She Told Everyone That She Was An Exotic Princess, And She Had Been Kidnapped By Pirates Before Jumping Overboard And Swimming To Shore

JuanJos - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only
JuanJos - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

Have you ever heard the story of Mary Willcocks or the ‘Princess Caraboo of Javasu?’

If you haven’t, buckle up because it’s quite fascinating.

In 1817, a cobbler in the village of Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England, was walking around when he saw a woman who looked ragged and disoriented wandering on the road. She was wearing exotic clothing and had a turban on her head. She certainly did not look like anyone he had seen before.

The mysterious woman did not speak English and couldn’t communicate with the cobbler, so he and his wife took her to the Overseer of the Poor, Samuel Worrall. Samuel could not get through to the woman either but eventually figured out she responded to the name Caraboo.

Finally, after taking the woman to an inn to stay in, she pointed to a painting of pineapples and said, “ananas,” which means pineapple in several languages.

Samuel eventually turned her in to the local authorities, and she was put in prison. While there, she met a Portuguese sailor named Manuel Eynesso, who understood her language and could translate her story.

The woman told him that her name is not Caraboo. Caraboo was the name of her country, and she was a princess. According to the so-called Princess Caraboo, she was born on the island of Javasu in the Indian Ocean. She had supposedly been captured by pirates who took her on a long voyage. When the pirate ship reached the Bristol Channel, she jumped overboard and swam to shore.

Upon hearing her story, police released the princess from prison, and she returned to Samuel’s home, where his wife, Elizabeth, was thrilled to have a “royal” staying in her home. For ten weeks, Elizabeth showed off the princess to local dignitaries and impressed the local elite.

Princess Caraboo was an impressive house guest, as she knew many skills that were exotic to the village residents. She was an archer, knew how to fence, was great at swimming, etc.

JuanJos – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

It wasn’t long before the local newspapers began writing about the princess, and artists published drawings and paintings of her in her exotic clothes.

However, after a boarding-house keeper saw the princess’ portrait in the paper, the truth surrounding her identity was revealed.

The boarding-house keeper recognized and identified the princess as Mary Willcocks, a young woman from Devonshire, England, who worked as a servant for several local households. Mary wasn’t a princess, after all. She was just a really good impostor.

After Elizabeth confronted Mary, she spoke perfect English and admitted to making up the princess identity in hopes of living a more exciting life and finding a place to live since she had nowhere to go.

Elizabeth and Samuel took pity on Mary and sent her to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1817. Mary eventually returned to England in the 1820s. She found a husband and became a mother. She also had a job working at the Bristol Infirmary Hospital.

Mary passed away in 1864.

Can you imagine how everyone must have felt when they found out Princess Caraboo wasn’t real?

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