Mary Ann Vane, Lady of the Canadian Labrador

Of all the family history passed down to me, none is more romantic yet melancholy than that of Mary Ann Vane.

Born on February 26, 1784 at Powderham Castle, Devon, England, Lady Mary Ann Vane was the 'natural' (illegitimate) daughter of William, 2nd Viscount Courtenay of Powderham, 8th Earl de jure of Devon. Her mother was a Vane and is said to have been akin to Sir Henry Vane the Younger. That being said, we are unsure who this mother was. The greatest possibility is that she was Lady Frances Anne Vane, daughter of Sir Henry Vane and Frances Tempest. If that is true then eyebrows surely would have been raised. You see William, a 42 year old widower with 14 children, would have had a relationship with a young 15 year old Frances. Even for the time this would have been scandalous.

Powderham Castle, Devon, 1745 engraving by Samuel & Nathaniel Buck, inscribed below: "To Sr. William Courtenay, Bart., Knight of the Shire for the County of Devon, this south east view of Powderham Castle near Exeter is most humbly inscrib'd by his very obedient Serv:ts Sam:l & Nath:l Buck". Underneath in small print: "Sam.l & Nath.l Buck del. et sculp." Published according to Act of Parliam.t April 15.th 1745. Garden Court N.o 1 Middle Temple, London"

Mary Ann's mother seems to have disappeared from her daughter's life. Perhaps it was agreed with the young woman's family that William would take care of the child. But unfortunately he died when Mary Ann was just four years of age. This left her to the care of her older siblings and other family members who I am sure felt she was a stain on their nobility.

Fast forward to 1799 when The Seven Years War had been long over and the British had conquered the French.  Mary Ann, although only 15, was educated and trained in the violin. She found herself betrothed to a British Army officer in Quebec. This most certainly would have been pleasing for her older siblings.

She boarded a British vessel bound for Lower Canada and travelled across the North Atlantic. For certain this must have been quite a journey for the young woman. The seas, cruel and unrelenting, proved to all  on board that the crashing waves and hurricane force winds would determine their fate. The ship heading towards the St. Lawrence found itself journeying through the Strait of Belle Isle when it was beaten up against the rocks not far from Brador, Cote - Nord on the Canadian Labrador.  Mary Ann and 5 men were the only survivors.

I imagine that Mary Ann was soaked, frozen and in shock when she was found by her local rescuers as it was late in the year when she set sail.  She was brought to the home of a woman, a resident of Brador.  There she remained hoping somehow to reach word to her family and her British officer.

What was to become of the young English lady?  The conclusion to her story can be found here .