Did you know there’s a wild story connected to The Willows that made headlines in the 1880s?
Lady Florence Dixie (1855 – 1905) — a remarkable and adventurous woman — lived nearby at The Fisheries with her husband Sir Alexander Beaumont Churchill Dixie (affectionately known as Sir ABCD or Beau Dixie). She was the first woman war correspondent during the First Boer War, a fierce defender of women’s rights, first president of the British Ladies football team, and apparently kept a pet jaguar named Affums!
But that’s not all…
On St Patrick’s Day, 1883, newspapers around the world reported that Lady Florence had been attacked on the country road near The Willows! According to her own dramatic account, two figures — disguised as women — confronted her, and she was struck with a dagger. Only the steel in her corset and her faithful St Bernard, Hubert, saved her from serious harm.
The tale caused a sensation:
- Police patrols were organized,
- Rumours swirled about Irish political unrest,
- And even messages of sympathy poured in from high society.
But here’s the twist…
There’s no real evidence anyone else witnessed the attack — and some historians now question whether it happened at all. Was it fact, fiction, or something in between?
For more curious details — including rumours, eyewitness snippets, and why people later doubted the story — check out Windlesora 17 from the Windsor Local History Group.
History isn’t just about dates… it’s full of mystery, drama, and the unexpected!
References
Map extract from Berkshire Sheet XXXI surveyed 1870 to 1875, published 1881, with permission of the National Library of Scotland.
A five-panel page from “The Graphic”, March 24, 1883, page 305; source: Wikipedia.org
Windsor Local History Group 