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| August 13th | Edward ‘Pirate’ Trelawny (Death) |
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Edward John Trelawny (1792 – 1881) was an adventurer, biographer, novelist and self – styled pirate who is best known for his friendship with the poets Shelley and Byron. Cornwall – born Trelawny joined the Royal Navy at the age of twelve, serving on numerous ships, travelling to India and fighting the French before leaving the service in 1811. He moved to Switzerland and, later, to Italy where he met Shelley and Byron and invented many stories including one ludicrous claim that he had deserted in India and became a pirate. Trelawny was the friend who identified Shelley’s death and arranged his funeral and burial. Trelawny then travelled to Greece with Lord Byron supposedly to fight in the Greek War of Independence and after Byron’s death he arranged his funeral and the return of Byron’s body to England. In the Greek War, he married the sister, Teritza, of a warlord, Odysseas Androutsos, and took command of Odysseas’ fortress after he was captured. Subsequently he divorced Teritza, returned to England, published his memoirs and travelled across America before returning again and, remarrying, lived the life of a country squire for twelve years. He later retired to Sompting in West Sussex where he died at the age of 88, having outlived almost all of his friends from the Romantic era. |
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