Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2008 | Page 42

life

ISLAND HISTORY

The things we do
...for love
I

f you have a certain kind
of mawkish romanticism
you can do no better
than visit an old graveyard.
St Edmunds churchyard at
Wootton is a perfect example.
Close to the eastern wall lies
the grave of Ann Longden
who died in 1834 at the age
of thirty-two. She appears
isolated from those around her
and indeed they may well have
pursed their lips in disapproval
for Ann was not only an
ovener but also an unmarried
mother of five.
Ann was a long way from
home, having seemingly been
born into a modest family
of dressmakers and linen
drapers in Derbyshire. She
trained as a milliner and at
the age of twenty-five was still
unmarried. In all probability
she would have lived out her
life near to her birthplace
had it not been for a chance
encounter with Benjamin
Leigh-Smith.
Smith was travelling north to
visit his sister and the Smith
and Longden families would
appear to have had little in
common. That does not
however allow for the mystery
of falling in love. When Smith

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By Jan Toms
met Ann he knew that she was
the woman he wanted to spend
his life with and he set about
arranging it.
His plans were universally
disapproved of. Benjamin
Smith came from a wealthy
family with radical views. His
father William was an MP
who campaigned alongside
William Wilberforce to end
slavery and was vociferous
in his support for religious
toleration. He had four
daughters but Benjamin was
his only son. The older man’s
views were certainly embraced
by the boy and as is often the
case, they were even more
uncompromising.
The Smith family had made
their money as merchants
and in addition Benjamin
had inherited a brewery thus
making him affluent. His
father was anxious to ensure
the continued financial
welfare of all his children
and must have felt a degree
of satisfaction when two of
his daughters made good
marriages, one into the
Bonham-Carter family and
the other with a young man

called William Nightingale.
The Nightingales were rich
and their second daughter,
Florence was born in the city
whose name she bore.
William Smith confidently
expected Benjamin to marry
Mary Shore, a relative of the
Nightingales but in this he was
thwarted. Benjamin was in
love and Ann Longden was his
choice.
As if the social differences
were not embarrassing enough
there was another obstacle
that was certain to shock.
Benjamin was passionate about
the equality of women and
traditional marriage meant
that a woman and all she
owned automatically became
the property of her husband.

On principle therefore, he
refused to marry and when
Ann became pregnant he took
her south and set her up in
her own home. On April 8
1827 their first child, Barbara
was born. Very soon Ann
was pregnant again and the
following year she gave birth
to a son, named Ben for his
father.
In 1826 Benjamin funded a
school for poor children at
Vincent Square in Westminster.
He paid a penny a week
towards the fees of each pupil,
seeing education as a tool in
the fight against inequality. As
his children grew they too were
enrolled into the school.
Soon after Ben’s birth
the family spent two years

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