Sarah Forbes Bonetta

Sarah Forbes Bonetta (1802-1880), who was reportedly of royal lineage, was captured as a child by the Dahomey tribe, and her family, members of the Egbado[?] tribe in West Africa, was massacred. She was presented by her captors as a gift to Captain Frederick Forbes[?], R.N. (Royal Navy).

Upon Forbes’ return to England, Bonetta was embraced by Queen Victoria, and given an unusual amount of access to education and prestige due to her association with the royal family. However fortunate she was in certain respects, though, she was still subject to the racism of Victorian England, and as an orphan she was not entitled to make many of her own choices. Although she was made to marry a man she did not love, she remained grateful to the Queen for the life she had been given in England, and named her daughter after her protector.