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Margaretta Alexandra Eagar
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Margaretta (or Margaret) Alexandra Eagar (12 August 1863 — 8 August 1936)[1], was an Irishwoman who took on the role as a nanny and nurse in a Russian Imperial household in St Petersburg to the four daughters of Emperor and Empress Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia—known collectively as OTMA—from 1898 to 1904.[2]
In 1906, she then went on to become an author. She wrote a memoir entitled 'Six Years at the Russian Court'about her experience working for the family and her time spent in Russia.
Early life
[edit]Margaretta Eagar was born in Limerick, Ireland on 12 August 1863. She was born to a Protestant couple,Francis McGillycuddy Eagar and Frances Margaret Holden. From 1855–80, her father, Francis Eagar was governor of Limerick county gaol[3]. She was the fifth of the couples eleven children.She was trained as a medical nurse in Belfast, Northern Ireland and worked at one point as matron of an orphanage.
Life in Russia
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Margaretta Eagar trained as a nurse in Belfast before taking the role or matron in a girls orphanage.[5] A close family friend of Tsarina Alexandra, Emily Loch had recommended Margaretta Eagar for the post of nurse in the Russian imperial household. She was seen to have good experience and her straight forward and unsophisticated traits made her a good fit for the job. At the age of 36 she travelled to the winter palace in st Petersburg via Berlin. It was in the winter palace of St. Petersburg that she would look after the duchesses Olga Tatiana Maria and Anastasia for the next six years.[6]She became very attached to the children as she stayed with them night and day.She nursed them through many illnesses in their childhoods including typhoid.She taught the duchesses English however they began to develop an Irish accent so the Tsar had to hire a professional English tutor.Eagar accompanied the family on frequent trips to their summer and winter residences[7].She also accompanied the family on trips to other royal courts in Darmstadt and Copenhagen.Eagar left her post in the imperial household in October 1904 just after the birth of Alexei. It is thought that she was let go as Alexei was haemophiliac and her skills were not sufficient enough for his needs.[8]
Later life
[edit]In Eagar’s later life she ran a boarding house in Holland Park London. She received a generous pension from the Russian government for her time spent as a nurse[9]. The news of the murder of the imperial family at the hands of the Bolsheviks left Eagar heartbroken.The death of the family is said to have deeply affected her in her later years in life.[10]
- ^ "You are being redirected..." www.dib.ie. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "The Grand Duchesses - OTMA - Blog & Alexander Palace Time Machine". www.alexanderpalace.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Who was Margaretta Eagar? The Governess of the last Russian Royal Family • People & Genealogy". 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Wikimedia Commons". commons.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "5 Irish emigrant stories that may surprise you | EPIC Museum". EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin | Official Site. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Kilkee Civic Trust – Who was Margaretta Eager? – Nanny to the last Tsar of Russia – Raidio Corca Baiscinn Keeping You in the Loop". rcb.ie. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ Eagar, Margaretta (January 1906). Six years at the Russian court. Gilbert’s books. p. 286. ISBN 0986531049.
- ^ "Life with Haemophilia, the 'Royal Disease'". Science Museum Blog. 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Abroad". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ historywithatwist (2018-07-16). "The Romanovs' Irish Nanny". historywithatwist. Retrieved 2024-11-27.