3. Sir Stamford Raffles and Olivia Mariamne Devenish
Olivia Mariamne Devenish was Sir Stamford Raffles’ first wife. The pair reportedly met when Olivia was seeking her widow’s pension at the East India Company Secretary’s Office in London where a young Stamford Raffles worked.
Despite being ten years older than him, Olivia and Raffles got married a mere six months after they first met, in 1804. Six days after the wedding, Raffles was posted to Penang.
Olivia stayed with him throughout his post. Malay historian Munshi Abdullah even went so far as to say that, “she did the duty of her husband; indeed it was she that taught him”. She remained in Asia with him till her death in 1814.
