Katherine Ellice facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katherine Ellice
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by William Charles Ross R.A.
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| Born |
Katherine Jane Balfour
1813 (Probably) Scotland
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| Died | 13 April 1864 |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | "Janie" Ellice |
| Known for |
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| Spouse(s) | Edward Ellice |
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Katherine Jane "Janie" Ellice (born Balfour; 1813 – 13 April 1864) was a British writer and artist. She is best known for her diary and watercolour paintings. These works describe her trip to Canada in 1838. During this journey, she and her sister were captured during the Battle of Beauharnois.
Contents
Early Life and Marriage
Janie Ellice was born in 1813. She was the second of eight daughters of Eglantyne Katherine Fordyce and Sir Robert Balfour. Janie was a talented young woman. She spoke Italian and French. She was also skilled at sketching and painting with watercolours. Janie could play both the piano and the guitar.
On 15 July 1834, she married Edward Ellice. Four years later, on 24 April 1838, Janie boarded a ship called HMS Hastings. She traveled with her husband to Canada. Edward Ellice was going to Canada to work for his cousin, John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham. Lord Durham was appointed the Governor-General of Canada.
Captured During the Battle of Beauharnois
While in Canada, Janie and her family faced a surprising event. During the Battle of Beauharnois, a group of rebels attacked their home at night. The rebels were led by François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier. Janie, her husband, her sister, and their household were all taken prisoner. Her husband was held in a separate place.
Janie bravely spoke with the rebels. She managed to get permission for her family and the other prisoners to move to the local Catholic priest's home. She also arranged for them to get food, like meat and milk, from their own farm animals. Janie described their house as being "converted into a regular prison." Eventually, 62 people were held together there.
Janie wrote in her diary about the attack:
“A brisk firing commenced all around the cottage; bullets coming through the house in all directions. Then came a dreadful rush of Men, women & children, screaming, some falling & being trampled upon in the door way. We thought the rebels were coming to murder us, & locked in Tina's arms I was trying to compose my mind when Mr. Parker pushed thro' the crowd & told us we were safe.”
On 10 November 1838, the British forces won the battle. The rebel leaders were captured, and all the prisoners were set free. Janie had kept a detailed diary and made sketches of the people she called "picturesque ruffians." The Ellice family had planned to return to England on 9 November. However, their capture delayed their trip. They finally returned home on 26 December 1838.
Her Artistic Talent
Katherine Ellice continued to develop her artistic skills. She studied drawing with Lord Durham's drawing teacher, Coke Smyth. He gave lessons to both Katherine and Lady Durham while they were in Canada.
One of her notable works is a self-portrait. It shows her at sea aboard HMS Hastings. This was the ship that brought the Ellice family to Canada in May 1838.
Janie's watercolour paintings show scenes from the 1837 Rebellion. She painted these while living in Beauharnois. Other works show different parts of Quebec. Her art album is now kept at the Library and Archives Canada. A copy of her diary is also stored there.
Later Years
Janie's father-in-law, Edward Ellice, was very fond of her. He had given her the diary and asked her to fill it during her travels. He often hosted important guests in Scotland. In 1859, he asked Janie to be the hostess when the artist Richard Doyle visited. She was given an illustrated diary of a trip to the islands of Rona and Skye.
In 1853, Janie's sister, Eglantyne "Tina," married her husband's cousin, Robert Ellice. Robert was the son of General Robert Ellice. Katherine Ellice passed away on 13 April 1864. After her death, Edward Ellice remarried.
