Revolt at the Royal Hospital School, Greenwich 1840

The buildings that today house the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich Park previously housed a school to train boys for the Navy, as well as at times girls for domestic service. The Royal Hospital School had its origins in the early 18th century and from the beginning of the 19th century the Queens House in Greenwich was converted for boarding school use, with other buildings being added later. It continued there until 1933, with the buildings being transferred to the new museum trust in the following year.

In a remarkable episode in 1840 pupils at the school absconded en masse and fought with police trying to recapture them, seemingly in protest against harsh conditions there.

'Revolt in the Royal Naval School, Greenwich Asylum'

  (Kentish Gazette, 22 September 1840)

'For several days past a spirit of insubordination has manifested itself amongst the boys of this Institution, and although there has not been any decided outbreak on the part of the boys in the Upper School they evidently sympathise with those of the Lower School, in which there are four hundred sons of British tars clothed, fed, and educated.

On Friday last four of these youngsters scaled the wall into the Park and had proceeded on

their way to Portsmouth as far as Kingston-upon-Thames, where they were apprehended by the police and brought back in a chaise to Greenwich on Saturday morning, and arrived in the Asylum yard at the time the boys were returning from breakfast. The policeman had no sooner delivered them over to the mate when they made their escape into the midst of their comrades and were soon lost sight of.

The boys, generally, commenced pelting the officer with a volley of stones, and the four refractory urchins again made there escape over the walls. Several others, in the course of the day, followed their example, and deserted the Asylum. On two of them being taken in by a police constable, he was severely pelted, and considerably hurt in consequence.

Walker, another experienced and powerful constable, apprehended two of the runaways, and on delivering them at the school, where he conceived that he should be received with all due deference, the boys began to pelt him with stones, at the  same time using the most gross and improper language. He said there were some stonemasons at work in the grounds, who were obliged to beat a retreat under the incessant volleys directed against them [...] for some time he did not know what to do - he being surrounded as it were by hive of bees. At length be determined to take off his waist-strap and run in amongst them, but they were so nimble he could not secure them, as they retreated in all directions and again renewed the attack. Walker said he had witnessed many desperate rows in St. Giles', where mischief was intended, but he never saw such cool determination exhibited before.

On Sunday morning, immediately after breakfast, upwards of forty scaled the walls and made their way for Shooters Hill where a number of them provided themselves with bread, milk, and apples, expressing a determination to proceed to Chatham, and go on board ship rather than remain in the Asylum and be ill used as they said they had recently been.

Within the three days upwards of seventy have deserted the Asylum and at sunset on Sunday

evening there were upwards of forty absentees. Those who have been recaptured are placed in charge of the main-guard of the Royal Hospital, until an investigation of the circumstances takes place. The mutineers generally complain that they have not a sufficient quantity of food, that which they do get being of a bad quality; that they are severely punished for the slightest offences; and that the drills and gymnastic exercises have recently been more strict than usual: and, further, that instead of allowed to go out once a fortnight, they have only permission out  twice in three months, and their friends have only leave to visit them for about two hours on the first Wednesday in the month [...]

There are 400 boys in the Upper School, sons of Naval officers, who so far sympathised with the revolters as to assist in pelting of some of the police-constables while they were in the act of apprehending some of the delinquents in the Park. A strict investigation into the cause of the general disaffection will immediately take place, as it is of the first importance that youths who are destined for the public service should be kept in proper discipline and subordination, or there is no knowing what consequences may be the result when employed in her Majesty's service. [...]

In addition to the number of boys who deserted the school, 17 others scaled the walls on Monday

morning. On making inquiry we found that, in addition to the alleged ill-usage and indifferent food, the boys complain of the intention there exists of making them soldiers, as one of the reasons which has induced them to desert and although it is well known that the sailors had a great antipathy to a marine during the last war, that feeling has greatly diminished; nevertheless the sons of the old tars have e great aversion to be made soldiers of.

Twenty of those which have been recaptured have been severely flogged, and 27 are now in charge of the main-guard of the Royal Hospital, and there are 43 absentees. Although the apprehension of being made soldiers of has materially increased in consequence of the severe drills they have heen subjected to, a degree of harshness towards them in that particular, and also in their gymnnastic exercises, together with the confinement they now endure as compared with former regulations, has materially contributed to bring about the serious disaffection which at present exists... Ten of the mutineers were drummed out of school on Friday the band playing the Rogues March during the ceremony'.

'Incendiarism at New Cross' (1842) - was Louis XVII involved?!

An interesting account of apparent arson at a rocket factory in New Cross, from the Evening Mail, 9 March 1842. The location, given as Minerva House, seems to have been on what is now New Cross Road just up from the White Hart Hotel - as this was the location of the New Cross turnpike gate.

Also intrigued by the identity of the factory's owner, described as the Duke of Normandy. There is a report in the London Gazette from 1843, not long after this fire, of a 'Charles Louis Bourbon, Duke of Normandy, late of Minerva House, New Cross, Deptford, Surrey, Trader, Modelist and Machinist' being 'In the Gail of Horsemonger Lane' for debt. Clearly this is the same person, name sounds very distressed French aristocracy.

'INCENDIARISM AT NEW CROSS

Late on Sunday night last the inhabitants residing in the vicinity of New-cross, near Deptford, were thrown into considerable alarm by the outbreak of destructive fire on some premises attached to the residence of the Duke of Normandy and Count Wallusee, known as Minerva-house, situated on the west side of the Old Kent-road, within a few yards of the New-cross turnpike-gate, which on inquiry was ascertained to be a manufactory carried on the Duke of Normandy for the construction of rockets, shells, and other implements of warfare.

The factory so called consisted of two back buildings, two floors in height, and occupied a frontage of about 35 feet, at the extremity of the garden in the rear of the dwelling-house, and they are said to have contained, besides machinery, a great quantity of valuable models of various missiles. For considerable time before the flames burst forth the police on duty in the immediate neighbourhood observed a strong smell of wood burning, and not being able to discover whence it proceeded, though at the same time convinced that fire must be kindling, they determined upon arousing the inhabitants residing near the near the spot, which was quickly effected, and shortly afterwards the fire was found raging in the upper floor of the premises.

The Duke of Normandy and Count Wallusee were soon at the fire, and in the course of few minutes a large number of the surrounding inhabitants came to their assistance, who exerted every effort to prevent the flames from spreading, but it was found wholly impossible to do so, in consequence of there being no water, and in very short time the principal part of the works was completely in a blaze. Immediately on the discovery being made, an express was started to the metropolis to give intelligence of the fire to the various engine stations, and in about half-an-hour several belonging to the Brigade, from the stations in Southwark-bridge-road, Morgan’s lane, Waterloo-road,  and Watling-street, with the superintendant of the force, Mr. Braidwood, arrived alongside of the burning premises. The firemen, however, not being able to get the engines to work for the want of a supply of water, they were but of little avail, but ultimately the fire was prevented from extending beyond the building in which it commenced and which is totally destroyed.

From what has since been ascertained, it appears beyond doubt that the fire was the act of an incendiary, who obtained entrance into the premises by means of a skeleton key, which was discovered by the police in the door of the factory, the approach to which was a narrow dark lane at the back, and from circumstances that have transpired it is expected that the guilty party  will in a few hours be in the custody of the police. About three weeks since the Duke of Normandy, in consequence of a threatening letter received, endeavoured to effect insurance on the property in the Sun Fire-office, but the directors declined the offer on account of the heavy sum which was required. The premises destroyed have only been erected  few months, and were wholly detached from any other premises.

The Duke of Normandy, in an interview with the reporter yesterday, said no one worked in the factory but himself, and that the whole of his improved rockets, models, and other important inventions, were destroyed. Several them had been highly approved of by Her Majesty’s Government, and it was their intention to have introduced them into the services, but some difficulties ensued respecting the treaty of which was required 60,000 which was required by by the noble Duke, and the offer was abandoned. He estimates his loss at upwards of 4,000'.

(not sure from the report what the unit of currency was - presumably pounds or guineas)

The Duke seems to have had an eventful life - and/or been a fantasist. In January 1845 it was reported that 'Charles Louis de Bourbon, commonly known as the Duke of Normandy' was subject of an alleged assassination attempt 'at his residence, Mulgrave House, Kings Road, Fulham'. The Duke claimed that  a bullet missed him by 'an inch or two'  and blamed the attack on 'Roman Catholics' who were 'against him for having lately abjured their creed. Three weeks previously  he had received a latter from a French priest, warning him of a plot to take his life, and he had also received two other communications informing him of a conspiracy against him amongst some Frenchmen'  (Royal Cornwall Gazette, 10 January 1845).

Update: in a comment to this post, Caroline has suggested that this character appears to be Karl Wilhelm Naundorff (1785-1845), a German watchmaker and weapon designer who styled himself Charles Louis de Bourbon and claimed to be heir to the French throne (i.e. Louis XVII as the child of the executed Louis XVI). In the 1820s he was accused of arson and counterfeiting in Germany - which maybe casts doubt on his claim that New Cross fire was started by others. He was deported by French authorities to England in 1836.

Naundorff - self-styled Louis XVII of New Cross

An 1893 book written on behalf of a rival claimant to the throne confirms that Naundorff was the 'Duke of Normandy' living in New Cross at this time, surrounded by a court of the 'subservient disciples of Minerva House'. The author suggests that 'The truth probably was that Naundorff caused the accident  himself, through some carelessness in handling the inflammable materials in which he was working' and that the arsonist angle had been developed for publicity purposes (see: 'The story of Louis XVII of France' by Elizabeth Edson Gibson Evans, 1893).