Letitia Elizabeth (Landon) Maclean (1802 - bef. 1838)

Born 14 Aug 1802 in London, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Wife of George MacLean — married 7 Jun 1838 in St Marylebone, England

Died before 15 Oct 1838 before age 36 in Cape, Cape Province, South Africa

Biography

Letitia (Landon) Maclean was born in England.

Birth: Letitia Elizabeth Landon was born on 14 August 1802 in Chelsea, London to John Landon| and Catherine (Bishop) Landon. A precocious child, Landon learned to read as a toddler; an invalid neighbour would scatter letter tiles on the floor and reward young Letitia for reading, and, according to her father, "she used to bring home many rewards."^[1]

At the age of five, Landon began attending Frances Arabella Rowden's school at 22 Hans Place, Knightsbridge. Rowden was an engaging teacher, a poet, and had a particular enthusiasm for the theatre. According to Mary Russell Mitford, "she had a knack of making poetesses of her pupils"^[2]

Marriage: 7 June 1838: At St Marylebone, England In October 1836, Landon met George Maclean, governor of the Gold Coast (now Ghana), at a dinner party given by Matthew Forster, and the two began a relationship. Maclean, however, moved to Scotland early the following year, to the surprise and distress of Landon and her friends. After much prodding, Maclean returned to England and he and Landon were married shortly thereafter, The marriage was kept secret, and Landon spent the first month of it living with friends^[3]

In early July 1838: The married couple sailed for Cape Coast, where they arrived on 16 August 1838^[4]

Two months later, on 15 October 1838, Landon was found dead, a bottle of prussic acid in her hand. That she was poisoned was an assumption. There is evidence that she showed symptoms of Stokes-Adams syndrome for which the dilute acid was the standard remedy. No autopsy was carried out and from the eye-witness accounts it has been argued that Landon suffered a fatal convulsion^[5]

Death: Letitia Elizabeth Landon, also called L.E.L.,—died Oct. 15, 1838, Gold Coast Colony [now Ghana]), English poet and novelist who, at a time when women were conventionally restricted in their themes, wrote of passionate love. She is remembered for her high-spirited social life and mysterious death and for verse that reveals her lively intelligence and emotional intensity.^[6]

Burial: Whitley (All Saints Parish Church), Whitley, England, United Kingdom^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/1836-24-The_Young_Destructive.png/400px-1836-24-The_Young_Destructive.png
2. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Letitia-Elizabeth-Landon
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letitia_Elizabeth_Landon#/media/File:George_Maclean.png In England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1837-2005, Marriage date Apr-May-June 1838 Marriage place St Marylebone, England Volume 1 Page 234
4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letitia_Elizabeth_Landon
5. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letitia_Elizabeth_Landon
6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letitia_Elizabeth_Landon
7. ↑ Find a grave at Whitley All Saints Church, Surrey, England