Victoria Davies Randle
Omoba Victoria Davies Randle | |
|---|---|
| Born | Victoria Matilda Davies 1863 |
| Died | 1920 (aged 57) Lagos |
| Nationality | West African |
| Other names | Victoria Davies |
| Occupation | Socialite |
| Known for | Being the goddaughter of Queen Victoria |
| Spouse |
Dr. John Randle (m. 1890) |
| Children | Beatrice Randle (daughter) John 'Jack' Romanes Adewale Randle (son) |
| Parent(s) | James Pinson Labulo Davies Sara Forbes Bonetta |
Victoria Matilda Davies Randle (née Davies; 1863 – 1920) was a socialite in Victorian Lagos Colony.
Life
Victoria Davies was the eldest child of
The queen provided her with both an annuity and a golden christening set.
Victoria Davies Randle later took her children Beatrice and John to visit her godmother in 1900, escorted by Bishop Johnson. In a continuation of tradition,
Her marriage eventually fell apart; she lived in exile with the children thereafter, first in the United Kingdom and then in Sierra Leone, only returning to Lagos in 1917. In London, Davies Randle had made the acquaintance of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the prodigy who would rise to become a prominent Black British musician. She was later mentioned by Coleridge-Taylor as the source of the Yoruba folk song in his collection, Oloba yale mi.[1] Davies Randle provided Coleridge-Taylor with a Yoruba drum theme that he used in his Twenty-four Negro Melodies.[3] Her final years were dedicated to the activities of the Ladies' Club, a group of upper-class women in Lagos.[1]
She died in 1920.[1]
See also
- Black British elite, the class that Davies Randle belonged to
- Nigerian aristocracy, the class that Davies Randle's mother belonged to
- Nigerian bourgeoisie, the class that Davies Randle's father belonged to
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Victoria Davies". LitCaf Encyclopedia. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-84954-877-9.
- ISBN 978-1-85109-700-5.