MARIE-LOUISE, the first and only Queen of Haiti, who lived in Britain in the early part of the 19th Century, is to be honoured with a blue plaque.

The plaque will be unveiled today (Monday February 7) at 49 Weymouth Street, London, where she lived between 1821 and 1824.

Little had been previously known about Queen Marie-Louise’s life in this country. However in 2019 Dr Nicole Willson, a researcher from the University of Central Lancashire, discovered a copy of Marie-Louise’s will in the UK National Archives.

This helped her trace the Haitian monarch’s movements in Britain and discover more about her life. Together with the Haitian Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain, she sought support from the Nubian Jak Community Trust to erect a blue plaque at this former residence.

Marie-Louise Christophe was consort to Henry Christophe, who was born enslaved in the colonial Caribbean and served in the Siege of Savannah during the American War of Independence. He later became a prominent leader in the Haitian Revolution between 1791 and 1804, which paved the way for the end of French colonial rule and the birth of the first Black nation-state.  

In 1811, Henry and Marie-Louise Christophe were crowned King and Queen of the ‘Royaume d’Hayti’ (Kingdom of Haiti).  Marie-Louise was referred to in the royal almanacs as the ‘auguste reine des haytiens’, (August Queen of Haiti). Henry became Henri I of Haiti.

Marie-Louise formed the ‘Amazones,’ a ceremonial legion of all-women soldiers in honour of the innumerable women who fought and died in the struggle for freedom and independence. Henry Christophe committed suicide in October 1820, after a rebel takeover, and his sons were executed.

Following this turn of events, Marie-Louise and her two surviving daughters escaped to England in 1821, where they were sheltered by the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson before moving to Blackheath. They also stayed in Hastings before finally settling in at 49 Weymouth Street, Marylebone, the site of today’s plaque unveiling.

Her story, like so many Black women’s stories of struggle and survival, has for so long been consigned to the margins of history, yet it is so very worthy of commemoration

Dr Nicole Willson, a researcher from the University of Central Lancashire

In 1824, Marie-Louise left England and lived for many years in Pisa, where she died in 1851, outliving both her daughters and surviving her husband by over thirty years.

Dr Willson said: “This has been a monumental journey which has been several years in the making. I’m glad that, with the help of the Nubian Jak Community Trust, my ultimate goal of securing a blue heritage plaque for Marie-Louise has been achieved.

“Her story, like so many Black women’s stories of struggle and survival, has for so long been consigned to the margins of history, yet it is so very worthy of commemoration. I hope that this plaque will help to raise her profile and bring other stories of Haitian women to light.’

Dr Jak Beula, Nubian Jak founder and CEO said: “The Nubian Jak Community Trust is delighted to be working alongside Dr Nicole Willson and the Haitian Chamber of Commerce in honouring Queen Marie-Louise with a Blue heritage plaque. We trust that 49 Weymouth Street will become a heritage site of interest for Londoners and visitors to the capital, as we remember a remarkable woman who, for the most part, has been a forgotten chapter in British and Caribbean history.”

Councillor Andrew Smith, Lord Mayor of Westminster added: “The life of Queen Marie-Louise and her role as the Queen of the first independent black state is a fascinating one and it is fitting that she should be commemorated here in the City of Westminster.”