Lucy Weguelin

Lucy Weguelin (Brighton, 27 October 1839 – Bath, 1932), more commonly known as Lady Smith, was an immigrant in the "English colony"[1] in Bruges, Belgium.

[2] However, her questionable activities and scandalous behavior in Bruges caused quite a stir and significantly contributed to the decision to transfer the poet to Courtrai.

Bishop Faict forbade further contact with the Smiths and transferred the priest to Coutrai in September 1872.

In early July 1881, they were evicted from their residence by the Bruges court due to unpaid rent.

After furnishing her house and living on credit for several months, she disappeared suddenly without repaying her outstanding debts.

Weguelin and her husband Ernest Smith exchanged letters with the poet Guido Gezelle.

The scandalous aura surrounding Lady Smith became entangled with another set of rumors concerning foreign women in Bruges.

This led to speculations about the conduct of priests in Bruges, which political adversaries and novelists were eager to exploit.