Caroline Bressey, 'Of Africa's brightest ornaments: a short biography of Sarah Forbes Bonetta', Social & Cultural Geography, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2005

Olukoju, Akyeampong, Bates, Nunn, & Robinson (2014). Africa's Development in Historical Perspective. Cambridge University Press. pp.218–219. ISBN 9781139992695. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link)Born in 1843 in Oke-Odan, an Egbado Yoruba village in West Africa, Bonetta was originally named Aina (or Ina). Her village had recently become independent from the Oyo Empire (modern-day southwestern Nigeria) after its collapse. Her final years were dedicated to the activities of the Ladies’ Club, a group of upper-class women in Lagos. L. C. Gwam (1967). Great Nigerians: First Series. 1. Times Press. p. 40 . https://books.google.com/?id=5rsMAQAAIAAJ&q=Catherine+Kofoworola+Raffle&dq=Catherine+Kofoworola+Raffle. This display was part of Autograph ABP’s The Missing Chapter, an ongoing archive research programme supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Autograph ABP is a London-based arts charity that works internationally in photography and film, race, representation, cultural identity and human rights.

Herskovits Kopytoff, Jean. A preface to modern Nigeria: the "Sierra Leonians" in Yoruba, 1830-1890.. University of Wisconsin Press, 1965.. p. 244. Smith, Robert (1 January 1979). The Lagos Consulate 1851–1861. Macmillan. p.27. ISBN 9780520037465. Some months after their arrival in England, Forbes presented Sarah to Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle. The queen described Sarah in her journal entry for 9 November 1850, the date of their first meeting: Davies entered the Church Missionary Society (CMS) Grammar School, (now known as Sierra Leone Grammar School), in Freetown in 1848, where he studied mathematics, Greek, biblical and English history, geography, music and Latin. After completing his secondary education, he became a teacher with the CMS in Freetown. After his stint as a teacher Davies enlisted as a cadet with the British Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron, and served on HMS Volcano under Commander Robert Coote where he was trained in navigation and seamanship. Davies progressed from cadet to midshipman and eventually lieutenant.

6. She had three children

Herskovits Kopytoff, Jean (1965). A Preface to Modern Nigeria: the "Sierra Leonians" in Yoruba, 1830-1890. University of Wisconsin Press. p.286. I love to move, to leap, to float …well, just let the spirit seize me at the sound of drums or music.’

Gordon, Naomi (20 December 2017). "Victoria creator "challenging" perspectives of the era". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021 . Retrieved 7 October 2020. But while Sarah clearly held a special place in Victoria's heart, she wasn't the surrogate daughter many dramatized accounts have made her out to be. "Victoria did not consider Sarah as 'family' — this a myth perpetuated by people who want to invest more significance in the relationship than there really was," Rappaport says. "The queen certainly was fond of and indulged Sarah but she did not take her into the bosom of the royal family and she did not live with the royal family at Windsor as some sources suggest (notably the ITV "Victoria" series). A lot of the official correspondence relating to Sarah's care was carried out by Mrs. Harriet Phipps, the wife of the Queen's Keeper of the Privy Purse, Sir Charles Phipps, who would have dealt with any monies paid to support Sarah's upkeep, etc. There is virtually nothing relating to firsthand exchanges between the Queen and Sarah directly, though it is known that Sarah did write to her." As Davies’s business was in Africa, not long after the wedding the couple moved to Sierra Leone, and later to Lagos. They named their first daughter Victoria (born in 1863) after the queen, who became her godmother. In December 1867 Sarah presented the child to her royal namesake, and when Victoria was christened the queen sent her a gold cup, salver, knife, fork and spoon.Queen Victoria] gave constant proofs of her kindly interest in her. At the Midsummer and Christmas seasons she often went either to Windsor or Osborne to stay in the family of one of the officers of Her Majesty’s Household, and was frequently sent for by the Queen to see her privately. Her daughter Victoria was given an annuity by the Queen and she continued to visit the royal household throughout her life. In his journal Captain Forbes gave an account of his mission with relation to Miss Bonetta. Personal life and marriages [ edit ] A portrait of James Pinson Labulo Davies and Sara Forbes Bonetta, photographed in London in 1862 Also figures like Captain Labulo Davies, Henry Carr, the inspector of schools of the Colony of Lagos who favoured assimilation with White Lagosians; Otunba Payne, the chief registrar of Lagos Supreme Court in 1877 who prepared the indigenous handbook for white judges to use, became blotted out from the history books once anti-colonial discourse took firm root. And slaveholders and beheaders like Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi were resurrected as heroes.

Elebute, Adeyemo (2013). The Life of James Pinson Labulo Davies: A Colossus of Victorian Lagos. Kachifo Limited/Prestige. p. 234. ISBN 9789785205763. Captain Forbes initially intended to raise Bonetta himself. He gave her the name Forbes, as well as that of his ship, the ‘Bonetta’. On the journey to England upon the ship, she reportedly became a favourite of the crew, who called her Sally. 3. She was educated between Africa and England Davies was also a close associate and friend of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther. Both men collaborated on a couple of Lagos social initiatives such as the opening of The Academy (a social and cultural center for public enlightenment) on October 24, 1866 with Bishop Crowther as the first patron and Davies as its first president. It is usual to reserve the best born for the high behest of royalty and the immolation on the tombs of the diseased nobility. For one of these ends she had been detained at court for two years: proving, by her not having been sold to slave dealer, that she was of a good family.Anim-Addo, Joan (2015). "Bonetta [married name Davies], (Ina) Sarah Forbes [Sally] (C. 1843–1880), Queen Victoria's ward". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (onlineed.). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/75453. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) Olukoju, Akyeampong, Bates, Nunn, & Robinson. Africa's Development in Historical Perspective. Cambridge University Press, 2014. pp. 218–219. ISBN 9781139992695. Joan Anim-Addo, ' Bonetta [married name Davies], (Ina) Sarah Forbes [Sally]', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2015 Uwechue, Raph (1991). Makers of Modern Africa. University of Michigan (Africa Books Limited). p.181. ISBN 9780903274180. As far as I'm aware, the first person to plant cocoa on the main-land was the late Capt. J.P.L. Davies, a well known native of Lagos, who in 1882 used to tell me about the farm he had lately just made beyond the Protectorate of Lagos. [13] Philanthropy and establishment of CMS Grammar School [ edit ]