Hannah Snell, 1750 (c)

Mezzotint by J Faber, after Richard Phelps, 1760.

Hannah Snell (1723-1792) was born at Worcester and in 1744 moved to London where she was married. According to her account, she enlisted in John Guise's Regiment after her husband deserted her. She later found out that he had been executed for murder. It is now thought that she never served in Guises' regiment and that this part of her story was fabricated. However, she is thought to have joined the Royal Marines at Portsmouth, going on to serve in India. In August 1748 she took part in the expedition to capture the French colony of Pondicherry. Later, she also fought in the Battle of Devicotta in June 1749. Snell was wounded several times during her service but appears to have managed to keep her sex a secret.

In 1750 she returned to Britain and after revealing her sex she successfully petitioned the Duke of Cumberland for a pension. She also sold her story to London publisher Robert Walker who published her account, 'The Female Soldier'. She also appeared on stage in her uniform presenting military drills and singing songs. In later life she ran a public house in Wapping before moving to Newbury in Berkshire. In 1759 she re-married and eventually had two children. In 1791 her mental condition deteriorated and she was admitted to the Bethlem asylum where she died in 1792.