Lady Harriet’s American Adventure—1776-1778

Following a brief AGM of the Exeter Local History Society, Dr Robert Guyver will give an illustrated talk about Lady Harriet Acland and her American adventures.

Lady Harriet Acland (née Fox-Strangways) (1749-1815) was the daughter of Henry Fox (later Fox- Strangways), the 1st Earl of Ilchester.

On 7 January 1771, she married John Dyke Acland, heir to Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 7th Baronet. Her husband John was a Tory MP for Callington, whereas Lady Harriet came from a Whig family (Charles James Fox, the radical MP, was her first cousin). The couple would have three children: Elizabeth (Kitty), Theresa, and, later, John.

In April 1776, leaving her two daughters behind with her mother at Redlynch near Bruton, she accompanied her husband, a Major in the 20th Foot, and his regiment by troop ship to Canada. She witnessed two military campaigns: in 1776 and in 1777. She kept a journal, in which she recorded her amazing adventures.

Lady Harriet appears to have been an intrepid character. When her husband, John Dyke Acland, was wounded at the battle of Saratoga, Lady Harriet crossed the River Hudson at night, bearing a letter from British General Burgoyne to American General Gates, requesting access to her husband who had been wounded in both legs. Subsequently, John Dyke Acland was released, and they were able to return home.

Our speaker is Dr Robert Guyver, a local historian and researcher, who might be familiar to the members from his fascinating talk about General Redvers Buller in November 2023.

If you are a member of the Exeter Local History Society, tickets are free for you - please select a £0 ticket when registering for the event. If you are not a member of the Society, there is a small (£5) entry fee. If you would like to attend as a non-member, please select a non-member ticket when registering.

More information about the Society and its events can be found on the Society's website at www.exeterlocalhistorysociety.co.uk.

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