History

The pub is named after Betsey Wynne who bought the Estate in 1798 with her husband Admiral Thomas Fremantle.  Betsey was an adventurous and lively lady who was much loved in the village and played an important role in the development of Swanbourne.  She is equally renown for her record of the time in her extracts in the well known Wynne Diaries.

Betsey's story is remarkable. Her father, Richard Wynne, a friend of Casanova, was a charming and irresponsible rogue. In 1786 he sold his estate in Lincolnshire, and spent the rest of his life travelling with his five daughters including Betsey and an entourage of servants, horses and dogs.  However when the French invaded Italy in 1796, Wynne fled south with his family to Leghorn to seek the protection of the British fleet. The family boarded a frigate commanded by a certain Thomas Fremantle, one of Nelson's trusted 'Band of Brothers'. Betsey, then 18-years-old, immediately fell in love with the young officer, finding his 'fiery black eyes quite captivating'.

Fremantle, however, was more cautious, describing Betsey as 'short', 'not particularly handsome' but otherwise 'a very good humoured sensible dolly'.  Yet Betsey proved more beguiling than Thomas bargained for and her vivacity and tomboy charms finally overcame him. They were married in Naples at the house of the British minister, William Hamilton, whose wife, Emma, later became Nelson's celebrated mistress. Betsey was given away by Prince Augustus, the youngest son of George III.

Betsey proved a good match for Fremantle and enjoyed spending time at sea with him. Within a few months, though, she almost lost both her husband and Lord Nelson. The occasion was an ill-fated attack against the Spanish at Santa Cruz, during which Nelson and Thomas were hit in their right arms by musket balls. Nelson's arm was amputated but Fremantle's limb, wrapped in a poultice, was saved.

"God Bless you and Fremantle" Nelson wrote to Betsey the following day, words which are thought to be the first penned by the now one-armed admiral with his left hand.