The Fishing Fleet: Husband Hunting in the Raj, by Anne de Courcy
Reviewed by Dee Woodhead
The jewel of the British Empire in the 1800s, British India was known as the Raj. Starting in 1858, the Raj disappeared overnight in 1947 when lndia gained its lndependence.The Fishing Fleet was the name given to the English girls who travelled to lndia with the hopes of finding a husband. Most of De Courcy’s book centres around stories from the 20th century, but the origins of the Fishing Fleet goes back to when the British East India Company was beginning its trading empire.
Most of these young women, girls really, were leaving England and their families for the first time. Some were daughters of British families stationed in India returning to their families, while others were on their second or third trip. Mostly, they were all making the journey due to the fact they had a much greater chance of finding a husband in India. While some of the girls from the Fishing Fleet might be considered too plain or even too old to get a husband at home, they were successful in the Raj. In England, women outnumbered eligible men, so many were sent by their families, some even against their will. lndia was full of Brits desperate for companionship, so marriage proposals were swift and many, often happening within days after the Fishing Fleet’s arrival!
De Courcy presents a very informative and descriptive narrative. Her research included memoirs, diaries and letters of the women of the Raj and we are treated to a memorable view of this most fascinating era. Upon the arrival of these brave adventurers, there were all kinds of social events to attend. lf they were succesful in their quest; however, hardships awaited them: extreme heat and incredibly high humidity; snakes, monkeys, bats and mosquitoes; and all kinds of disease. However, this is how Rumer Godden, at her happiest in India, characterized its appeal: “the honey-smell of the fuzz-buzz flowers, of the thorntrees in the sun, and the smell of open drains and urine, of coconut oil and the blue smoke from cow dung used as fuel; it was a smell redolent of the sun, more alive and vivid than anything in the West.”
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