TRAITOR BENEDICT ARNOLD, AFICIONADO OF WEDGWOOD - WHO KNEW?

Recently I won a book through Fieldstome Common History Radio, a web-based radio show all about genealogy and American History. The book I won is "Defiant Brides, the Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-era Women and the Radical Men They Married". This is the story of the parallels in time and place of Peggy Shippen Arnold, Mrs. Benedict, and Lucy Flucker Knox, Mrs. Henry. It is a well-written biography of two strong women who found themselves on the main stages of America's history during the American Revolutionary period.

 As we Wedgwoodians so often find, one just never knows where a Wedgwood reference will pop up. It happens to many of us frequently and we share our encounters with one another in many ways. This one is another on my long list of Wedgwood-in-totally-unexpected-places finds. On page 136 we learn:  "Superficially, the Arnolds' social success in London society in 1782 seemed ensured. Though not fabulously wealthy, the Arnolds lived luxuriously. Their townhouse was outfitted with fine mahogany furniture; their table handsomely appointed with fine silver, crystal, and Wedgwood..."  And on page 155 we find Benedict and Peggy back on the North American continent, in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. "The Arnolds' clapboard home on the corner of King and Cross (now Canterbury) streets was less stately than their London townhouse but, by Saint John standards, still impressive. Two and a half stories high with a gambrel roof, it symbolized Arnold's status as a town father. Within it stood the family's London furnishings, blue-damask sofas, matching curtains, mahogany chairs cabinets and chests, Wedgwood dishes, giltware, and a globe."  Who knew someone so vilified in our history could have the good sense and good taste to own Wedgwood china? Perhaps we can't excuse his poor behaviour but we can at least give him a modicum of credit for his good sense in some of life's luxuries. 

For an interesting look into the personal lives of two important players on the Revolutionary stage, you might want to check out Nancy Rubin Stuart's book, Defiant Brides, published by Beacon Press, Boston, 2013, www.beacon.org.  And a big thank-you to Marian Pierre-Louis and her stellar programming on Fieldstone Common for running the give-away!  You can learn a lot of history and genealogy at www.blogtalkradio.com/FieldstoneCommon.