Hon. Mrs. Barbara Elrington Douglas Arbuthnott was born
Sept.12th 1822 into a wealthy Scottish family. Her father,
Sir Neil Douglas, was a Scottish officer
and Lieutenant General in the British Army. Her mother, Barbara
Robertson, was the daughter of a wealthy banker in Edinburgh.
In
her youth, Barbara studied Greek, Latin and German in Brussels and also
learnt Hindi on her travels to the East with her father. She met Queen
Victoria in 1842.
She married James Allen (1846) and gave birth
to her only child, James Douglas Vaughan Allen (1847). Her husband died
of cholera (1853). After her father died (1853), she married Captain
Neil James Fergusson Blair of the Queen’s Life Guards . He died in 1862
and Barbara married her third husband, Hon. William Arbuthnott (1865). He
was son of 8th Viscount of Arbuthnott.
The first journey to
Sunndal, was on their honeymoon the summer of 1866 after William had
been recommended the river Driva for salmon-fishing. They also came back
in 1867 and 1868. Barbara loved the valley, with it’s spectacular
mountains and scenery. She also became fond of the people and helped the
most needy with food and money, for instance when they lost their
belongings due to avalanches, floods or the crops failed. She taught
them hygiene and her medical knowledge came in use. She brought poultry
and swine over from Britain and wrote 2 books on poultry farming. She
learnt to speak Norwegian with help from her dear friend, guide and
translator, Oluf Endresen and also learnt the language by reading books
written by famous Norwegian authors.
Barbara and William
quarrelled more and more, often because of James who had epilepsy and
used it for what it was worth. It is said that William thought he should
join the army like his father and grandfather, but the weakly James just
wanted to compose music and play the piano.
In September 1868
James died after a serious epileptic fit which the rumours said Barbara
accused William to have caused. She buried James here at the “Löken” (Löykja)
graveyard and sent William back to Scotland. She would never leave her
son or the valley she had fallen in love with!
She bought half of
the building “Löken” (Leikvin) where she, her lady-companion Mary
Chalmers, Oluf Endresen, and her other servants lived. Mr Endresen died
young and Lars Hoaas, a young teacher took over his job. Karen Lönset
replaced Mary Chalmers who was now getting old and later died (1876).
Barbara started building their permanent home “Elverhöy” close
to “Löken”. She also built “Alfheim” (1876), a mountain lodge high up in
the valley Grödalen.
Her British bank went bankrupt in 1886. She sold
some of her properties, but bankruptcy and forced sales was not to be
avoided. She lived her last 8 years at “Einabu”, a much smaller house
than she had been used to, built from left-over timber by Lars Hoaas,
friends and neighbours. The people she had helped for so many years, now
paid her back by giving her food and other gifts. They never forgot what
their “Lady” had done for them.
Hon. Mrs. Barbara Elrington
Douglas Arbuthnott died in poverty on Aug 28th 1904, surrounded by her
two loyal servants, Lars Hoaas and Karen Lönset. She was buried here,
beside her loyal servant, Mary Chalmers and her beloved son, James.
Every year, since 1996, the community have performed a historical
musical about her life in Sunndalsöra.
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