A Catalogue of British Female Cross-Dressers

A Catalogue of Female Cross-Dressers

Below is a list of all the female cross-dressers I have come across during my research into Hannah Snell's life. The list only includes women who actually concealed their sex from the general population, rather than those who openly wore men's clothes. I will gradually add biographical notes and pertinent links to these names. If you know of other women not on this list, please let me know.

Ellen Craft - the story of Ellen Craft, a light-skinned black woman who posed as a white plantation owner to travel out of slavery with her husband, who posed as her slave, is told in the book Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom: Or, the Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery. This account is from the current publisher's website (Ayer Company Publishers) at http://206.155.164.149/ayer/afro-am/4408435.htm "Unlike countless other slaves who fled through forests and swamps, the Crafts traveled publicly and in style; the fair skinned Ellen was disguised as a young white southern planter, with her husband William as her slave and body servant. They escaped in 1848 by train, journeyed to Philadelphia and later to Boston where they stayed until the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 imperiled their freedom. They fled to England, and eventually returned as free citizens to Georgia where they set up a school for black children. Despite the outward comfort of their situation, their story is as filled with courage and ingenuity, with narrow escapes and near discovery as any of the more usual slave narratives." I have read the book and it is truly great.

Billy Tipton - a biography of Billy Tipton, who lived as a male saxophonist and bandleader, married to five women (not at once), has recently appeared. It's by Diane Middlebrook, who also wrote a biography of Anne Sexton. Diane has her own website devoted to these two works and women at http://www.dianemiddlebrook.com This is from her timeline of (complete with lots of photos): "Dorothy returned to Oklahoma City in 1933 and tried to find work as a musician. In 1935 she apparently decided that to play the saxophone she would have to play a man. She began dressing in men's clothes, calling herself Billy, and began living with a former marathon "horse" named Non Earl, who was known as Mrs. Tipton. Throughout the 1930s Billy made a living playing the kind of jazz-inflected country swing popularized by the Tulsa bandleader Bob Wills. Fellow musicians knew that Billy was female. Around 1939 Billy moved to Joplin and found work as a jazz musician, playing swing. From this time on, all the people around Billy thought that Billy was a man. He formed a partnership with the clarinetist George Mayer, and spent the wartime playing dance music in Joplin night clubs. He fell in love with a vocalist named June; they presented themselves as a married couple and spent a year playing at the Palmero Club in Corpus Christi, Texas, before returning to Joplin. Billy and Betty, his third wife, left Joplin in 1949 to join George Mayer in the Pacific Northwest. In 1951, Billy formed the first Billy Tipton Trio, and in 1954, Billy met his fourth wife, Maryann. In 1962, Billy left Maryann for a night club stripper named Kitty Kelly. They married and began adopting a family: John in 1963, Scott in 1966, William in 1969. Then Billy, at the height of his career, surprised everyone by taking a day job at a talent agency, which he eventually owned. Billy and Kitty split up in the early 80s, and Billy died in 1989 of a bleeding ulcer at age 74."

[Susan Parker of Asheville in the U.S]

Nadezhda Durova. (From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister) In the early nineteenth century, Nadezhda Durova ran away from home dressed as a man and joined the Russian calvary, where she maintained the secret of her gender and served with distinction as an officer for more than nine years. Her diary, published as The Cavalry Maiden, was one of Russia's first autobiographical works, making this book noteworthy both for its content and its place in literary history. Not every reader will enjoy the disjointed and occasionally impersonal style; nor will everyone be interested in Nadezhda Durova's recounting of Russian geography and military history that comprises much of the middle portion of the book. Yet you don't have to be from the nineteenth century to sympathize when she writes: "I jump for joy as I realize that I will never again in my entire life hear the words: You, girl, sit still! It's not proper for you to go wandering out alone." Nor need you be a Russian scholar to appreciate her descriptions of officers, horses, local citizens, and dress balls. Mary Fleming Zirin's introduction illuminates those areas where Nadezhda Durova was not exactly truthful (she was not sixteen and single when she ran away, but twenty-three, married and a mother), and brings further understanding to this headstrong woman who, as a child, refused to knit shoelaces but "ran and galloped around the room in all directions, shouting at the top of my voice: 'Squadron! To the Right, face! From your places, charge - CHARGE!'"

[Brian Smith]

* * * * * * *

I have found examples of masquerading women in Australia, Cuba, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, North America, Peru and Portugal.

AUSTRALIA

19th-20th Century

Falleni, Eugenia (1875-1938)

Cuba

Velasquez, Loreta Janeta (b. 1842)

FRANCE

17th Century

Mlle. de Maupin, (1670-1707)

18th Century

Bordereau, Renée (1770-1828)

Houssaye de Bannes, Louise (enlisted 1792)

Brulon, Angélique (1772-1859)

Figueur, Thérèse (1774-1861)

19th Century

Chesnières, Virginie (died 1873)

Wisson, Ferdinand (born 1836)

GERMANY

18th Century

Detzlerin, Anne Sophia (born ca. 1738)

Krüger, Augusta

Linck, Catharine Margaretha

GREAT BRITAIN

9th Century

Pope Joan (born 855)

17th Century

'Barber, Thomas' (died 1658)

Clark, Thomasina (discovered ca. 1665), England

Owen, Jane (discovered 1684)

18th Century

Bowling, Tom (enlisted ca. 1787)

Charke, Charlotte (1713-1760), England

Clark, Jean (discovered 1794)

'Daniel, Paul' (enlisted 1761)

Davies, Christian (1667-1739), Ireland

'Douglas, Arthur' (discovered 1757)

East, Mary

Gunn, Isabelle (1781-1861), Orkney's

Hamilton, Mary (born 1721), England

Hessel, Phoebe (1713-1821), England

Lacy, Mary (born 1740), England

Meace, Jane (enlisted 1762)

Mills, Anne (enlisted ca. 1740)

Ralphson, Mary (b. 1698), Scotland

Snell, Hannah (1723-1792), England

Talbot, Mary Anne (1778-1808), England

Thompson, Margaret (enlisted 1781)

Whitney, Hannah (enlisted 1756)

19th Century

Arnold, Mary Anne (b.1825), England

Barry, Dr James Miranda (1795-1865), Scotland

'Brown, William' (discovered ca. 1815)

Dixon, Mary (served at Waterloo)

Johnston, Rebecca Anne (discovered 1807)

Oram, S. (discovered 1815)

Thornton, Anne Jane (born 1818), Ireland

20th Century

Arkell-Smith, Valerie (1895-1960)

Lawrence, Dorothy (1915)

ITALY

18th Century

Scanagatti, Francesca (b. 1780s)

Vizzani, Catherine

19th Century

Giuliani, Marietta (fought under Garibaldi in 1868)

Manelli, Herminia (fought under Garibaldi in 1868)

Mariotti, Sylvia (enlisted 1866)

LITHUANIA

19th Century

Emilie Plater-Zyberk (1806-1831)

NETHERLANDS

Most of the entries in this section have come from "The Tradition of Female Transvestism in Early Modern Europe" by Rudolf M. Dekker and Lotte C. van de Pol (MacMillan Press, 1989). This is one of the most important books written on female cross-dressers and is essential reading. The dates following the names of these Dutch women refer to the year of discovery, or the year of occurrence.

16th Century

Dircxdr, Sara (1550)

17th Century

Adriaens, Barbara Pieters (1632)

Albertsz, Hendrick (1666)

Alders, Anna (1653)

Barents, Annetje (1663)

Bernsen, Claus (1643)

Blomme, Maeyken (1611)

Claas, Grietje (1659)

Croon, Cornelia Margriete (1671)

De Tamboer, Aagt (1653)

De Turenne, Maria Jacobse (ca. 1689)

Dirckse, Joonas (1696)

Dirx, Engeltje (1667)

Everts, Jenneke (1644)

Fiool, Catarin (1691)

Frans, Vrouwjte (1641)

Geelvinck, Isabella Clara (1673)

Gerrits, Willempje (1665)

Hooghmeester, Geesje (1694)

Jacobs, Anne (1675)

Jacobs, Jacoba (1667)

Jans, Aeltje (1653)

Jans, Anna (1629)

Jans, Anna (1653)

Jans, Janneken (1658)

Jans, Maritgen (1628)

Joosten, Maeijken (1606)

Jurriaens, Trijn (1679)

Kock, Johannes (1645)

La Noy, Adriana (1653)

Pieters, Annetje (1672)

Pieters, Jannetje (1653)

Pieters, Marritgen (1624)

Pieters, Pietertje (1672)

Rosenbrock, Catharin (1684)

Sell, Hilleke (1644)

Sijmons, Trijntje (ca. 1625)

Sommureuell, Elisabeth (1673)

Sonnevelt (Marrija Margriet (1674)

Theunis, Francijntien (1661)

Van Breugel, Cornelia Gerritse (1688)

Van der Schuyr, Hendrickgen Lamberts (1641)

Van Lint, Francijntje (1674)

Van Vlissingen, Gerrit Jansz (1652)

18th Century

Barents, Stjntje (1705)

Bennius, Johanna (1746)

'Cornelius, Robert' (Field)

Den Broekman, Aart (1735)

Everts, Anna Maria (1782)

Heeght, Johanna Dorothea (1783)

Hilleghering, Anna Catharina (1728)

Huyser, Elisabeth (1746)

Knipsaar, Grietje Harmense (1702)

Meening, Maria Elisabeth (1726)

Reymers, Margareta (1770)

Spiesen, Anna Sophia (1769)

Stording, Maria Sophia (ca. 1750)

Ter Brugge, Geertruid (ca. 1705)

Ter Meetelen, Maria (1725)

Thoole, Lumke (1723)

Van Antwerpen, Maria (1769)

Van Cuijlenberg, Johanna Catharina (1761)

Van de Kerkhof, Petronella (ca. 1760)

Van den Hove, Marytje (1768)

Van der Gijsse, Maria (1743)

Van der Meer, Johanna (1794)

Van Duiren, Geertruid (1748)

Van Spanjen, Maria (1782)

Van Swole, Johanna Elisabeth (1761)

Wasmoet, Lena Catherina (1781)

Weijers, Marij Jacobs (1702)

Wijngraef, Lijsbeth (1732)

19th Century

Burger, Antje (1809)

Martens, Johanna (1839)

Sloet, Francina Gunningh (1814)

Van Den Heuvel, Geertrude Sara Catharina (1838)

Merkus, Jenny (1839-1897)

NORTH AMERICA

18th Century

Sampson, Deborah (1760-1827), USA

19th Century

Edmonds, Sarah Emma (1842-1898), USA

Guerin, Elsa Jane (born. ca. 1837), USA

Wakeman, Sarah Rosetta (1843-1864), USA

Peru

19th Century

Rodriguez, Dolores

POLAND

19th Century

Anna Henryka Pustowojtowna (1843-1881)

PORTUGAL

20th Century

Gomes, Teresinha (born 1942)

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