More than a housekeeper
Portrait of Robert Emmet
Full portrait of Robert Emmet, which currently hangs in Leinster House.
Courtesy of Wicklow County LibrariesPortrait of Robert Emmet
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Portrait of Robert Emmet
Full portrait of Robert Emmet, which currently hangs in Leinster House.
Courtesy of Wicklow County LibrariesIn 1803, when she was 25 years old, Anne became the housekeeper of the young leader of the 1803 rebellion, Robert Emmet (pictured below). He was planning the rebellion when she lived with him. Because he did not want to be caught by the authorities, he took the false name Mr Ellis.
Although Anne is often referred to as Emmet's servant or housekeeper, she was really an all-round helper, who could be totally trusted. In fact, she was chosen by Emmet because she was so trustworthy. He had been told by her cousin, 'You may place one thousand lives in her hands.' He decided that she was the woman for the job.
Anne wanted to play an active part in the revolution that Emmet was planning. She was never paid by Emmet for her services. Instead, her expenses were paid by her father.
Her main job was to organise the delivery of Robert's messages by hand all around the city. As a result, she knew the names of more than fifty insurgents spread across Dublin. This secret knowledge made her a very important person in Dublin, who the police would certainly want to arrest if they found out about her activities.
She was loyal to Robert but she was probably not in love with him. Indeed, she arranged for messages to get to his fiancée, Sarah Curran.