Adelaide Lucy Fenton

Adelaide Lucy Fenton (1824 or 1825 – 6 February 1897) was an early female philatelist and philatelic journalist who was among the first to adopt a scientific approach to philately. Fenton has been called "...the first female philatelist of note".

Early life Adelaide was born in 1824 or early 1825, the daughter of Captain James John Fenton of the 44th Regiment. Forbes was bailed but did not appear on the first day of his trial on 11 August 1859.

Philatelic writing From 1863 Miss Fenton became a prolific contributor to The Stamp-Collector's Magazine and The Philatelist and her contributions were noted for their philatelic scholarship. Her first contribution to the Stamp-Collector's Magazine was a letter published on 1 December 1863 titled "The Bahamas Stamp – Yams versus Shells" and her first article was published on 1 June 1864 titled "The Morality of Postage Stamps".

Miss Fenton wrote under several pen names including Herbert Camoens, the name of a Portuguese poet which she chose partly because it also included the name of the Belgian dealer Jean-Baptiste Moens, Bound copies of The Stamp-Collector's Magazine and The Philatelist were presented to Miss Fenton by the editors of those magazines in gratitude for her contributions and they are now in the library of The Royal Philatelic Society London complete with Miss Fenton's marginal notes.

Fall from a horse In 1865 Miss Fenton was involved in a further court case as a plaintiff when she alleged that she was knocked off her horse and injured by a cart which was driven in a reckless manner. The case was unremarkable and Miss Fenton was awarded £20 damages. It was stated during the case that Miss Fenton lived at St.John's Villa, Lower Harley Place, Clifton, Bristol and previously at Presten Villa. She had been riding for twenty years and kept two horses, one for herself and one for her groom. Following the case, Miss Fenton was in bed for a fortnight and on crutches for four weeks. She stated that as a result of her injuries she was unable to ride and unable to walk for more than half an hour. She had also missed out on archery and croquet.

Royal Philatelic Society In 1873 Miss Fenton presented a paper to the Philatelic Society, London, now the Royal Philatelic Society London, on "The Secret Marks on the Stamps of Peru" which was subsequently published in The Stamp Collector's Magazine in January 1874. She subsequently joined the society in 1879 although she remained a member for only one season. Correspondence printed in an article by Ron Negus indicates that Miss Fenton resigned due to "discourtesy" by a society officer.

Death Fenton, who had never married, died on 6 February 1897 at 42 St. John's Villa, Clifton, Bristol. Her effects were disposed of at auction by Messrs. C.H. Tucker & Co. of Bristol on 3 and 4 March 1897 and included several important lots of philatelic literature.