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Remembering the Forgotten - Eveline Michell Farwell


Eveline Forbes (Source: Bystander 1904)




Eveline Louisa Michell Farwell, also known as Mrs Walter Forbes (1866 - 1924) was the author of Fingers and Fortune: A Guide Book to Palmistry and several novels including Her Last Run (1888) and Blight (1897) - a story of a 'scheming woman' who causes much misery to all those around her in her quest for a title, and ended up having to 'take the veil' because that was the only way she would ever find redemption.

Eveline was the only daughter of Frederick Farwell and Louisa Whitbread Michell, born and lived at  'Lowlands' on 93 Lower Street, Tettenhall and was home schooled by a governess.

In 1871 she moved to Paignton, Devon with both parents, her mother Louisa was originally from Lostwithiel, Cornwall and they would visit relatives there frequently.

Her marriage to the Hon. Walter Robert Drummond Forbes of the Gordon Highlanders was listed in newspapers as a 'fashionable' marriage and took place on 13th February 1887 at St Peters Church, Eaton Square (Belgravia). Walter's father was Baron Forbes. Almost immediately afterwards her short stories were published in London Society

In 1893 Eveline was living in Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire), Ireland, and was soon accepted as a member of Dublin society with her her 'fitted Eton coat' or her skirt of 'tabac melton cloth, fastened with large horn buttons' catching the eye of the Dublin Social Review in November 1893


By 1904 Eveline was living with her husband at Kinaldie, Aberdeenshire, and in that time she had written several more novels including A Gentleman, Dumb, the serial Leroux (published in the London Daily News) and Unofficial.
In 1908 quotes attributed to Eveline was published in the Sheffield Evening Telegraph and are as follows:

'I have never understood why it should be considered unselfish to write letters to people who do not wish to receive them'

'A millionaire without some drawbacks would ruin the market'

In 1910 Eveline and her husband were back in London and an inquest was opened into the death of their housekeeper, Jane Smart-Ross on Tuesday 23th May. Ross, from Aberdeen had come down with the Forbes' and for some reason slipped into a coma after taking three 'instantaneous headache powders'.

The Coroner stated that the post-mortem revealed she had 'general tuberculosis in all organs, including the brain' and that death was entirely natural.

In 1918 Eveline's last novel was published, the strangely titled His Alien Enemy.

Eveline died on either April 13 or April 18th, 1924 in Marleybone, however the Portsmouth Evening News published a letter titled 'The Mating of Opposites' on November 1 1924 signed by Hon. Mrs Walter Forbes.

Her husband died 5 years later in 1929. They were survived by their only child, Victor Courtney Walter Forbes (1889 - 1958).

Her only genre story appears to be:

'Foretold: A Story for Palmists' published in The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News 21 Feb, 1891






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