INTREPID WOMEN-No. 1
by
Richardson L. Spofford
Delivered to The Chicago Literary Club
December 15, 1997
British history and literature have numerous examples of women who traveled
to unusual places, often in difficult conditions, and wrote of their
experiences. Some were of great personal character and accomplishments. Our
subject is today the prime example of such a person.
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell was born in 1868 at Washington New Hall,
the family home in the village of Washington, County Durham, to one of
Britain's leading industrial families. Nearby is the 13th century
Washington Old Hall which became the seat of the ancestors of George
Washington. To refer to her father and grandfather as leading
industrialists would be akin to calling Bill Gates a prominent software
manufacturer, so some background is appropriate.
Grandfather Isaac Lowthian Bell was born in 1816 into an ironworking
family.The Industrial Revolution, begun in England early in the 18th
century, had been carried forward vigorously so that during the 19th
century Britain was the world's leading industrial country. Captains of
industry were men of intelligence, vigor, manufacturing skills and great
capacity for hard work, but were seldom noted for much formal education.
Isaac Lowthian Bell had studied physics, chemistry and metallurgy at two
universities in France, including the Sorbonne, Germany, Denmark and the
University of Edinburgh. At age 24 he joined his father's business.
Before many years he was one of the first to use blast furnaces for
smelting ore and was the first aluminum manufacturer in England. In 1844 he
and his brothers established the firm of Bell Brothers. By the 1870s it
included iron mines, limestone quarries, collieries and steel mills. It
employed more than forty thousand men and produced one-third of the iron
used in England. Regarded as the leading authority on iron and coal in the
North of England, he was a fellow of the Royal Society, winner of the first
Bessemer gold medal for progress in engineering and industry and author of
numerous papers and books. He was even an honorary member of the American
Philosophical Institution. At various times he was a railway director,
mayor of Newcastle, sheriff of County Durham, and held a Liberal party seat
in Parliament.
In 1842 he married the daughter of a chemical manufacturer. Thomas Hugh,
born in 1844 became Gertrude's father. He in turn studied chemistry and
mathematics in France and Germany and joined the company at age 18.
Starting near the top he worked his way up. As intelligent and energetic as
his father, he also had other interests. He was a strong supporter of
improved secondary education and public health. He helped push through
Parliament a bill to protect children from dangerous occupations. He was
widely read, a great conversationalist and enjoyed physical challenges,
such as riding and climbing.
As he grew up, his parents entertained many guests, including ones unusual
in a respectable, conservative society. Isaac Lowthian believed in learning
and inquiry, so Hugh met and listened to Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley,
John Ruskin and William Morris. In 1867 he married the daughter of a
prominent food merchant. Gertrude was, in 1868, their first child. A
biographer characterizes her early upbringing as follows:
"Under the watchful eye of her nanny Gertrude was soon dressed in bloomers,
petticoats and cotton frocks, fed her porridge, made to eat her vegetables
and encouraged to play outdoors. She was reminded to obey her parents and
her nanny, sit up straight, hold her knife and fork properly and speak to
adults only when spoken to. The country's greatest role model, Queen
Victoria, she was taught, was 'a good wife, a good mother, and a good
woman...due, under God, to the training she had in childhood and girlhood.'"
When not yet three years old, a brother was born. Her mother had a
difficult time, contracted pnuemonia, died and was buried at the
grandparents' new estate, Rounton Grange at nearby Northallerton,
Yorkshire. The ceremony so impressed the little girl that for years
afterward, when a pet or other favored household animal died, she organized
a funeral procession to bury it in the garden.
For the next several years father and daughter were much more in each
others' company than might have been the case otherwise. More concerned
with childrens' upbringing than most fathers, he took a special interest
in Gertrude. With a deep and lasting affection for each other, she looked
to him for parental support and guidance all of her life.
Five years after her mother's death, her father remarried, to Florence
Olliffe, daughter of an Irish physician living in France. He was an
honorary physician to the British Embassy in Paris and the family had many
literary, artistic and diplomatic connections. Florence had heard Charles
Dickens give readings when he came to call, and her sister was married to
Frank Lascelles, then secretary at the embassy in Washington.
Arrival of this stepmother was a fortunate event in yourg Gertrude's life.
Girls of her class were commonly tutored at home. Ideally they would grow
up to be well-read in literature, be familiar with two foreign languages,
have a reasonable knowledge of art and music, and be good at needlework. Ability to play a
musical instrument was a definite advantage. A healthy
body being important, they should be able to swim, ride and play tennis.
Unlike their brothers they seldom went away to school. Preparation to be a
good wife and mother was understood. The fortunate ones would be presented
at court when they were 17 or 18, then actively participate in the London
social season for the next few years. By then, eligible young men and
women should have found each other and at least become engaged.
Gertrude had become an avid reader and letter writer as soon as she was
able. Throughout her life, every activity, event or observation was
recorded in a letter or book.The earliest surviving letter was written at
age 5 in beautifut legible handwriting to her grandmother. Gertrude had
essentially adopted Florence as her mother and Florence actively supervised
Gertrude's education.
At age 11 she was reading Green's History of England. By 14 she had
discovered Browning's works. A reading list for one week showed Mrs.
Carlyle's Letters, a life of Macaulay and Mozart's letters. But she was
never satisfied with the conventional. As a tomboy-type young girl, she
took the lead with her younger brother in finding and overcoming
challenges. They climbed scaffolding, jumped off high walls at her urging
and clambered over the glass roof of a greenhouse. In the latter escapade,
she made it safely but he broke the glass and fell in.
Noting her superior intellect, her parents sent her at age 16 to Queens'
College, a London girls' school. The director was a classmate of the
stepmother and she could live at the Olliffe's nearby London house. For
the first time she found herself in a structured situation away from home
with strangers. Rules were strict and she was just one among many.
At home her stepmother had been a perfectionist when Gertrude had lessons
to learn, much to Gertrude's annoyance, but now this served her well. At
the end of the first year, in a class of 40 girls, she was first in
history, second in grammar, third in geography, and fourth in French. In
German and Scripture she did less well.
At the end of her second year she had done so well in history that her
teacher recommended she pursue that subject at Oxford, Her father was not
convinced that a university education was appropriate for a girl, but,
always indulgent and loving toward his daughter and persuaded by the school
reccommendation, agreed. In 1886, at age 18, Gertrude was accepted at Lady
Margaret Hall, one of only two Oxford colleges for women. Incidentally, the
principal was Elizabeth Wordsworth, grandniece of the poet.
Lady Margaret Hall was relatively new, and Miss Wordsworth saw it as, in
addition to the formal education, as a kind of finishing school. In that
respect girls should learn some lesser skills, such as needlework, how to
open and close doors gracefully and in general how to marry well. Gertrude
and another girl, a niece of Prime Minister Gladstone, were particularly to
be under the watchful eye of Miss Wordsworth.
The administration and professors were decidedly uncomfortable having two
young women in a large, otherwise all-male audience, Gertrude and her
friend had to sit at desks on the stage, apart from the rest. One lecturer
required them to sit at one side of the room with their backs to him. The
girls saw the humor in the situation and applied them selves to their
studies.
At times she complained of an impossible amount of work - in one week to
read the equivalent of 5 to 6 volumes of history and write 6 essays for her
tutor. Study up to 7 hours daily was not unusual. She also found time for
athletics permitted to women, attendance at debates, and various other
occasional events. She also became close friends with a few other young
women. A significant one was Janet Hogarth, sister of the archaeologist and
Arabist David Hogarth. This was the first link in events leading to her
long interest and life in the Middle East, of which she had no inkling
then. Significantly, she seems to have had no particular interest in any
male student and it is quite possible that none was interested in her. In
any case, her lifelong love of learning was settled and served her well in
later life.
Janet Hogarth years later wrote of Gertrude at Oxford:
"She came up, I think, partly to work off the 'awkward years' before being
launched fully into London society, but also because of her obvious
aptitude for historical study. She was, I think, the most brilliant
creature who ever came amongst us, the most alive at every point, with her
timeless energy, her splendid vitality, her unlimited capacity for work,
for talk, for play. She was always an odd mixture of maturity and
childishness, grown up in her judgemnent of men and affairs, child-like in
her certainties, and most engaging in her entire belief in her father and
the vivid intellectual world in which she had been brought up."
She was the first woman to take a first in history at Oxford. An event at
her final oral examinations, attended by her parents, illustrates her
willingness to flout conventions when aroused or certain of what was right.
Confronted by one of Oxford's most distinguished professors of history, she
gratuitously told him that she did not agree with his evaluation of
Charles I. Shocked and not knowing how to respond, he could only pass her
on to the next questioner. Another announced he had a question about a
certain German town on the left bank of the Rhine. Gertrude promptly
corrected him, saying it was on the right bank and she knew, becuse she had
been there. Nevertheless, she received her degree.
Now, the question was, what to do next. A transition from the sheltered
home life and the opinionated academic enviromnment to a broader world was
wanted. The opportunity came in an invitation to visit Bucharest. Frank
Lascelles, Florence's brother-in-law, was now Minister to Romania
Escorted by her father as far as Paris, and from there by her cousin Billy
Lascelles, she embarked on her first exposure to the world of diplomacy and
non-British society. In spite of an indiscretion or two, such as telling a
foreign diplomat that he did not understand the German people, she got on
well and throroughly enjoyed the constant social life of the diplomatic set
in a location where there wasn't much else to do.
She also made two acquaintances which were of great importance in her
future. One was Valentine Chirol, then a roving foreign correspondent for
the London Times. Chirol was a well-traveled, sophisticated man of the
world who seemed to have a great deal of freedom to move about, and there
is a suggestion that his observations were of interest to the Foreign
Office. In time he would become chief foreign editor of the Times. The
other was Charles Hardinge, who would much later become Viceroy of India.
His extensive knowledge of the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East suggested
a whole new world to Gertrude. She also met the King and Queen of Romania
and the future chancellors of Germany and Austria.
From Bucharest she went to Constantinople, escorted by Billy Lascelles,
where they had a fine time sightseeing. They did not venture farther east,
though she had become aware there was much more to see. In all this time
she and Billy spent much time together and had grown close.
Back in London in the summer of 1889, they drifted apart. From a
conventional viewpoint, Billy was highly eligible - son of a diplomat,
graduate of Sandhurst, handsome and wealthy. Gentrude decided his outlook
on life was too limited. He lacked the intellectual stimulation Gertrude
wanted and was not as much fun as she would have liked. At age 21 she was
back home and no one, including herself, was quite sure what to do next.
She loved her home and parents, and enjoyed the company of the many
relatives in the area, but something was lacking.
At age 21 she finally made her formal debut, with presentation at court and
coming-out party. For the next three years, 1890-92, she was active on the
London social scene No one had proposed and apparently she found no one of
serious interest., She was somewhat older than most such young women. Most
of the men had not had her advantages of travel or a broad interest in
affairs, nor had most been to Oxford or Cambridge.. She did not want to be
a spinster, but options were few. One was travel.
Having become aware of the exotic East, she had started studying Persian.
At age 23 she set out for Tehran with her mother's sister, wife of Frank
Lascelles who was now the envoy to Persia. Gertrude found Tehran a
delightful place and compared the legation grounds to the Garden of Eden.
The entire staff welcomed her, but one junior official was most interesting
and attentive. Henry Cadogan took her and her aunt's daughter sightseeing
and riding. He was good-looking, well dressed, intelligent and fun. With
him she experienced the enormous emptiness of the desert. They read Persian
and English poetry, had high tea together, walked in gardens, held hands
and kissed.
They began thinking of a future, so each had to write to her parents. She
broke the news and he asked permission to marry her. Her father was
particular about a suitor's qualifications, and his investigation showed
Henry to be not a good choice. He came from a good, known family, but there
were too many disadvantages. His salary was too small to support Gertrude,
there was to be no sizable inheritance, he had large gambling debts, and
was said to be intolerant and arbitrary.
After this, there was nothing to do but stop seeing each other, and for her
to return home, greatly in distress. Perhaps her father was right. Gertrude
was neither the first nor last to find, in exotic or unfamiliar settings, a
romance which might not have survived the daily routine at home. For a time
she was at loose ends, hoping her father might relent. Then a telegram from
Tehran arrived. Henry had fallen into the cold water of the river,
contracted pneumonia and died, This was not just the end of a romance, but,
to some extent, of a life. Gertrude was now 25, and future prospects were
most unlikely. Her solution was to fill her time with work and travel.
At this point the legacy of her parents and grandfather was her salvation.
Intelligence, education, energy, education and family wealth she had in
abundance She was to develop her linguistic skills and meet an enormous
number of people, many of whom would be useful in the future. We have seen
that in childhood play and higher education, obstacles in life were only
there to be overcome.
She had already begun a literary career, publishing Persian Pictures in
1894. Now she continued to study Persian and after two years' work had
published a translation of the lyrical poems of Hafiz, the 13th century
poet.As late as the 1970s, one scholar said hers was the best of twenty
English translations.
Life at home, though, had its downside. She had never gotten over the loss
of Henry Cadogan, seeing him when a friend married, or in a romantic town
in Italy while on a visit with her father. Victorian conventions were
strong; at age 28 in 1896 she complained about not being able to accept a
London invitation for lack of an escort.
In 1897 her uncle, Frank Lascelles was ambassador to Germany and invited
her to Berlin. This was the year of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee.
Britain's queen for sixty years, she was also the grandmother of Kaiser
Wilhelm and was popular in Germany. The jubilee celebration involved a
series of balls, banquets and musical performances.
Back home, much emotional stress ensued. Mary Lascelles, the favorite aunt
who brought her to Persia, died. Gertrude's Oxford chum, married only a
year, gave birth to twins, and then died from childbirth complications.
Henry Cadogan was still much in mind; the emotional seesaw was just too
much, so she and her brother took a Cook's tour around the world leaving
late in 1897 and returning six months later.
A subsequent trip to Europe included a stop in Athens, where she and her
father visited David Hogarth at his archaeological dig. As he and a
colleague extracted Greek pottery and more mundane objects, antiquity took
on life for Gertrude. This new interest would become an important part of
her future travels.
While in Tehran she had met Dr. Rosen, the German charge d'affaires. He was
an old hand at the Middle East, spoke good Arabic, and encouraged her
further interest in that part of the world. The Rosens became good friends
and would be helpful in the future. Following his suggestion, she had begun
studying that language. By 1899 she had been long at home and in London, engaged in the usual
family and social activities. Late that year she set off for Jerusalem,
where she would continue Arabic study and gain some experience of that
society. To use a well-known saying, this marked the beginning of the rest
of her life.
Taking a room in a good hotel, she engaged an Arabic tutor and set out to
see the city with its historic and religious sights, the streets, the
pilgtims and the ordinary people. Dr. Rosen was now the German consul
there, and she was able to take most of her meals with his family. The
language was another matter. French, German, Italian and Persian she could
get along in, even a little Turkish. But with 4 to 6 hours daily work,
Arabic was still difficult.
With assistance from Dr. Rosen, she planned the first of her independent
trips. With a guide, cook and two mule drivers she set out on horseback.
The second day they camped in the Jordan valley and met curious Arab women,
from whom Gertrude bought a hen. To continue she needed permission from the
local Turkish authorities. The responsible man appeared but could not be
persuaded with coffee or cigarettes. Fortunately, he noticed her camera and
indicated he would like to be photographed with his soldiers. Gertrude, of
course, agreed and in return, the official next day sent her a soldier for
security on her journey. Her first venture in diplomacy had been a success.
The escort turned out to be very useful. They had passed many tents of the
Beni Sakhr, one of the more formidable Arab tribes. Later three heavily
armed men approached them, only to retreat when they saw the soldier.
Without him, the situation could have been serious. They saw the ancient
Persian palace of Mashetta and, most important, visited Petra, the unique
hidden Nabatean and Roman desert city now in modern-day Jordan. Not a long
trip, but the first on her own. She had managed well, observed an Arab way
of life and found she could use the language. It affirmed her persistence,
self-expression and Arabic study.
Some time later she set out again. The first 100 miles to the northeast of
Jerusalem were in company with the Rosens. Up to now she had ridden
sidesaddle, which proved most uncomfortable for this. Dr, Rosen showed her
how to ride like a man, which was much more comfortable. Since she dressed
in a long divided skirt with a scarf, large hat and kaffiyeh, she at first
looked like a man anyway. Sometimes this was an advantage.
Gertrude's objective was the Jebel Druze, the hilly area of Lebanon and
southern Syria inhabited by the Druze. They were a rather peculiar,
reclusive and warlike Muslim sect, greatly feared by the Turks. For
hundreds of years they had fought the Ottoman authorities and only a few
years earlier they had decisively defeated a large Turkish force, with far
more Turkish casualties than Druze. Even before reaching their area she
traversed territory seldom visited by Europeans, let alone a female one.
Gertrude, though, saw no reason to fear either Turk or Druze.
Bosrah, in southern Syria, was her first stop. Bosrah was the regional
administrative center and permission from the Ottoman authorities was
required to travel further. The local Mudir, or Arab governor in the pay of
the Turks, was most polite and happy to hear of her desire to visit
Damascus. Druze territory, which she wished to visit first, was in a
different direction. The Mudir objected, warning her of the danger, but
both knew the real reason was that the Turkish government did not want
outsiders looking around there. He claimed, no doubt falsely, that a
telegram had come telling him to warn her of the danger, to which her reply
was that English women are never afraid.
This conversation seemed to be going nowhere, so Gertrude took her leave,
informing the Mudir that she would do local sightseeing the rest of the day
and camp overnight. By the end of the day she retreated to her tent and
when the Mudir came to check up, she pretended to be asleep. Her servant
told the Mudir the lady slept and denied any knowledge of her next move.
The Mudir could only leave word not to do anything without his knowledge,
and retreated gracefully. At two AM everyone arose, packed up and sneaked
out of town before it was light.
Dismounting in a Druze village to water the animals, they were surrounded
by men and veiled women anxious to see the strangers. All outlined their
eyes with black kohl. One young man kissed her on both cheeks; others shook
her hand. With the young man as a guide they proceeded to a larger
village. There all came out to look. Someone asked if she were German, but
when she said she was English, she was made to feel at home. She walked
hand in hand with them to a house, where cushions, wash water and coffee
were brought. Women were so modest, it is said, that they would not unveil
even in their own homes. They asked many questions, including,
surprisingly, about the Boer War. They were most interested in her account
of her brother Maurice's experiences in that war.
Then she asked a question. Could she meet their sheikh? It turned out that
he had recently been released after 5 years in prison and she would be an
honored visitor. He was a large impressive man. In company with him and
many other men, she sat on the floor, ate from the large common plate and
talked endlessly.
From here she proceeded to Damascus. Additional funds from her indulgent
father awaited her, her annual allowance and income from books havimg been
used up. She hired three Kurdish soldiers, a cook and a guide, and set out
for Palmyra, the hidden Nabatean and Roman city which she, and modern
visitors, consider second only to Petra.
By the second night they had passed the end of the grassy plain and were in
the intense silence of the desert. For two days it was too hot to travel by
day so they proceeded by night without water for twelve hours at a time.
The third night they stopped so all could sleep. On the fourth day they
found a spring. That night it was too cold to ride so they slept again and
arrived at Palmyra the next day. Aftetr two days of exploration she set out
on the return to Damascus.
Soon they encountered some scruffy-looking Arab Bedouins from central
Arabia, taking a camel caravan to Damascus. Gertrude had a second breakfast
with them and talked with their sheikh. Having already conceived the desire
to visit that forbidding area, this was a potentially useful meeting. Both
groups proceeded together, for the Arabs wanted the protection of
Gertrude's soldiers.
The next day they encountered a large group from another tribe. Their young
sheikh, braided hair hanging down and wearing a large silver-sheathed
sword, came to visit Gertrude. Later she returned the visit. Sitting at
the camel-dung fire surrounded by dirty, half-naked men, she drank coffee
and listened to a singer playing a primitive one-string instrument.
Eventually she arose to go, but one soldier warned her that a large meal
was being prepared, which she was supposed to share and in return, she
should bring a gift.
Back at her camp she requisitioned a pistol belonging to one of her men
for the gift and returned for the dinner. A slave poured water on
everyone's hands and five men set in front of her an enormous platter,
covered with rice and the meat of a whole sheep. With bread, all ate,
followed by more hand washing. No one else ate much, so she was left
hungry. Considering the value of the pistol to be two pounds, she thought
it an expensive meal. However, she had had another chance to talk about
central Arabia with men affiliated with the famous Ibn Rashid, supreme
sheikh of the nothern part. Such a contact could be priceless later. Back
in Jerusalem, at the end of this expedition, she obtained some pine cones
of the famous cedars of Lebanon and returned home where she planted them in
the garden. This was the summer of 1900.
For most of the next 12 months she was busy with family, friends and the
London social season. She went to the theater and shopped, studied art,
architecture and languages, played golf and tennis, read, and wrote
articles and letters.All were interesting in themselves, but it was also
important to be active and avoid introspection or self-pity. It was now
time to confront another challenge.
In 1899 she had tried a bit of mountain climbing. After her return from
desert travels in 1900 she practiced again in Switzerland, and in 1901 she
returned for a more serious effort. With two guides, brothers, she essayed
a moderately difficult ascent. At one point they could only proceed if she
stood on one guide's shoulders. She grasped a projection, enabling the
other guide to stand on her outstretched arm. The latter asked if she could
hold one, to which she confidently replied that the could.All successfully
overcame the immediate obstacle. The guides later agreed that all could
have been killed had not Gertrude maintained her position. For her part,
she admitted to great anxiety. She was not that confident at all, but did
what she had to do. For two weeks they climbed numerous peaks and ridges,
many seldom visited. One promontory was to be called "Gertrude's Peak"
In 1902 she traveled again, to Algiers and Naples with her father and
half-brother Hugo, then to Malta where she joined an archaeological dig.
From there she went to Haifa where she settled down to study Persian and
Arabic for a few months. Spoken Arabic she still found difficult, but the
hotel had a charming touch. Birds would fly in her open window to nest in
the chandelier. On a visit to Jerusalem to meet notables and renew
contacts, she found that people there now regarded her as a personage. This
was most gratifying.
Returning home, she planned another climbing expedition. After some warm-up
climbs and a harder one where they successfully overcame a dangerous
situation, she determined to try the face of the Finsteraarhorn, a very
steep, 3000- foot high and difficult climb not previously done.
They set off at one o'clock in the morning, and 1000 feet below the peak
snow began to fall. Creeping along a knife-edge, blinding snow fell. They
could see nothing on either side, so turned back. This was only slightly
less dangerous than continuing and it was impossible to go up. At 6 PM
they had to drop 8 feet down a cliff face into deep snow, hoping to reach a
cleft for shelter. They had now been on the go for 17 hours.
After several more hours in the open, a thunderstorm came up. Rocks flashed
blue flame and she claimed that her ice axe moved in her hand. All three
hastily tumbled down the nearest chimney, putting their steel ice axes
aside at a safe distance. They took what minimal shelter they could find in
a small space between some rocks. She sat in back, one guide sat on her
feet to keep them warmer and both brothers put their feet in their
knapsacks. The thunder and lightning continued, a dangerous but
magnificient display. They waited out the storm, dozed a little and hoped
for a better day.
The next day the sun never came out. From 4 AM to 8 PM they worked their
way down an icy, rocky slope with the aid of ice-encrusted ropes. There
were only scraps of food for dinner. It was snowy, wet and cold. Once, one
of the guides slipped and was only barely held by the other. It was a close
call.. At nightfall they were still on the glacier, in the rain, but at
least found a place to sit. Gertrude found herself thinking of her brother
Maurice, sleeping in the rain while serving in the Boer War. The following
morning,, they could barely move, but by 6AM on the third day they no
longer needed ropes and by 10AM Gertrude was back at her hotel.
She had not reached the peak, but she had met her most difficult physical
challenge well, having only slightly swollen and frostbitten feet. She did
not even have a head cold. One of the guides later said:
"had she not been full of courage and determination, we must have
perished". No other amateur climber, he said, equaled her "in coolness,
bravery and judgment".
In 1903 there came a unique travel opportunity, to see the imperial durbar
in Delhi. Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, had arranged this magnificient
spectacle in Delhi in observance of Edward VII's succession as king and
Emperor of India. India was indeed the jewel in the crown - the most
populous subcontinent and present evidence of the value of enlightened
colonial rule and the greatness of the British Empire. Dignitaries came
from all the world to mingle with native princes and maharajahs. It would
be an unbelievably magnificient and colorful spectacle, even to
jewel-bedecked elephants.
Gertrude, as a guest of the Viceroy, attended parades, receptions and
parties. More important, her old friend Chirol, now foreign editor of the
Times, was there. He had just come from the Persian Gulf and introduced her
to top members of the Indian Civil Service, which had jurisdiction over
British affairs in the Gulf region.
Percy Cox, the British Resident in Muscat, was there to keep an eye on the
Gulf region and Arabia. No other Englishman and possibly no other European
was better informed on these matters. Ibn Rashid in the north of the great
central Arabian desert and Ibn Saud to the south led clans which together
controlled the entire area, They had feuded for generations; in 1891 the
Rashidis defeated the Saudis, whose leader retreated to Kuwait. There was
talk of a Saudi comeback, but no one had any real information. The time was
not yet ripe, but Gertrude's determination to go to Arabia was now fixed.
From India she and Hugo continued to Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and
Vancouver. Through the Canadian Rockies, Chicago, Niagara Falls and Boston
she returned home. She found Chicago to be noisy, dirty and ugly. Home held
less appeal for her this time - people were too dull and predictable. A
younger half-sister's marriage early in 1904 was, in a way depressing. Only
men she referred to as "good old things" were attracted to her.
She did arrange to spend time with a noted and learned French
archaeologist, who tutored her in Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine art
and archaeology. He was the one who encouraged her to study Roman and
Byzantine remains in the Middle East. Her intent now was to tavel again
east of the Jordan River and gather enough information on the people. their
religion, languages, food, politics and literature to write a serious book.
One article had already been published in a scholarly French archaeological
journal, so her legitimacy was on the way to becoming established.
In January, 1905 she departed for Beirut. Immediately she met another
challenge. In addition to usual baggage, she had packed a rifle, a
revolver, and many maps. Knowing these would appear suspicious to Turkish
customs officials, she had arranged with the British consul to send down a
consular employee skilled in such matters. The revolver was in her pocket
and the rifle wrapped in petticoats in her cabin trunk. If the Turks found
either, they would confiscate them. Chatting amiably with the chief about
the bad weather, all was well until they came to the cabin trunk. Making a
great show of it. the consular servant displayed the lacy-enged petticoats
and some gowns. That looked convincing but then a customs man noticed maps
covering one end of the gun case. The consular servant informed all that
Gertrude was a great lady and she commiserated further about the rain with
the customs chief, who ordered the examination to be ended. Gertrude and
the chief parted with mutual expressions of regard. Writing to her father,
she said it was "a marvel of successful fraud".
After catching up with local affairs and the latest news of Arabia, she
bought horses and mules, hired Mohammed the Druze, her previous mule driver
and set out for Jerusalem. There she hired a Christian cook and two more
mule drivers, both Christians.
Gertrude was to note and record all manner of information, not only for her
book but also for the Foreign Office and her good friend Chirol at the
Times. That on the state of Ottoman government, or the lack of it, would be
especially useful.
Her first objective was a different part of the Druze region. For crossing
the desert she took on a Christian Arab guide who presumably knew every
sheikh en route. At one point they encountered a camp of the Arab Beni
Sakhr tribe. Five years earlier they had been her friends, calling her
"queen of the desert". They and the Druze were blood enemies who would kill
each other on sight, so it was decided that Mohammed the Druze in her party
would instantly convert to Christianity.
Reaching the Druze encampment she was invited to the sheikh's large tent.
She considered herself as good as any man, worthy of equal treatment and
went in by the men's entrance, the wpmen's quarters being only another
objrect of interest. Arabs had called her an "honorary man". She ate with
the sheikh, sat around the fire, smoked and drank coffee with the men and
heard stories of the desert and Turkish oppression.
Recently the Beni Sakhr had raided Druze flocks, driving off thousands of
sheep. A few days later she heard the Druze were planning to retaliate. That evening she joined
the men gathered around a hilltop bonfire,
preparing to go. A few young men asked each man, individually, if he were
prepared to fight, to which all naturally responded in the affirmative.
Seeing Gertrude, one man shouted that the Druze and English were friends.
Gertrude replied that the English were a fighting race also and, holding
hands with the men, ran downhill with them. She might have actually joined
the raid, but realized that if Turkish authorities found out, her trip
might come to a quick end. Her policy was to get on well with all people
and it would not do to antagonize the Turks.
After three weeks among the Druze, she headed for Damascus. At thr first
opportunity she called on the Turkish governor. It seems the authoroties
were much interested in her. The governor had received many telegrams
reporting on Gertrude's activities but no one knew what she would do next.
Gertrude, in fact, had become well-known in Syria. Notables came to call at
her hotel and Arabs followed her on the street. Damascus was a pleasant
city, but after hearing the local news, she set off for Asia Minor.
There she photographed and measured Byzantine churches and Roman remains.
She copied inscriptions and noted archaeological details. In Konya she met
the famous archaeologist William Ramsay and his wife, excavating in the
area. This was a fortunate meeting for both; he could validate her work and
she would finance future work. At least one of the Byzantine churches she
recorded no longer stands, so some of her work has permanent significance.
Turkish authorities do not give priority to preservation of abandoned
ancient churches. In Constantinople she discussed Turkish politics with British officials.
They were concerned about German intrusion in the area, particularly the
planned Berlin to Baghdad railway. This could threaten the entire Middle
East, and thus the lifeline to India. As we know, Turkey allied itself with
Germany in World War I, while Britain strove to encourage Arab revolt
against the Turks. In this operation Gertrude would have a part.
Back home, she worked on her book. Entitled The Desert and the Sown, from a
line of an Omar Khayyam poem, it took nearly two years to finish. Her
grandparents having both died, her father had moved the family into Isaac
Lowthian Bell's monumental Yorkshire home, Rounton Grange. Her stepmother
Florence would have preferred London, but Gertrude loved Rounton. She
gardened, did social work among wives of mill employees and mingled with
many distinguished diplomats, high administrators, educators, her
dependable friend at the Times, and others.
The success of her book made her a recognized personage in England as well.
It received good reviews in London and New York
By 1907 it was time for another trip to Anatolia, where she and Ramsay
excavated. Her other qualities outweighed lack of professional training.
They did valuable work and she now had status as an archaeologist. Stopping
in Konya for mail, she met Major Doughty-Wylie, the vice-consul there. He
and his wife entertained her and she saw in him the very model of an
English officer, gentleman and diplomat. He was also a nephew of Charles
Doughty, author of Arabia Deserta, the great primary account of travel
among the Bedouins. We will hear more of him. 1908 saw Gertrude back home,
where she worked for the Anti-Suffrage League. By 1909 she was ready for
another trip.
Having previously studied surveying, mapmaking and how to make
astronomical observations. she wanted to use these skills in Arabia. Percy
Cox dissuaded her; it was still too dangerous. Beginning in Syria to study
Byzantine churches and help David Hogarth with some casts of Hittite
remains, she prepared for her first trip to Mesopotamia
With her faithful Christian Arab servant Fattuh, she packed tents and
furnishings, including a canvas bath, linens and china, crystal, silver and
cutlery and provisions for a month.There were seven baggage animals,
twelve horses, three mule drivers, one more servant and two
soldiers.Having crossed the river into Mesopotamia, they camped and she
wrote "The broad Euphrates sweeps slowly past the tel and I have just
watched the sun set beyond the white cliffs of the other bank.I doubt
whether there is anyone in the world so happy."
Once in the desert, they would look for Arabs to camp with. Desert rules
provided that if they did, they would be protected. If they camped alone,
they could be attacked by any wandering brigands. One day she made a really
important discovery It was the large Sassanian palace called Ukhaidir,
apparently never written up or published. She measured and described it
thoroughly. She stopped at Babylon to watch Germans excavating
Nebuchadnezzar's palace. Eventually, after a hot and sometimes waterless
journey, she reached Baghdad.
She and the British consul got on well. He even showed her some of his
reports to the Foreign Office. Combining these with her own observations,
she wrote to the Times explaining the need for a British-owned railway to
Baghdad,. She met some of the local notables, including the leading Islamic
religious authority.
Leaving Baghdad, she crossed terrotory of the Shammar, the principal tribe
of the north. Their ruling sheikh was in the pay of the Turkish
government. She met the ruling sheikh's son and entertained him in her
tent. She gave him her visiting card; he offered the hospitality of the
entire tribe. This could be useful some day; the Shammar were strong in
Arabia.
Continuing north, another tribe offered a room in a house to sleep in.
Fortunately, she investigated; it was full of fleas and she retreated to
her tent. In a Kurdish village she spent an extra day to see some old
churches. That night she was awakened by a thief in her tent.The soldier
who should have been on guard was asleep and before anyone could stop him,
the thief was gone with everything of value. It looked as if four months
work was wasted, but local police with urging from the Turkish governor and
the British Consul,caught him and recovered all except the money. What
was almost as bad, the story reached newspapers at home.
Going back through Anatolia, she tried to see Wylie-Doughty in Konya, but
he had gone to Adana, trying to stop a Turkish massacre of Armenians.Worse
news was waiting at Constantinople. A French archaeologist had published a
description of Ukhaidir, so Gertrude had just lost her principal claim to
fame from this trip.
Back home, she spent the next year and a half working on her account of the
Mesopotamian trip. It received mixed reviews, but is a useful account of
exploration there. Soon thereafter she departed for another and briefer
trip to Mesopotamia. Her first objective was Ukhaidir, where she spent a
full day measuring the ancient fortified palace, enlarging on her previous
observations.
Next she headed for the Hittite site of Carchemish, passing through the
pilgrimage city of Najaf and Haran, where Jewish tribes lived before moving
to Canaan. Her long-time mentor, David Hogarth was in charge at Carchemish
but was temporarily away. She met with his assistant, Campbell Thompson and
a rather superior junior colleague named Thomas Edward Lawrence. T. E.
Lawrence would later become a legend in his own time as a leader of the
Arab revolt during the war. Just now he and Thompson were only hoping this
redoubtable lady would not send back an unfavorable report on their work.
They didn't have many artifacts to show for all their work, so they tried
to overwhelm her with their own erudition, of which they had a great deal,
and show how their methods were superior to those of the Germans at other
digs. Gertrude responded well and they all ended on a mutually friendly
note.
There was a humorous footnote to the visit. Somehow, local Arabs had the
idea Gertrude had come to marry Lawrence. When she left at 5:30 in the
morning and the whole village came out to make fun of her, she had no idea
what it meant. Later she found out that Lawrence, searching for an
explanation for Gertrude's abrupt departure, had told them Gertrude was too
homely for him.
Back home in 1911 and 1912, Gertrude worked on her book about Ukhaidir,
wrote articles of archaeology and book reviews, attended the coronation of
King George V and made speeches for the Anti-Suffrage League. The
terminally ill Ottoman Empire was in the process of losing its Balkan
lands. so Gertrude's interest turned again to the Middle Eastern territories.
There remain her journey to Arabia, activities in the World War, her role
in the subsequent Middle Easterm political settlement and the formation of
modern Iraq. These will be the subject of a future paper.
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