Harriet Kavanagh facts for kids

Lady Harriet Kavanagh (born October 13, 1799 – died July 14, 1885) was an amazing Irish artist, traveler, and historian who loved old things. People said she was very smart and talented. She is believed to be the first Irish woman to travel to Egypt!

Early Life and Family

Harriet Kavanagh was born Lady Harriet Margaret Le Poer Trench on October 13, 1799. She was the second daughter of Richard Le Poer Trench and Henrietta Margaret Le Poer Trench. She had three brothers and three sisters.

On February 28, 1825, she married Thomas Kavanagh. He lived at Borris House, County Carlow. Harriet and Thomas had four children: three sons named Charles, Thomas, and Arthur, and one daughter named Harriet, who they called "Hoddy."

Her third son, Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh, was born with very short limbs. Lady Kavanagh made sure Arthur was treated just like his brothers and sister. With help from a local doctor, Francis Boxwell, she raised him to be a normal child. She even taught Arthur herself at first. She taught him to paint and write by holding brushes and pens in his mouth. A surgeon named Sir Philip Crampton helped her get a special wheelchair made for Arthur. She also encouraged him to ride horses and enjoy outdoor activities. Harriet's husband, Thomas, passed away in 1837 after 12 years of marriage.

Adventures and Travels

In 1846, Lady Kavanagh took her children to Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France to learn French. After that, they traveled to Rome. Harriet loved old things and history, so she really wanted to visit Egypt and the Holy Land. In October 1846, they started their long journey from Marseilles.

Her daughter Harriet, her sons Thomas and Arthur, their teacher Rev. David Wood, and a maid named Miss Hudson went with her. In Cairo, Egypt, she rented two traditional boats called feluccas with Arab crews. They sailed along the Nile River, visiting ancient places like Thebes, Karnak, and the Nubia region.

From Egypt, Lady Kavanagh visited places important in the Bible, such as Tyre, Sidon, and Rhoda Island. She even talked with Bedouin chiefs in Aqaba to hire camels and guides to travel to Hebron. She wrote about her journey in her diary. One exciting moment was when her son Arthur almost drowned after falling off their boat while fishing!

In Cairo, Lady Kavanagh met other Europeans, including Sir Charles Murray, Sophia Lane Poole, and Edward William Lane. Another famous traveler, Harriet Martineau, joined their group for the trip from Cairo to the Holy Land.

While visiting Jerusalem during Easter in 1847, she saw an argument between Roman Catholic and Orthodox Catholic priests over who controlled holy sites. She then visited Petra, the Sinai Peninsula, Beirut, Smyrna, and Constantinople. The group spent a second winter in Egypt before traveling to the Black Sea. They finally returned to Marseilles in April 1848. Many of these journeys were done on horses or camels. One trip across the desert took 36 days! Lady Kavanagh later said that traveling as a woman was "quite enough danger to make it a very exciting business."

In 1850 and 1852, Lady Kavanagh traveled to Corfu, an island in Greece. She brought back samples of Greek lace to Borris. She taught many of the people living on her land how to copy these designs. This helped start a local lace-making business. In 1851, she was chosen to join the Kilkenny Archaeological Society.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1860, Lady Kavanagh moved to Ballyragget Lodge in County Kilkenny. She passed away there on July 14, 1885. She is buried in St Mullin's Abbey, Borris, in County Carlow.

Lady Kavanagh wrote about her travels in her journals. She also drew and painted the places she visited. Her family still keeps these journals, along with an oil painting and a self-portrait of her. After she died, her collection of about 300 ancient Egyptian items was given to the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. These items were later moved to the National Museum of Ireland. They are now a very important part of the Museum's Egyptian collection. You can even see copies of two of her watercolors, a self-portrait, and a landscape painting on display at the Museum.