The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty (78 page)
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Authors: Caroline Alexander
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The fulsome obituary of Elizabeth Bligh was published in
Gentleman’s Magazine,
May 1812, pp. 486-87.
Gentleman’s Magazine,
May 1812, pp. 486-87.
Material relating to John Fryer’s later years is found in the National Library of Australia, and is quoted with the library’s kind permission; see the “Statement of service of John Fryer, recorded by one of his children,” NLA MS 6592. Adm. 1/4585 contains Fryer’s petition to the Admiralty, while Adm. 1/4593 contains his daughter’s petition to the same. “The Naval Service of John Fryer, Master in His Majesty’s Navy 1781-1817,” compiled by Owen Rutter in 1932, quotes both letters of commendation and the surgeon’s report made on Fryer when he was forced from ill health to retire his command. Rutter’s useful fact sheet is found in the Mitchell Library, as a preface to John Fryer’s “Narrative, letter to his wife and documents. 4 April 1789-16 July 1804,” ML, Safe 1/38; this also includes information about Fryer’s son, Harrison. An article in the
Eastern Daily Press
(Norfolk), October 13, 2000, pp. 30-31, describes the exciting discovery of Fryer’s tombstone by Mike Welland, Tom Sands, and Allan Leventhall in the graveyard of St. Nicholas Church, Wells. Information about John Fryer’s cottage and other property was kindly supplied by Mike Welland. Details of John Fryer’s will are found in Owen Rutter, ed.,
The Voyage of the Bounty’s Launch as Related in William Bligh’s Despatch to the Admiralty and the Journal of John Fryer
(London, 1934).
Eastern Daily Press
(Norfolk), October 13, 2000, pp. 30-31, describes the exciting discovery of Fryer’s tombstone by Mike Welland, Tom Sands, and Allan Leventhall in the graveyard of St. Nicholas Church, Wells. Information about John Fryer’s cottage and other property was kindly supplied by Mike Welland. Details of John Fryer’s will are found in Owen Rutter, ed.,
The Voyage of the Bounty’s Launch as Related in William Bligh’s Despatch to the Admiralty and the Journal of John Fryer
(London, 1934).
Robert Tinkler’s obituary appeared in
Gentleman’s Magazine,
September 1820, p. 282. The remarks attributed to Tinkler are found in George Borrow,
The Romany Rye; A sequel to “Lavengro,”
vol. 2 (London, 1857), pp. 331-32.
Gentleman’s Magazine,
September 1820, p. 282. The remarks attributed to Tinkler are found in George Borrow,
The Romany Rye; A sequel to “Lavengro,”
vol. 2 (London, 1857), pp. 331-32.
Joseph Coleman’s hospital records are found in Adm. 73/38, which shows him being discharged from Greenwich in May 1795. Coleman’s service on the
Calcutta
is confirmed by Adm. 35/298; Adm. 142/3, “Register of Seamen’s Wills,” shows his will was drawn on the
Calcutta,
while Adm. 48/15 shows it was witnessed by William Bligh. Adm. 35/524 indicates that he was discharged to the Yarmouth Hospital Ship in November 1796, although his name does not appear in the Yarmouth muster.
Calcutta
is confirmed by Adm. 35/298; Adm. 142/3, “Register of Seamen’s Wills,” shows his will was drawn on the
Calcutta,
while Adm. 48/15 shows it was witnessed by William Bligh. Adm. 35/524 indicates that he was discharged to the Yarmouth Hospital Ship in November 1796, although his name does not appear in the Yarmouth muster.
Bligh’s last interaction with Michael Byrn is glimpsed in his correspondence with his half nephew, Francis Bond, preserved in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (BND/1), and published in George Mackaness, ed.,
Fresh Light on Bligh: Being Some Unpublished Correspondence of Captain William Bligh, R.N., and Lieutenant Francis Godolphin Bond, R.N., with Lieutenant Bond’s Manuscript Notes Made on the Voyage of HMS Providence, 1791-1795
(Sydney, 1953). Adm. 102/606 and 102/608 show Byrn in and out of the
Edgar
with a fractured knee, until he is eventually discharged in January 1797 with “Consumption.”
Fresh Light on Bligh: Being Some Unpublished Correspondence of Captain William Bligh, R.N., and Lieutenant Francis Godolphin Bond, R.N., with Lieutenant Bond’s Manuscript Notes Made on the Voyage of HMS Providence, 1791-1795
(Sydney, 1953). Adm. 102/606 and 102/608 show Byrn in and out of the
Edgar
with a fractured knee, until he is eventually discharged in January 1797 with “Consumption.”
Mention is made by Bligh of a John Smith in a letter to his wife of January 27, 1800 (cited with the kind permission of the Kerpels Museum, Santa Barbara).
Captain Edwards’s retirement activities are described in Robert Langdon, “Ancient Cornish Inn Is Link with the Bounty,”
Pacific Islands Monthly
(April 1961), pp. 75-76.
Pacific Islands Monthly
(April 1961), pp. 75-76.
Several important biographies relate Peter Heywood’s later life and career: John Marshall, “Peter Heywood, Esq.,”
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 2, part 2 (London, 1825), pp. 747- 97; E. Tagart,
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood, R.N., with Extracts from his Diaries and Correspondence
(London, 1832); and A. G. K. L’Estrange,
Lady Belcher and Friends
(London, 1891); the latter describes the relationship of Peter’s wife to Aaron Graham, and attributes Peter’s fondness for Edward Belcher to their shared interests. Heywood’s hydrographic career is discussed in Andrew David, “From Mutineer to Hydrographer: The Surveying Career of Peter Heywood,”
International Hydrographic Review
3, no. 2 (New Series) (August 2002), pp. 6-11; and also by A. C. F. David, “Peter Heywood and Northwest Australia,”
The Great Circle: Journal of the Australian Association of Maritime History
1, no. 1 (April 1979), pp. 4-14, both kindly supplied by the author. From the latter one learns that Heywood carried a chart of these waters drawn by his former shipmate Thomas Hayward.
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 2, part 2 (London, 1825), pp. 747- 97; E. Tagart,
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood, R.N., with Extracts from his Diaries and Correspondence
(London, 1832); and A. G. K. L’Estrange,
Lady Belcher and Friends
(London, 1891); the latter describes the relationship of Peter’s wife to Aaron Graham, and attributes Peter’s fondness for Edward Belcher to their shared interests. Heywood’s hydrographic career is discussed in Andrew David, “From Mutineer to Hydrographer: The Surveying Career of Peter Heywood,”
International Hydrographic Review
3, no. 2 (New Series) (August 2002), pp. 6-11; and also by A. C. F. David, “Peter Heywood and Northwest Australia,”
The Great Circle: Journal of the Australian Association of Maritime History
1, no. 1 (April 1979), pp. 4-14, both kindly supplied by the author. From the latter one learns that Heywood carried a chart of these waters drawn by his former shipmate Thomas Hayward.
Nessy Heywood’s fate is described first by Nessy’s mother, quoted in Tagart (above), p. 160, and embellished by Sir John Barrow,
The Eventful History of the Mutiny and Piratical Seizure of HMS Bounty; its Causes and Consequences
(London, 1831), pp. 210 ff.; and again by Lady Diana Belcher,
The Mutineers of the Bounty and their Descendants in Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands
(London, 1870), p. 141.
The Eventful History of the Mutiny and Piratical Seizure of HMS Bounty; its Causes and Consequences
(London, 1831), pp. 210 ff.; and again by Lady Diana Belcher,
The Mutineers of the Bounty and their Descendants in Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands
(London, 1870), p. 141.
Peter Heywood’s letter to Captain Jeff Raigersfield of November 24, 1808, about Nessy’s poems, is found in MNHL MS Heywood Papers, 09519; the flight of James Heywood from the Isle of Man is attested to in MNHL MS AP x5(2nd)-18ADM; both are used with the kind permission of the Manx National Heritage. Adm. 106/1353 is the petition of James Heywood written to the Admiralty from prison for an advance of wages; Adm. 36/11467, the muster of the
Caesar,
Captain Nugent, confirms details in the petition.
Caesar,
Captain Nugent, confirms details in the petition.
The fate of Emma Bertie is told in the Musters’ family memoir in the Norfolk Record Office: HMN5/235/5.
Peter Heywood’s 1810 handwritten “last will and testament” is found in MNHL MS MD 400, and is used with the kind permission of the Manx National Heritage; Adm. 52/4196, the log of the
Nereus,
gives details of the day on which the will was drafted. John Makin’s profession is listed in
Kent’s Directory, For the Year 1794. Cities of London and Westminster, & Borough of Southwark,
available at
www.londonancestor.com/kents/kents-m.htm
.
Nereus,
gives details of the day on which the will was drafted. John Makin’s profession is listed in
Kent’s Directory, For the Year 1794. Cities of London and Westminster, & Borough of Southwark,
available at
www.londonancestor.com/kents/kents-m.htm
.
Aaron Graham’s obituary is found in
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(1820), pp. 402-22. The story of Aaron Graham, his wife, Sarah, and her first cousin Sir Henry Tempest, although a wild digression, is too diverting to pass over. Sir Henry, having squandered his own meager fortune, set his sights upon Susannah Pritchard Lambert, the only daughter and heiress of Henry Lambert of Hope End, Hereford. Disguising himself as a female gypsy, Sir Henry met with the impressionable girl on her village green and told her that she would meet her future husband if she went at a certain hour to Colwall Church. This she did, where she met Sir Henry, now in his own guise. The subsequent marriage placed all the young woman’s property in her husband’s hands, and Sir Henry was shortly to turn both his wife and father-in-law out of their homes, while he assumed the Lambert estate. Following the court-martial, Nessy Heywood had been caught up in a whirl of social activity, and one finds her writing giddily of her recent visit to Lady Tempest, “a charming girl about my own age.” The dynamics of the dark drama being played out beneath her nose apparently entirely escaped her. Lady Tempest was eventually disowned by her dispossessed father and toward the end of her short life could be found wandering forlornly and destitute up the Holloway Road. Her death was the origin of a local legend of the “ghost of Holloway.”
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(1820), pp. 402-22. The story of Aaron Graham, his wife, Sarah, and her first cousin Sir Henry Tempest, although a wild digression, is too diverting to pass over. Sir Henry, having squandered his own meager fortune, set his sights upon Susannah Pritchard Lambert, the only daughter and heiress of Henry Lambert of Hope End, Hereford. Disguising himself as a female gypsy, Sir Henry met with the impressionable girl on her village green and told her that she would meet her future husband if she went at a certain hour to Colwall Church. This she did, where she met Sir Henry, now in his own guise. The subsequent marriage placed all the young woman’s property in her husband’s hands, and Sir Henry was shortly to turn both his wife and father-in-law out of their homes, while he assumed the Lambert estate. Following the court-martial, Nessy Heywood had been caught up in a whirl of social activity, and one finds her writing giddily of her recent visit to Lady Tempest, “a charming girl about my own age.” The dynamics of the dark drama being played out beneath her nose apparently entirely escaped her. Lady Tempest was eventually disowned by her dispossessed father and toward the end of her short life could be found wandering forlornly and destitute up the Holloway Road. Her death was the origin of a local legend of the “ghost of Holloway.”
Graham appears to have remained on good terms with his errant wife after she left him for Sir Henry, for he spoke warmly of her in his will, and left her his estate (PROB 11/1612, 167r-169l), as did Sir Henry (PROB 11/1613, 386l-389r). Regrettably, nothing more is known of this intriguing woman. Material relating to the life of Sir Henry was kindly provided by H. R. Tempest, and by the Hereford Record Office (Documents AE33/2; AE33/3; E27/1). I am particularly grateful to John Harnden for digging into Sir Henry’s unsavory life. Hope End was sold in 1809 to the Moulton-Barretts, formerly of Jamaica and the parents of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who evokes the estate in her poem “The Lost Bower.” The Moulton-Barretts eventually sold Hope End to antiquary Thomas Heywood.
Banks’s final years and excerpts from his will are described in Patrick O’Brian,
Joseph Banks: A Life
(Chicago, 1997), pp. 303ff. “[T]o leave Joseph Banks on his deathbed, with the usual remarks about his will and his funeral, and extracts from the obituaries, would not only be sad but also misleading,” O’Brian writes. “[T]here was such a fund of life there, such a zest and eager intelligent curiosity that no one who has dwelt with him long enough to write even a very small biography can leave him without wishing to show him in his vigour.”
Joseph Banks: A Life
(Chicago, 1997), pp. 303ff. “[T]o leave Joseph Banks on his deathbed, with the usual remarks about his will and his funeral, and extracts from the obituaries, would not only be sad but also misleading,” O’Brian writes. “[T]here was such a fund of life there, such a zest and eager intelligent curiosity that no one who has dwelt with him long enough to write even a very small biography can leave him without wishing to show him in his vigour.”
Peter Heywood’s letter to James Clark Ross, January 25, 1829, is found in the National Library of Scotland, MS 9819, ff. 160-61r, and is quoted with their kind permission. Heywood’s notation of secret signals is found in “Seven Official orders received and given by Captain P. Heywood. 1810-1815,” in ATL, MS 56/068, and is quoted with the library’s kind permission.
Coleridge’s comments about the Duchess of St. Albans, his neighbor, are found in Earl Leslie Griggs, ed.,
Collected Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
vol. 6, 1826-1834 (Oxford, 1971), p. 468. The comment by Heywood’s stepdaughter on Coleridge is in L’Estrange,
Lady Belcher and Friends,
p. 70.
Collected Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
vol. 6, 1826-1834 (Oxford, 1971), p. 468. The comment by Heywood’s stepdaughter on Coleridge is in L’Estrange,
Lady Belcher and Friends,
p. 70.
For a summation of Edward Belcher’s career, see the
Dictionary of National Biography
(London, 1917); and Alfred Friendly,
Beaufort of the Admiralty: The Life of Sir Francis Beaufort, 1774-1857
(London, 1977), p. 257. The quote regarding life on the ice being preferable to life with Belcher is from Fergus Fleming’s
Barrow’s Boys
(New York, 1998), p. 391. The sentiment that Belcher was an agent of the devil is found in Christopher Lloyd,
Mr. Barrow of the Admiralty
(London, 1970), p. 200. Edward Belcher was also the first cousin of Captain Frederick Marryat, the author of the celebrated series of sea novels (L’Estrange,
Lady Belcher and Friends,
pp. 100ff.).
Dictionary of National Biography
(London, 1917); and Alfred Friendly,
Beaufort of the Admiralty: The Life of Sir Francis Beaufort, 1774-1857
(London, 1977), p. 257. The quote regarding life on the ice being preferable to life with Belcher is from Fergus Fleming’s
Barrow’s Boys
(New York, 1998), p. 391. The sentiment that Belcher was an agent of the devil is found in Christopher Lloyd,
Mr. Barrow of the Admiralty
(London, 1970), p. 200. Edward Belcher was also the first cousin of Captain Frederick Marryat, the author of the celebrated series of sea novels (L’Estrange,
Lady Belcher and Friends,
pp. 100ff.).
The astonishing divorce case of
Belcher v. Belcher,
a great document of social history of the time, is found in Joseph Phillimore and Sir Robert J. Phillimore,
A Report of the Judgment Delivered on the Sixth Day of June, 1835 by Joseph Phillimore, In the Cause of Belcher, the Wife, against Belcher, the Husband
(London, 1835). This also contains correspondence between husband and wife relating to Peter Heywood. I am enormously indebted to Terry Martin for drawing my attention to this, and for the loan of his working manuscript, “There Rises Something Bitter: The Poisoned Marriage of Edward and Diana Belcher, 1830-1835.”
Belcher v. Belcher,
a great document of social history of the time, is found in Joseph Phillimore and Sir Robert J. Phillimore,
A Report of the Judgment Delivered on the Sixth Day of June, 1835 by Joseph Phillimore, In the Cause of Belcher, the Wife, against Belcher, the Husband
(London, 1835). This also contains correspondence between husband and wife relating to Peter Heywood. I am enormously indebted to Terry Martin for drawing my attention to this, and for the loan of his working manuscript, “There Rises Something Bitter: The Poisoned Marriage of Edward and Diana Belcher, 1830-1835.”
Belcher’s log of the
Blossom,
“Private Journal and remarks etc. H.M. Ship Blossom on discovery during the years 1825, 6, 7 Captn. F. W. Beechey Commander, by Edward Belcher, Supy. Lieut. & Assistant Surveyor,” MS-0158, is quoted with the kind permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Blossom,
“Private Journal and remarks etc. H.M. Ship Blossom on discovery during the years 1825, 6, 7 Captn. F. W. Beechey Commander, by Edward Belcher, Supy. Lieut. & Assistant Surveyor,” MS-0158, is quoted with the kind permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Heywood’s intercession for the Tahitians is found in Captains Letters “H,” Adm. 1/1953. His letter regarding the Tahitians is quoted in Tagart,
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood,
pp. 285ff.
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood,
pp. 285ff.
For Heywood’s last months and his death, see Diana Belcher’s letters of October 20 and 22, 1830, in Phillimore and Phillimore,
Report of the Judgment.
For a description of the burial and vault of Coleridge, see “Appendix A: The Death and Burial of Coleridge,” in Griggs,
Collected Letters,
vol. 6, pp. 991-97. Heywood’s vault is described in John Richardson,
Highgate: Its History Since the Fifteenth Century
(Hertfordshire, 1983), p. 109.
Report of the Judgment.
For a description of the burial and vault of Coleridge, see “Appendix A: The Death and Burial of Coleridge,” in Griggs,
Collected Letters,
vol. 6, pp. 991-97. Heywood’s vault is described in John Richardson,
Highgate: Its History Since the Fifteenth Century
(Hertfordshire, 1983), p. 109.
Peter’s remarks on the role of George Stewart were published in Barrow,
Eventful History of the Mutiny,
p. 85; the rumor of Christian’s return is found at pp. 233 ff.
Eventful History of the Mutiny,
p. 85; the rumor of Christian’s return is found at pp. 233 ff.
The earliest spurious pamphlet is
Letters From Mr. Fletcher Christian, Containing a Narrative of the Transactions on Board His Majesty’s Ship Bounty, Before and After the Mutiny, With His Subsequent Voyages and Travels in South America
(London, 1796). This was reviewed in the
True Briton,
September 13, 1796; the same newspaper then disavowed the letters in a retraction published on September 23, 1796.
Letters From Mr. Fletcher Christian, Containing a Narrative of the Transactions on Board His Majesty’s Ship Bounty, Before and After the Mutiny, With His Subsequent Voyages and Travels in South America
(London, 1796). This was reviewed in the
True Briton,
September 13, 1796; the same newspaper then disavowed the letters in a retraction published on September 23, 1796.
Bligh’s comments to Banks about Christian in a letter of September 16, 1796, are in SLNSW: the Sir Joseph Banks Electronic Archive, 58.09. Wordsworth’s letter appeared in
The Weekly Entertainer,
November 1796, p. 377.
The Weekly Entertainer,
November 1796, p. 377.
For the later spurious account, see
Statements of the Loss of His Majesty’s New Ship The Bounty, W. Bligh, Esq. Commander, By a Conspiracy of the Crew . . . “As communicated by Lieutenant Christian, the Ringleader, to a Relation in England”
(London, c. 1809). Heywood’s reaction to the news is recorded in Tagart,
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood,
p. 288.
Statements of the Loss of His Majesty’s New Ship The Bounty, W. Bligh, Esq. Commander, By a Conspiracy of the Crew . . . “As communicated by Lieutenant Christian, the Ringleader, to a Relation in England”
(London, c. 1809). Heywood’s reaction to the news is recorded in Tagart,
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood,
p. 288.
Lebogue’s report that Edward Christian inquired after the possibility of his brother’s return is found in William Bligh,
An Answer to Certain Assertions . . .
(London, 1794), p. 26.
An Answer to Certain Assertions . . .
(London, 1794), p. 26.
The remarkable letters regarding Fletcher Christian’s return can be found in Kenneth Curry, ed.,
New Letters of Robert Southey,
vol. 1,
1792-1810
(New York, 1965), pp. 519 ff. Curry draws attention to the letters in both his preface and in a footnote, noting that this sighting would place the mutineer’s return to England much earlier than was usually rumored. Curry also draws attention to C. S. Wilkinson’s
The Wake of the Bounty
(London, 1953), which first examined the story of Christian’s return and posits the conspiracy theory that Wordsworth and Coleridge were complicit in this return—a theory untenable for the simple reason that Coleridge would not have been capable of holding such a secret. Despite the fact that Curry assiduously drew attention to the letters, they seem to have fallen beneath the radar of
Bounty
researchers.The letters are in the Bodleian Library, Oxford University (Robert Southey to Grosvenor Charles Bedford, October 23, 1809, MS Eng. lett. c. 24, fols. 120-121, and October 30, 1809, MS Eng. lett. c. 24, fol. 122), and are quoted with its kind permission.
New Letters of Robert Southey,
vol. 1,
1792-1810
(New York, 1965), pp. 519 ff. Curry draws attention to the letters in both his preface and in a footnote, noting that this sighting would place the mutineer’s return to England much earlier than was usually rumored. Curry also draws attention to C. S. Wilkinson’s
The Wake of the Bounty
(London, 1953), which first examined the story of Christian’s return and posits the conspiracy theory that Wordsworth and Coleridge were complicit in this return—a theory untenable for the simple reason that Coleridge would not have been capable of holding such a secret. Despite the fact that Curry assiduously drew attention to the letters, they seem to have fallen beneath the radar of
Bounty
researchers.The letters are in the Bodleian Library, Oxford University (Robert Southey to Grosvenor Charles Bedford, October 23, 1809, MS Eng. lett. c. 24, fols. 120-121, and October 30, 1809, MS Eng. lett. c. 24, fol. 122), and are quoted with its kind permission.
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