Anna Maria (Horwood) Falconbridge (1769-1835), was the first English woman to give a narrative account of experiences on the African continent.
[2] During Anna Maria's first trip to Africa, she visited a slave-trading fort, Bunce Island, in the Sierra Leone River.
He would not allow his wife to stay with the traders on Bance Island but insisted she live on a small boat, although Anna Maria accompanied Mr. Falconbridge on some of his visits to the main land.
Falconbridge was appointed commercial agent, leaving his small medical practice for the good salary offered by the Sierra Leone Company (SLC).
Hundreds died because there was no shelter for them when they arrived, but Anna Maria kept her health and continued to write, becoming ill for just a short time.
Once in London Anna Maria demanded from the directors of the Sierra Leone Company money she claimed was owed to her late husband.