The Pennell name was not immune to far-fetched tales, and the story of Rosamond Croker is one of them. This portrait of Miss Croker hangs in the Buffalo (NY) Art Museum. Portrait of Miss Rosamond Croker | Buffalo AKG Art Museum
Rosamond Hester Elizabeth was born 5 January 1810, the 13th of 21 children of William Pennell, Esq., British consul-general to Brazil. At the age of six weeks she was adopted by her brother-in-law the Rt. Hon. John Wilson Crocker. Croker (1780-1857) was a well-known politician and essayist and in 1809 was Secretary to the Admiralty. … In 1832, Miss Croker married Sir George Barrow of Ulverstone (1806-1876), Chief Clerk at the Colonial Office, who succeeded his father as second baronet in 1848. Lady Barrow died in 1906.
Seventh and Eighteenth Century Europeon Art, page 184, Sir Thomas Lawrence (artist)
The only reason Rosamond Croker ended up being on the list of tall tales is that her birth name is Pennell. W. J. C. Pennell of Australia in December 1969 actually refers to Rosamond’s birth father as an “ancestor”. I quote his 1969 letter below, not because I think she’s related, but because you might.
The next ancestors of whom any important records are extant is Richard Pennell, Commander of the British East Indian Company’s ship “HAWK”. [Probate is on Ancestry and verifies this information.] He settled in Topsham in Devonshire and married the sister of Charles II’s physician. He died in May of 1797 aged 42 and is buried in St. Margaret’s Church, Topsham near Lectern.
His great-grandson [I doubt this, maybe grandson] William Pennell was appointed British Council at Bordeau, France in 1814. During his Consulate in this city times were very tumultuous and full of adventure. There was a magnificent diamond he kept as a heirloom in the family which was given to him by the duchesse D’Anglouleme [This is Marie Theresa the only child of Marie Antoniette and the King that lived to adulthood] as a reward for his help in aiding her escape from Bordeaux on a British frigate.
Later he became British Consul at Bahia, Brazil and in 1829 was appointed Consul-General for the Empire of Brazil. He married Elizabeth Carrington daughter of a Church of England Clergyman and had 22 children, many of whom became distinguished men and women. Once (sic) of the sons, Sir Henry Pennell held the position of First Clerk of the British Admiralty and was the author of a continuous system for manning the navy.
W. J. C. Pennell, Sydney, Australia, December 1969
There is a lot of documentation on Ancestry and corroborating data from “Pennell Family Records”. A not-so-quick Googling of facts did show me that Charles Stuart of appointed Ambassador of France in 1815 and then he was sent to Brazil from 1825 to 1826. A Consul-General is subordinate to the Ambassador, so I’m thinking William Pennell likely following Charles Stuart in his appointments.
So there are two Marie’s that escaped France: Marie Theresa (dau. of Marie Antoniette) and Louise Marie (sister of Marie Theresa’s husband). The story of William Pennell assisting in these escapes could very well be the fodder for the Marie deFawcett stories, and somehow the story went from the Pennell side to the Crew side.
One more point that makes me believe there’s been a mash-up of family stories. The quote above says that Elizabeth Carrington has 22 children. What a coincidence! That’s the same number of children Susan Shephard supposedly had and the most children I’ve been able to find is 12.
And also, the “de” did NOT designate Marie deFawcett as French. It only showed that she was of a culture that used the “de” to either show aristocracy or to show Fawcett was her husband’s surname, not hers. This was a French, Spanish, Portuguese, practice.
Can’t help but wonder, where “Fawcett” came from?
Also, what a juxtaposition of the Pennells we know as my ancestors in Bethnal Green and the Pennells who were the ancestors of Miss Rosamond Croker.
Here’s Rosamond’s story:
Among the girls, chief interest is attached to Rosamond the 13th child who, at the age of 6 weeks, was adopted by her eldest sister then the wife of the Right Honourable John Wilson Crocker, M.P. It was only by accident that she eventually learned that her supposed mother was really her sister. She was celebrated for her beauty and her portrait, at the age of 17 by Sir Thomas Lawrence, is a renowned and familiar pictures. Her portrait bears the title “The Beautiful Miss Crocker” and was once owned by American Billionaire Banker, J. Pierpont Morgan. The painting is now owned by the buffalo Fine Ars Academy and is exhibited in the Albright Art Galley, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
When a child at Kensington Palace Rosamond was sent to play with the little girl who became Queen Victoria. The Crocker Papers are full of references to “Nony” as she was called.
“June 13, 1831 — took little girl (Nony) to the King’s (George IV) Ball. We arrived five minutes after the time appointed, half-past eight. His Majesty was already in the room. He was very gracious to Nony and kissed her as he departed. William IV, when she was presented at his Court kissed her twice and it was explained as King, and the second time as man!”