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| the-south-park-street-cemetery, Kolkata double-dolphin.blogspot.in/2015/02 |
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As time went by, with more people from Britain arrived in Kolkata, soon social clubs and recreation clubs came up where these young people could go for a spin with the local beauty or be content with British whisky or India Ale.
Being lonesome and away from their mother land, it is quite obvious, the young boys in the British company were longing for a company of girls. In those days only some officers were living with their families, and the competition for the girls from these families was heavy. As for higher officials, their girls went for ball room dances on the week ends with the elite members. Obviously the arrival of many European families in the city of Calcutta was a welcome news for the young bachelors of the English company.
At this juncture, a glamorous young girl by the name of Elizabeth Sanderson arrived in Calcutta in 1775 in style and elegance and she made every bachelor in the city turn towards her. Daughter of a Colonel in East India Company’s army, for a few days she became a topic of discussion in social gathering and club houses as one could not shut the blabber-mouths. Obviously the rumor mill had begun to work overtime ever since her arrival in Calcutta. The girl was stunningly charismatic and soon carried a tag "the Helen of England British India. The more she appeared on the social circuit, more officers wanted to seek her hand
Apart from being a pretty belle of Calcutta, she was also equally mischievous. In one funny incident, she told sixteen of her suitors separately that she would be going to a ball in a Parisian dress and it would be nice if they could wear a similar costume of pea-green, with pink silk trimmings. Driven by blind love on that particular occasion, no less than a dozen young men turned up at the ball, all dressed in the same pea-green ludicrous clothing. Sh also danced with some of them while other suitors standing along the road side with the lit torches. Such was the spell-binding effect she had on the crazy young officers.
One day, the British bachelors were heart broken when she got married a man of her choice. More painful is the fact this charming woman chose a wrong man. Eventually, she married one Richard Barwell, an official of E.I.Co and a friend of Warren Hasting. He was a well-known womanizer and gambler and the couple lived in the house known today as Kidderpore House. She had two sons by him. Later his heavy gambling losses, laxity of his private morals amorous exploits showed him in bad light and he gained notoriety. In between his romantic escapades and gambling spree, he distinguished himself in his service.
But this lovely woman, as ill-luck would have it, did not live long in Calcutta. It was the edit of God that she had to tragically die of "fever" (Malaria?) shortly afterwards. She was barely 23 years old. A pale of gloom enveloped over Calcutta on the day of her death and funeral. The tomb of Elizabeth Barwell - a huge stone pyramid - is the largest in the grave yard at the Park street Cemetery, Kolkata.
Ref:
http://double-dolphin.blogspot.in/2015/02/the-south-park-street-cemetery.html