Don't Tell Ryan Murphy About Marguerite de la Roche!!
Hi Bestie!!
I’m going to yell about something dark!! Death—including child death—follows!
One of my favorite things to do is read about small, remote islands I will never visit (Victoria Island in Nunavut is a personal favorite), and while looking for abandoned Canadian islands found the tale of Marguerite de la Roche. Do you like spooky stories? Are you fascinated by old-timey misogyny? I have a story for you!
Have you ever read something and thought, “Don’t you dare let Ryan Murphy know about this!”
Of course, you haven’t.
(Maybe Fiona has.)
(Don’t tell him, Fiona!!)
(She wouldn’t!!!)
Marguerite was a young, affluent woman sailing to Canada with her cousin. At some point during the voyage she “took a lover.” I prefer to think she fell in love. (I have to believe it was consensual!)
The years on this are confusing. She is said to be young, but died in 1542, and possibly voyaged in 1541. If she was born in 1515, that would make her 26. Young to me, but not young in the 1500s. She allegedly lived in isolation for years but would have died a year after leaving France, if she perished in 1542. Wikipedia is not the most reliable source, of course, but seemingly the most reliable source available. Also, some reports say she settled in the countryside and either ran a school for girls or was a teacher, so she lived for sometime after her rescue. (Her death and burial are not known.)
I prefer to think they were both in love. (Not because I am permanently single, but because it makes the story more interesting.) Though Marguerite’s lover was a sailor, both were from aristocratic families. Enjoying each other’s company on the voyage from France to “New France,” unmarried, would have brought shame to them both, so Marguerite’s cousin (or uncle or brother, who can say, but her biographer, who says cousin) dumped them—and Marguerite’s maid!—on The Island of Demons. Or that’s what he argued. He stood to gain a lot from her loss: “While possibly motivated by his strong Calvinist morals, it is likely he was also driven by financial greed, since his debts were high, and Marguerite's death would be to his benefit.”
What a dick.
(Canadian Horror Story: Island of Demons)
After getting dumped on the Island of Demons, Marguerite gave birth to a baby. But the baby, the maid, and the lover died. They probably starved to death. There is no record of charges brought against Jean-François Roberval, the man who abandoned them in the wilds of Canada.
The Island of Demons is a phantom island (another fascination!), which is to say, it was on maps in the 16th century and disappeared in the 17th century. Some phantom islands are purely fabricated, while others are the result of misunderstandings, poor navigation, and mistakes. While a lot of eerily named places in America are a wilful misunderstanding (like Devils Tower), Island of Demons is likely a more direct translation from the First Nations people, who avoided islands they believed were haunted. And so, this general area had several islands named the Island of Demons. Today, historians believe that Marguerite was dumped in Harrington Harbor, which has a population of 261.
Harrington Harbor mentions Marguerite on its website. It’s one of the three things to know about “The Island of Tranquility.” Marguerite’s Cave on the island is of interest to visitors.
Marguerite lived on the island for “several years.” Or two years. She survived by hunting wild animals. What animals were available to her? Did she encounter bears? What kind of skills did she have when she was abandoned on the island? She survived several winters alone, without supplies, and I have so many unanswered questions. (Was the island actually inhabited by the First Nations people and we’re just going to learn about that?)
(Did any of the crew speak up for her? How did that all go down, anyway?)
She may have had a gun and some knives. (This report says a crowd beat Roberval to death at the behest of the Queen. Wikipedia says he was assassinated in 1560.)
She was rescued by fishermen. She may have run into the surf to be rescued. Unlike the rescue of the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island and Ada Blackjack, so much information is lost to time and history.
Dribs and Drabs
I did stand-up comedy last week! One of my jobs has an open mic, so I put on a nice top and some lipstick, gave the host my name, and read my jokes from a little notebook my pen pal sent me from the Hirschorn. I had one friend in attendance, and I recommend bringing a friend so someone will laugh. I waffled on bringing my neighbor with me, and they walked past the bar while I waited, and that was a small lesson, I think, on how I should have texted them! Most of my jokes were about bombing and I said, “Well this is weird because I’ve run out of jokes with time on the clock and all of my jokes were about bombing, and you guys laughed!” So I might try again when I know I have five minutes. Lots of credit to my boss who 1) encouraged me to do it and 2) laughed at my jokes.
There is a hybrid eclipse this week!
Look at this picture of Uranus!! NASA released it two weeks ago. The photo was taken by the James Webb Telescope.
Always your friend (and always so grateful for your friendship),
Katherine
SOURCES
Carpenter, Julia. “A Woman to Know: Marguerite De La Rocque De Roberval.” A Woman to Know, Substack, 16 Apr. 2020, awomantoknow.substack.com/p/a-woman-to-know-marguerite-de-la. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
Harrington Harbour - the Island of Tranquility. www.harringtonharbour.ca.
Marguerite De La Rocque | the Canadian Encyclopedia. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/marguerite-de-la-rocque.
Wikipedia contributors. “Harrington Harbour.” Wikipedia, Jan. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrington_Harbour.
Wikipedia contributors. “Isle of Demons.” Wikipedia, Mar. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Demons.
Wikipedia contributors. “Marguerite De La Rocque.” Wikipedia, Mar. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_de_La_Rocque.