Mary Baker-Willcocks British woman, fraudster Date of Birth: 01.01.1791 Country: Great Britain

1. Mary Baker: The Enigmatic Princess Caraboo
2. The Encounter
3. The Greek Interpreter
4. The Portuguese Connection
5. Popularity and Skepticism
6. The Unmasking
7. The Impostor
8. Disgrace and Exile
9. Return and Fading Fame
10. Later Life

Mary Baker: The Enigmatic Princess Caraboo

Mary Baker (née Willcocks), better known as Princess Caraboo, was a British woman who posed as an exotic princess in the early 19th century. Her intriguing story has captivated the world for generations.

The Encounter

On April 3, 1817, a shoemaker in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England, encountered a peculiar young woman. Dressed in an unusual outfit, she seemed lost and spoke in an unintelligible language. The shoemaker's wife handed her over to the authorities, who entrusted her to magistrate Samuel Worrall.

Neither Worrall nor his wife, Elizabeth, could decipher her speech. However, they learned that she called herself "Caraboo" and recognized Chinese paintings. Intriguingly, she identified a pineapple with the foreign word "ananas," suggesting her familiarity with exotic fruits.

The Greek Interpreter

Worrall's Greek servant also failed to recognize Caraboo's language. Her curious behavior, including sleeping on the floor, prompted Worrall to believe her a vagrant who should be sent to Bristol for prosecution.

The Portuguese Connection

Just when Worrall was about to act, a Portuguese sailor named Manuel Eynesso emerged, claiming to understand Caraboo's language. His translation revealed that she was a princess from the island of Javasu in the Indian Ocean. Caraboo claimed she had been kidnapped by pirates and escaped by jumping overboard into the Bristol Channel.

Popularity and Skepticism

Princess Caraboo quickly became a local sensation. She lived with the Worralls and indulged in exotic pursuits such as archery, fencing, nude swimming, and praying to the mysterious Allah Tallah. While Mr. Worrall and the Greek servant remained skeptical, Elizabeth embraced Caraboo's allure.

With help from the townspeople, Caraboo crafted an elaborate costume and had her portrait published in local newspapers. However, her fame would ultimately lead to her downfall.

The Unmasking

The newspaper portrait caught the attention of a Mrs. Neale, who recognized Caraboo's true identity. Mary Willcocks was not the daughter of a Chinese official and a native princess; she was the child of a shoemaker in Witheridge, Devon. Mary had briefly worked as a servant but found it uninspiring.

The Impostor

Undeterred, Mary discovered that people treated foreigners more kindly than locals. However, posing as a French or Spanish woman was risky due to the likelihood of encountering someone who could expose her. The story of Princess Caraboo was a cunning ruse because it claimed a distant and obscure origin. Moreover, Mary possessed exceptional acting skills and adapted astonishingly quickly. She invented a language based on her own imagination and knowledge of existing languages.

Disgrace and Exile

The British press ridiculed the gullibility of the Worralls and the townsfolk. Desperate to rid themselves of their embarrassment, they shipped Mary to Philadelphia in America, where Worrall relatives were expected to assist her. However, Mary-Caraboo promptly vanished.

Return and Fading Fame

In 1821, Mary returned to Britain as Caraboo. Rumors circulated that she had visited Napoleon on Saint Helena, but these stories are likely apocryphal. Her "performance" failed to attract attention in Britain this time. Allegedly, she attempted to tour Europe as a princess but was unsuccessful.

Later Life

Eventually, Mary returned to England, married, and had a daughter. In 1839, she was known to be supplying leeches to a Bristol hospital. She died on December 24, 1864, under the name Mary Burgess and was buried in an unmarked grave.