauran shot him on the spot.
Somewhere up the road from where McGauran landed, a massacre of the Greeks had taken place. Many women and children came to seek the protection of the Russians. McGauran and his newfound comrades in arms faced the death penalty by ordinance of the Russian Empress should they be convicted of seducing any of the Greek ladies. However, the roving eye of McGauran soon spotted ‘a very beautiful young lady of distinction’ who as he discovered was a ‘princess of Palameda’.
He later encounters the princess again. She converses with him in Italian and French. They discuss how best to plan her escape as they know that the barbarians are coming to inflict death upon her.
Edward wrote: ‘In this deplorable situation, she ardently solicited my protection; and in the repetition of her solicitations, she kissed my hand and bathed it with tears of sorrow.’
He further states, that ‘I must confess that my eyes caught the tender infection, and I here determined to stay on shore, and perish with her, arm in arm.’
He then looked out to sea and in that moment spotted a ship with ‘Venetian colours flying’, as it sailed towards the Russian fleet. Excitedly, he remembered how, in ‘that precious moment’ and ‘in the ecstasy of joy’ he ‘clasped and embraced her’ and pointed towards the ship. Then, he apologised for ‘the liberty he had taken’. She became more cheerful and told him, she had an uncle in Venice, who happened to be a Cardinal.
She had a small boat by the shore, which McGauran tied to one of the army boats and then towed out the Venetian ship at dusk. When it was dark, he drew up in secret alongside the vessel. He stepped into her boat where she returned the embrace he had given her earlier. The princess wanted him to accompany her but he would not desert the service. Having got her aboard, he departed, wearing a memento she had presented him with for his gallantry. It was a diamond cluster ring that once belonged to her late father. McGauran wore it on his finger, but mused as to how it might look in battle.
After completing his time in Greece, Edward sailed to Venice where he met the princess again, and they planned on eloping to England to get married. The enraged Cardinal sent a ship after McGauran and the princess. Soon, the princess and he were caught by the Cardinal’s men and parted; she promising to write to him. But alas, no letter came, and McGauran wrote, how they were ‘torn forever from one another’ and concluding added, ‘this tragic scene affects me too much; and I must beg leave by early degrees to change the subject.’
His observations on 18th century women travelling alone, make for interesting commentary.
‘The English ladies from their reserve amongst strangers stand more in need of a gentleman usher, or a male friend , when travelling, than the ladies of any other nation’ he believed, while ‘the French in particular use but little ceremony or distinction of sex; and on trifling occasions, will intermix their conversation without reserve; this mode of procedure they call politeness.’
McGauran’s preferred travelling companions were the French ladies; they ‘being naturally volatile’.
The 18th century adventurer’s larger than life experiences sound like ideal filming material, if Netflix are listening.
Thank you again to Concepta at Cavan Genealogy for bringing his story to my attention.
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