Bessie

**Lady Elizabeth “Bessie” Robinson** (1823-1881) is the Ghost of the former Lady of Robinson House.

Life

Elizabeth Robinson was born on December 29, 1823. She was the third of nine children. Growing up, Elizabeth was close with her older brother Albert, but feuded with her older sister Augusta. Augusta was a traditional Victorian lady, with good manners, etiquette and beauty. However, Elizabeth was considered prettier than Augusta. Elizabeth grew tall, towering over Augusta, who stood at five foot three, despite being younger than her. Elizabeth was also intelligent; she had an excellent education and proved to be clever and witty. Though Augusta’s charm attracted many male suitors, men liked how Elizabeth was able to speak to them about proper subjects, for example business or foreign activities. Elizabeth’s mother was greatly disappointed in Elizabeth, ignoring her in favour of Augusta and her other daughters. Elizabeth and her brother Albert often studied together, and hoped to run their father’s business together one day. When Elizabeth was seventeen, Albert died of Typhoid fever and Elizabeth was distraught. This made Elizabeth’s younger brother, Alfred (the fifth child) the heir to their father’s business, however Alfred died also died of Typhoid shortly after Albert. The remaining seven children left were all daughters, meaning Elizabeth’s father had no male heir. As such, her father decided that his daughters should marry and one of their sons would inherit his business.

Elizabeth was the only to have not been married by the time Elizabeth turned twenty-five. Elizabeth’s parents had tried to force her to wed many wealthy suitors, but she refused. Elizabeth even considered becoming a Nun. Even the youngest of the children, fourteen-year old Eleanor had married by the time Elizabeth turned twenty-five. Elizabeth’s parents were disappointed in her and embarrassed by her. However, still Elizabeth refused to marry and even tried helping her father with his Business, but he refused her help. However, when Elizabeth’s father became ill the Business became in crisis; it eventually ended because Elizabeth’s mother refused to let her help. In fear of losing the families money, Elizabeth agreed to marry a wealthy man. Augusta’s husband had a cousin who had a son named Henry, who was twenty years old. Elizabeth was twenty-seven by this time, but agreed to marry Henry so that she could save her parents from ending up on the streets or asking for money from their daughters husbands. Henry agreed to marry Elizabeth because he found her to be very beautiful.

Unfortunately for Elizabeth, who had hoped her husband would be loving and intelligent, Henry was a cruel, unfaithful man who cheated on Elizabeth with many different women. Elizabeth became pregnant within a matter of months after the wedding, but got a shock when her sister Augusta died in childbirth. Elizabeth feared the same would happen to her. When Elizabeth married Henry, he started calling her Bessie, which she disliked but later came to approve of. Many started calling her Bessie after this. Elizabeth had a difficult delivery, but ultimately gave birth to a healthy child, a son who was named after his father, at his father’s desire, much to Bessie’s disgust. Henry Jnr proved to be the couples only child, with Bessie and Henry deciding to stop sleeping together due to Henry’s preference for other women. Henry had an affair with: the Artist who painted his wives portrait, his cousin and the Housemaid, Agnes, who seems to have been his favourite, though these three women were his main mistresses, Henry also had multiple hook-ups.

Death

One night, in 1887, on Henry’s birthday, Elizabeth was having dinner with Henry, their son and their son’s three children, along with their son’s wife, who was pregnant with a fourth child. Elizabeth was civil with Henry as it was his birthday and she didn’t want to upset her son or her grandchildren. Henry flirted with Agnes as she came to take away the food. Elizabeth (who was wearing heels) suggested that she put her grandchildren to bed as a way of getting out of the dinner. After putting her three grandchildren to bed, Elizabeth started walked down the long staircase, but one of her heels got unbalanced and Elizabeth tripped. She fell down the stairs, landing at the bottom and died. Her body was found by Agnes the Maid, who quickly reported this to her master.