When it comes to the most potent female characters of Bridgerton Season 3, there are plenty I could point out. However, I know we’re all probably thinking about the same one – and that’s Lady Danbury. It turns out that Adjoa Andoh, the actress behind her, had a say in Danbury’s given name in the show – and how it relates to the powerful women of earlier centuries.
If you were ever interested in Lady Danbury’s origins and how she and the other women of Bridgerton are influenced by real-life figures, this is the story for you.
The Story Surrounding ‘Soma’
There are so many iconic women in Bridgerton. We could talk about the matron Violet Bridgerton and her enthralling new romance, or we could bring up the excellent Penelope as Lady Whistledown (and her special romance with Colin). Heck, we could even bring up the queen herself, as she was so popular she spawned a prequel series with the great Queen Charlotte cast.
However, I don’t think there’s another character in Bridgerton that is more influential than Lady Danbury. I had the chance to speak to Adjoa Andoh regarding her time as the character, and she revealed an exciting connection between her and Lady Danbury’s origins in Sierra Leone (a country in West Africa), as well as how it relates to the “powerful” women that we don’t get the chance to know about:
Knowledge is power. I think, as women, we don’t know about the women who were powerful in this period, and there were many. But we didn’t write the history, so we don’t get to know them. So for example, Lady Danbury’s given name, which is a very African tradition, it’s part of my family’s tradition. My name is Adjoa – it just means fancy girl, born on a Monday. We have given names. ‘Soma’ is the given name of Lady Danbury. I had chats with Shonda [Rimes] about it when she decided she wanted that character to come from Sierra Leone. I did some research, and I found a military general who advised the chief, a woman from the largest tribe in that area, the Mende Tribe, who was called Soma. I said, ‘I’m going to have that name.’ So for anybody who was vaguely curious and wanted to know where that name’s from, Soma, we heard that being discussed in Queen Charlotte from our Soma’s young version. They could go and do some research and find out there were military general strategist advisors who were women in West Africa.
Soma, born Madam Yoko, was a leader of the Kpa Mende Confederacy during the 1800s and was formally recognized by the British as a Paramount Chief, which only adds more significance to the story of how Lady Danbury — a mighty figure in Bridgerton – gained her name.
How Real-Life Powerful Regency-Era Women Influenced Bridgerton
Bridgerton itself has plenty of great stories, some of which we have covered already. Like Kate and Anthony (although we believe they’re getting written out), Simon and Daphne, and more, including the ones we are bound to get in Bridgerton Season 4. However, nothing has captured my interest more than Lady Danbury and how she somehow is able to move so many chess pieces on the board of the Ton while also remaining an influential figure.
The Bridgerton actress also talked about this, saying that many of the characters were obviously inspired by real-life women who were powerful of the “Regency Era,” like Queen Charlotte herself:
Similarly, there were mighty powerful women in the Regency Era as well. Queen Charlotte shifted the dial on so many things culturally in our [London] country. There were women novelists at that time. Eloise goes off and she’s reading novels by women of the period. So I think what I like about Lady Danbury is she’s sort of representing that alternative side of history that we don’t often get to know about, which is dynamic strategic women owning their own power and making their own destiny, and most importantly to me, supporting other women.
Andoh commented that Lady Danbury may be considered a matchmaker, but in reality, she is also using her influence and power to help other women avoid the same mistakes she has made in the past:
We may talk about Old Lady Danbury, she’s a matchmaker and she’s meddling. No, she’s protecting women. She had a domestically abusive marriage. You will always see her going, ‘Is that the right person for you? Because he’s going to have all the power over you, so you need to have someone who’s going to cheer you on and let you flourish and be the whole of who you are.’
Truthfully, a part of me is still waiting for Lady Danbury to get her romance and have some light shone on her in a different way. But honestly, I’m happy just watching her be the powerful and influential woman that she is on this show – for this season and many more to come.
In a show that addresses the notion that women have often been reduced to the fancy Bridgerton dresses that they wear or their place in society, Lady Danbury is a shining light amongst it all – and I can’t wait to see what she – and Adjoa Andoh – does next.
To go back and watch Adjoa Andoh in the first three seasons of Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte, you can stream them with a Netflix subscription.
