Hidden Histories: reviewing ‘The Chevalière d’Éon Sword’ with our trans community

I was granted the fantastic opportunity to delve into the history of her fascinating and prestigious life thanks to Luna Morgana, Kit Heyam, and Kit Day in collaboration with Trans Leeds, Non-Binary Leeds, the Royal Armouries Museum, LEEDS 2023, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

On April 5th, 2022, I went to the special collections at University of Leeds library with Luna Morgana and Kit Heyam to view a collection of 18th-century letters, documents and articles written by, of, and to la Chevalière d’Éon. Interacting with the physical artefacts and witnessing the research of such an incredible figure in history was phenomenal. Even the minutiae of such artefacts – the crumbling wax seals she had opened herself, the ancient ink in her handwriting, the names of her friends – was surreal; I was in such proximity to someone who not only died 212 years ago but was also a brilliantly prestigious historical figure. The reverence I felt as a person living in the 21st century was even more powerful from the perspective of our shared trans identity.

On May 7th, 2022, I attended the Sword d’Éon tour and “zine” workshop at the Royal Armouries Museum. We were taken on a dedicated tour of objects in the Royal Armouries’ collection relating to the life of la Chevalière d’Éon and trans history, took part in a workshop to create a “zine” detailing the illustrious story of her life and even got to view the sword she gifted to her friend George Keate in 1777.

The day was imbued with compassionate care for the local trans community as we all came together to enjoy fun and fascinating trans history. We were shown a selection of artefacts that represented gender and gender-nonconformity throughout history paired with talks from museum staff outlining the objects’ prominence and symbolism to reflect on, sparking a deep understanding and connection for the attendees who otherwise may have lacked such an engaging and tailored experience during museum tours. Each attendee got to contribute to the “zine” during the workshop in any creative way they felt – another unique and exciting way of encouraging everyone to feel a part of their own history by submitting something of their own creation that represented their individual experience and newfound knowledge.

To explore our history and stories of important figures sharing our trans identities is such a powerful and important experience for the trans community. We are deserving of acknowledgement and empowerment for our history, to know that we have always existed, lived exuberant lives, and have made important contributions to society. This is something that should be brought to the attention of wider society, and the tour and workshop proved that our history deserves its place in the cultural firmament.

Ezekiel Foster-Eardley

Ezekiel Foster-Eardley is a 21 year old nonbinary writer from Leeds. They specialise in free verse poetry, prose and flash fiction. He studies creative writing at Leeds Arts University and is inspired by identity, postmodernism, obscurity, divinity and death.