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Hannah Snell
Hannah Snell (23 April 1723 – 8 February 1792) was an English woman who disguised herself as a man to join the British military. Snell was mentioned in James Woodforde's diary entry of 21 May 1778 selling buttons, garters, and laces.
Hannah Snell was born in Worcester, England, on 23 April 1723. She was the youngest daughter of the family, with eight siblings. Her father Samuel Snell was a hosier and dyer. Due to Snell's grandfather’s service in the military and the money that they inherited from him, her father and his second wife, Mary Williams, were wealthy enough to live comfortably and provide adequate education for all their children. In spite of this, Snell learned to read but never learned to write. She was referred to as the "young Amazon Snell" by locals and she often played soldier as a child.
Snell’s parents died when she was 17. She moved to London on 25 December 1740 to live with her older sibling, Susanah, in her house in Wapping. She married James Summs, a Dutch seaman, on 18 January 1744. Summs often sought the company of other women and grew to despise Snell. He used her patrimony to pay for his luxurious lifestyle. They quickly fell into debt and became impoverished. Summs abandoned Snell when she was pregnant with their child, Susanna, who died in infancy.
Snell moved back in with her sibling Susannah and her brother-in-law, James Gray. On 23 November 1745, Snell put on her brother-in-law's clothes, assumed his name, and went to Coventry to search for Summs. Later, she learned that her husband had been executed for murder.
While in Coventry, she enlisted in the British Army. She joined John Guise's regiment, the 6th Regiment of Foot.
Hannah Snell joined the military when she was 25 years old under her brother-in-law's identity, James Gray. She joined the regiment of general John Guise in 1747, where she received training in military exercises and greatly excelled. During this time, she had a falling out with a sergeant in her regiment named Davis who accused Gray of neglecting her duties. This incident was prompted due to Gray's refusal to facilitate a sexual encounter between Davis and a local woman. For this accused neglect, Gray was sentenced to “600 lashes" and received 500 while tied to the gate of Carlisle Castle. In Robert Walker's biography on her life, it is mentioned that she eluded discovery due to the manner in which her arms were tied to the gate as well as the small size of her breasts.
After these events, Snell deserted and went to join the Royal Marines. She boarded the Merlin-class sloop HMS Swallow at Portsmouth and sailed as a cabin boy under commander John Rowzier to Lisbon. Her unit was to invade French Mauritius as part of the War of the Austrian Succession, but the attack was called off. Her unit then sailed to India to take part in the First Carnatic War. In August 1748, her unit was sent to an unsuccessful expedition to besiege the French colony of Pondicherry in India. Later, she fought in a battle at Devicottah in June 1749. She was injured a total of 11 times, with one shot in her groin and five in her leg. After the battle, she was sent to a hospital at Cuddalore, where she was seen by two physicians. To avoid revealing her sex, she either removed the bullet herself or was assisted by a local woman, instead of being tended by the regimental surgeon.
After her three-month recovery, she was reunited with her fleet and returned to duty on the undermanned ship. She then spent five weeks in Bombay where her crewmates noticed that she did not shave her face and nicknamed her "Miss Molly Gray". This prompted her to "begin flirting with the local women" as a way to reduce suspicion about her sex. Shortly thereafter, Gray returned home to England after being discharged for complications with her wounds.
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Hannah Snell
Hannah Snell (23 April 1723 – 8 February 1792) was an English woman who disguised herself as a man to join the British military. Snell was mentioned in James Woodforde's diary entry of 21 May 1778 selling buttons, garters, and laces.
Hannah Snell was born in Worcester, England, on 23 April 1723. She was the youngest daughter of the family, with eight siblings. Her father Samuel Snell was a hosier and dyer. Due to Snell's grandfather’s service in the military and the money that they inherited from him, her father and his second wife, Mary Williams, were wealthy enough to live comfortably and provide adequate education for all their children. In spite of this, Snell learned to read but never learned to write. She was referred to as the "young Amazon Snell" by locals and she often played soldier as a child.
Snell’s parents died when she was 17. She moved to London on 25 December 1740 to live with her older sibling, Susanah, in her house in Wapping. She married James Summs, a Dutch seaman, on 18 January 1744. Summs often sought the company of other women and grew to despise Snell. He used her patrimony to pay for his luxurious lifestyle. They quickly fell into debt and became impoverished. Summs abandoned Snell when she was pregnant with their child, Susanna, who died in infancy.
Snell moved back in with her sibling Susannah and her brother-in-law, James Gray. On 23 November 1745, Snell put on her brother-in-law's clothes, assumed his name, and went to Coventry to search for Summs. Later, she learned that her husband had been executed for murder.
While in Coventry, she enlisted in the British Army. She joined John Guise's regiment, the 6th Regiment of Foot.
Hannah Snell joined the military when she was 25 years old under her brother-in-law's identity, James Gray. She joined the regiment of general John Guise in 1747, where she received training in military exercises and greatly excelled. During this time, she had a falling out with a sergeant in her regiment named Davis who accused Gray of neglecting her duties. This incident was prompted due to Gray's refusal to facilitate a sexual encounter between Davis and a local woman. For this accused neglect, Gray was sentenced to “600 lashes" and received 500 while tied to the gate of Carlisle Castle. In Robert Walker's biography on her life, it is mentioned that she eluded discovery due to the manner in which her arms were tied to the gate as well as the small size of her breasts.
After these events, Snell deserted and went to join the Royal Marines. She boarded the Merlin-class sloop HMS Swallow at Portsmouth and sailed as a cabin boy under commander John Rowzier to Lisbon. Her unit was to invade French Mauritius as part of the War of the Austrian Succession, but the attack was called off. Her unit then sailed to India to take part in the First Carnatic War. In August 1748, her unit was sent to an unsuccessful expedition to besiege the French colony of Pondicherry in India. Later, she fought in a battle at Devicottah in June 1749. She was injured a total of 11 times, with one shot in her groin and five in her leg. After the battle, she was sent to a hospital at Cuddalore, where she was seen by two physicians. To avoid revealing her sex, she either removed the bullet herself or was assisted by a local woman, instead of being tended by the regimental surgeon.
After her three-month recovery, she was reunited with her fleet and returned to duty on the undermanned ship. She then spent five weeks in Bombay where her crewmates noticed that she did not shave her face and nicknamed her "Miss Molly Gray". This prompted her to "begin flirting with the local women" as a way to reduce suspicion about her sex. Shortly thereafter, Gray returned home to England after being discharged for complications with her wounds.