Christmas with a difference.....

Fancy Christmas with a difference this year?  How about a trip to Christmas Sound, Tierra del Fuego and follow in the footsteps of the legendary Captain James Cook [Image 1].

Image I - Christmas Sound, Tierra del Fuego

December 1774 saw Captain Cook and his crew on the waters off Tierra del Fuego.  This archipelago at the southernmost tip of South America was given the name Tierra del Fuego [land of fire] by passing Spanish explorers who observed bonfires lit by local native inhabitants.

Captain Cook’s expedition surveyed this area from 20 to 28 December 1774, and made a detailed record of their observations.  The Local Studies collection at the Hull History Centre is fortunate enough to have all THREE voyages of Captain James Cook. This includes three volumes relating to Cook’s circumnavigation of the globe [published in 1773], two volumes relating to Cook’s voyage towards the South Pole [published 1777] and three volumes relating to Cook’s voyages in the Pacific Ocean published in 1785.

The account of the observations from Tierra del Fuego can be found in Captain Cook’s Second Voyage, Volume Two.  They anchored off-shore on the 21 December and set out to explore and survey the surrounding area.  There were two shooting parties who were successful in hunting geese and shags for the crew to eat.  Captain Cook noted that:

“For that I was able to make distribution to the whole crew, which was more acceptable on account of the approaching Festival.  For, had not providence thus singularly provided for us, our Christmas cheer must have been salt beef and pork” [Image 2]

Image 2 - salt beef and pork

Christmas day found the crew partaking of their Christmas cheer – they had not experienced such fare for some time.  James Cook wrote that:

“Roast and boiled geese, goose-pie & c. was a treat little known to us; and we had yet some Madeira wine left, which was the only article in our provision that was mended by keeping.  So that our friends in England did not, perhaps, celebrate Christmas more cheerfully than we did” [Image 3]

Image 3 - Christmas Day fare

On the 27^th December, out of gratitude for the abundance of Christmas fare that his crew had enjoyed, James Cook decided to name the place where the Christmas festival was celebrated “Christmas Sound”.

“When I returned on board, I found everything got off the Shore: so that we now only wanted for a wind to put to sea.  The festival, which we celebrated at this place, occasioned my giving it the name of Christmas Sound.” [Image 4]

Image 4 - Naming of 'Christmas Sound' by Captain Cook

No matter where you in the world you are celebrating, have a happy and joyful Christmas.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasures Project

Spencer Perceval - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - born this day in History [1 November 1762]

The Assassination of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 11 May 1812

Spencer Perceval, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, has the dubious honour of being remembered as the only British Prime Minister to die at the hands of an assassin.  He was shot and killed in the parliamentary lobby in the House of Commons on 11 May 1812 by John Bellingham. 

Panic quickly spread around parliament.  This response was understandable and searches were immediately made to ascertain if the murder was an isolated incident or the start of general rioting.

Britain, at this time, was in the throes of the Napoleonic Wars [18 May 1803-20 Nov 1812] along with the threat of war with the United States over British restrictions on US Trade [the War of 1812 -18 Jun 1812-17 Feb 1815].

On the domestic front, the general population, sick and tired of corruption in high places, had been rallying around the leadership of the wealthy and charismatic radical MP, Sir Francis Burdett. The parliamentarians were mindful that it could be a supporter of his or a second movement, The Luddites, which had spread from Nottinghamshire the previous spring.

Followers of the mythical “Ned Ludd” had engaged in a range of creative and sometimes violent protest around both machinery and individuals.  Less than two weeks before this assassination, the Luddites had murdered a Mill owner, William Horsfall, in West Yorkshire. 

Whilst many across the country were horrified about the assassination, there were celebrations in the streets in places such as Nottingham and Leeds. The Napoleonic Wars had resulted in widespread poverty and Perceval’s death was a cause for rejoicing in the worst affected parts of the country.

It quickly transpired that the assassin, John Bellingham, had worked alone although future historians have questioned this assertion.  They argue that Bellingham could have been acting on behalf of a consortium of Liverpool traders hostile to Percival’s economic policies.

Image 1 - Profile of John Bellingham from L.004SMI

John Bellingham, a merchant, shot Perceval through the heart in protest at what Bellingham saw as the unjust refusal of the government to assist him when he was wrongly imprisoned in Russia, or to award him any compensation [Image 1].  He had been arrested in Archangel in Russia for debt in 1804 and after five years in prison, he returned to England wanting justice.  He felt that he had tried every avenue open to him to no avail and the only solution he could see was to assassinate the Prime Minister.

His presence in the House of Commons Lobby that fateful day caused no suspicion as he had made several recent visits.  According to an eye witness, Bellingham could have easily evaded justice by walking quickly out into the street during the initial commotion.  Instead, he sat quietly on a bench.  When asked why he had committed the act, he replied that he was rectifying a demand for Justice on the part of the Government.

The trial of John Bellingham was extremely swift and he was found guilty on 15 May 1812 [a mere five days after the assassination] and was executed at Newgate prison three days later.  People argued that his hasty trial, judgement and execution were contrary to the principles of Justice.  Certainly his mental state should have been taken into consideration at the very least.  At his trial he was judged to be legally responsible for his actions.

Image 2 - Front leaf from L.004SMI

Amongst the Local Studies collection, we house two books on the subject - L.004 PEC – “The trial of John Bellingham for the wilful Murder of Right Hon. Spencer Perceval, 11 May 1812” and L.004 SMI “A full report of the Trials of John Bellingham”  [Image 2].  They both offer a fascinating and detail account of the trial as well as commemorating an infamous and ignominious event in British history.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasures Project

Queen Victoria's visit to Hull

 "The Queen’s visit to Hull, Friday, and Saturday, October the 13^th and 14^th, 1854, arranged, with considerable additions” by James Smith [L.9.7081]

The Local Studies collection houses four copies of this pamphlet, but one copy in particular caught my attention since it also contains memorabilia from the actual visit itself – including a General Pass ticket to the Railway Station, a dinner invitation in Honour of Her Majesty’s Visit to Hull, at the Station Hotel [image 1], and a menu [image 2]. Where a name has been completed, it is Mr Ivatts. Who he is or whether he gave the memorabilia to Mr Smith or had the copy bound with his ephemera of the visit remains a mystery. However, it was a Miss Ivatts who was responsible for receiving the Royal Guests at “The Station Hotel” and was ordered by Queen Victoria to be in attendance during her visit.  It seems probable that Mr Ivatts was a relative of this Miss Ivatts.

Image 1 - Dinner Invitation in honour of Her Majesty's visit to Hull

The booklet is evocative of the time and the author, James Smith, was obviously a fan of Queen Victoria and the Royal family –

“Royal progresses are events which form some of the most agreeable pages in the history of our country. But there are none of them which will be read of with greater pleasure by future generations than those of her present Majesty. More gorgeous may have been the state in which previous monarchs have travelled – but never in any age, or under any circumstances did crowned head receive more sincere welcome than her Majesty obtains wherever she goes.”

There may have been criticism of the cost of the visit since Smith continues:

“She comes not amongst us to impoverish our resources: but she comes to give an impulse to our trade – to make herself personally acquainted with our local position and advantages – and we feel that in doing so she is exhibiting her sense of identity of interest that exists between us.”

In the Hull City Archives, there is a file of material relating to this Royal visit to Hull which included a detailed analysis of expenses of the trip to the City of Hull [C TCRE/11/26]. This included the hiring of carriages for the Royal party along with bell ringers, illuminations, flags, triumphal arches and medals.  The total cost was calculated to be just over £4,032. Today that works out at approximately £450,000.

It is clear from the book that this Royal visit was, to some degree, a “spur of the moment” event –

“As most of our readers will be aware, the notice of her Majesty’s gracious intention to honour Hull with her presence was only received by the Mayor on Thursday, last week, so that there was little time for preparation.”

However, there had been a planned visit in the previous year which had been cancelled.

“Fortunately, however, the committee which was appointed by the council last year, on the occasion of the then anticipated visit of the Queen, to arrange all the preliminaries, was still in existence, and instantly on the receipt of Sir George Grey’s letter, the members of it were summoned and commenced work forthwith. A meeting was at once held, and various sub-committees appointed – one to superintend the works necessary to be carries out – another to attend the illuminations; a third to arrange the proceedings generally; and so on.”

The author does go into much detail on the meticulous planning that had to be undertaken throughout Hull in a very short time. The Royal party were staying at “The Station Hotel” and the minutiae of the preparations and decorations of both the Railway Station [where the party would alight] and “The Station Hotel” are noted.

Image 2 - Menu from Station Hotel Dinner

The booklet also contains copies of the addresses handed to the Royal party during their stay [seven in total] and details of the number of boys, girls and teachers by individual schools that lined the Royal procession through Hull.

The author makes much of how crowded the streets were to see the Royal party –

“You saw them gathering from every quarter in such numbers that ordinary residents in the town were almost led to wonder where they all have come from. Country cousins has come upon us like locusts”

Interestingly, Smith noted that “the annual visit of the Hull fair was postponed for a day so to enable our visitors to see the Queen.”

The Royal tour through Hull and visits to various establishments are highlighted in this volume in a colourful and descriptive manner but some of it, seen though modern days eyes, leaves a sour taste in the mouth:

“Each school bore its banner with some appropriate device. The one which struck us most as being at once in the best taste and well-conceived, was the banner borne by the workhouse children, which bore the inscription “Poor, but loyal”.

The Royal party left Hull on the Royal Yacht, “Fairy”, from the Pier in order to travel to Grimsby for her next engagement. Prior to her embarking on board, Queen Victoria chose to knight the Mayor of Hull in what appears to have been a spontaneous decision as a “thank you” for hosting such a successful Royal visit.  Thus Henry Cooper, Mayor became “Sir Henry Cooper”.

The author concluded that:

“It has been remarked that the triumphal arch at Whitefriargate Bridge, under which her Majesty passed, stood within a foot of the site of the Beverley Gate, from whence Charles I, was repulsed, What a difference! At no spot on her Majesty’s line of route did she receive warmer salutations or heartier greetings than here”

This volume harks back to a by-gone age which I suspect we may never see again.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, “Unlocking the Treasure Project”

Thomas Carling and the brewing empire that bears his name

Hull and the East Riding has a rich, diverse, and fascinating history. Many are aware of William Wilberforce and his campaign to abolish slavery, or the refusal by Sir John Hotham to admit Charles I to Hull. You may recall from an earlier Unlocking the Treasure’s blog, the lesser-known account of Luke Foxe, a Hull born mariner whose quest was to seek the Northwest Passage, and while ending in failure, his voyage would enable later mariners and adventures to expand of Foxe’s voyage, which eventually led to the traversing of the passage during the early 20th century. Another less well known, but equally fascinating story we’ve come across while working on the Unlocking the Treasures project is that of Thomas Carling.

Thomas was born in June 1797 at Etton, four miles north-west of Beverley. In 1818, aged 21, he emigrated to Canada, settling in Ontario, where he would eventually go on to establish the brewery that bore his name ‘Carling’ in 1840. This is the story of Thomas Carling, the East Yorkshire man behind one of the world’s recognised brands of lager.

Interior of St. Mary's Church, Etton, 1867. It was here on 4 Jun 1797 that Thomas Carling was baptised
[Ref: Lp.726.5(62) E/1]

Thomas was the son of William and Margaret Carling of Etton. The family came from humble origins. His father, William was a farm labourer. As a young lad Thomas would have learned the necessary skills from his father in farming and its practices, something which was to serve Thomas well in his adult life.

At the time Thomas was born, Britain was going through a period on unprecedented change brought about by industrialisation, including in agriculture, which itself was experiencing a revolution in farming and its techniques. At the time landowners were, had they had since the later seventeenth century, acquiring vast swathes of land. And those that had farmed the land for generations were becoming displaced. As a result, many workers relocated to the rapidly growing industrial towns and cities of industrial Britain. The Carling’s, however, came through this largely unscathed, remaining at Etton. Thomas’ father, William even became a farmer in his own right.

At the same time opportunities aboard were increasing. Many sought opportunities and a better life in places such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Newspapers advertised for young men to help build such countries, and for Thomas, Canada came calling. So in May, 1818, Thomas set sail from Hull to Canada.

View of the Humber from Wellington Street, Hull in 1817. This is the view that would have greeted Thomas Carling on his voyage from Hull to Canada in 1818
[Ref: Lp.9.7 WEL/3]

Thomas arrived in Canada around month or so later. The voyage was just the beginning of his journey. Thomas would have continued his journey by foot and by boat to London, Ontario. It was here that Thomas acquired rights for around 100 acres of land. He then set about clearing and making good the land, which would have involved the clearing of trees and the building of a dwelling, probably a log cabin of some type in the vicinity of the township of London, which was a vast remote area itself.

Within a year, Thomas had not only put down his roots, but he also married Margaret Routledge, daughter of a family that had emigrated to Canada. In 1824 Thomas moved to a farm further south, and in 1839 he moved again, this time into the town of London itself. It was from London that the origins of the Carling Brewery began.

Prior to this, Thomas had brewed beer as a farmer. It is reputed that when Thomas emigrated he took his father recipe and began to brew privately for himself and friends. It was custom for neighbouring farmers to help one another clear the land, and presumably as a thank you Thomas provided food and refreshment. One refreshment on the menu was said to have been Thomas’s home-brewed ale! Such was its quality he began brewing more and more. In time it grew so popular that it is said he eventually abandoned farming to take up brewing full-time.

Land for sale in Canada taken from the Hull Advertiser, 1832.
The Hull Advertiser is available on microfilm or via the public PCs at the Hull History Centre

Whatever the story, Thomas now saw his future in brewing and in 1840 opened his first brewery. The early brewery was a fairly humble affair. Thomas had just two kettles, a horse to turn the grinding mill and six men working the mashing tubs. However, Thomas saw an opportunity. He sold beer to the soldiers at the local military camp. Thomas was said to have also sold his beer on streets of London, Ontario from a wheelbarrow.

The brewery grew under the direction of Thomas. Around 1850 his two sons, William and John took over. Thomas took a back seat before eventually retiring. The brewery grew from strength to strength, so much so that steam power replaced horse power to meet demand. A new six-story brewery in the town built. Although largely destroyed by fire not long after opening, brewing was only temporarily halted before it once again resumed.

Thomas died in February 1880, aged 82 He had however, left his legacy in good hands. His sons would forge their careers not only within the business but also away from it. John, for example, went on to local politics, including serving as Federal Agriculture Minister which saw him knighted by Queen Victoria in 1893.

The Carling brewery continued to go from strength to strength, but the business fell out of the family in the 1930s, and has changed owners numerous times since. Today, owned Molson Coors, Carling lager is still one of the most popular brands around. In the UK it sells around five million barrels a year making it the UK’s number one lager. However, it was from it humble origins in East Yorkshire that the Carling brand began, all thanks to Thomas Carling.

Neil Chadwick

Librarian/Archivist 

 

 

Daniel O'Connell - and "The Book of the Illustrious"

 “The Book of the Illustrious” by George Henderson, 1845 [L(SLA).326.921 WIL]

This is a wonderful volume which contains the portraits and memoirs of notable figures of the times such as Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel and Benjamin Disraeli [image 1].  One of the other “illustrious” included in this work is William Wilberforce which explains why there is a copy in the Local Studies slavery collection.

Image 1 - Benjamin Disraeli in "The Book of the Illustrious"

However, there is another figure included in this volume that deserves acknowledgement for his part in the anti-slavery movement and that is Daniel O’Connell [image 2] known at the Liberator. His mobilisation of Catholic Ireland through to the poorest class of tenant farmer helped secure Catholic emancipation in 1829 and allowed him to take a seat in the United Kingdom Parliament to which he was twice elected.

At a time when vast English and American fortunes were being made out of the slave trade, O’Connell became one of the world’s most outspoken campaigners to abolish slavery. He was particularly concerned with the plight of the slave mothers who knew they were producing children for the slave trade.  He was a hero to the escaped slave and black writer and activist, Frederick Douglass, who met O’Connell during a speaking tour in Ireland in 1845. O’Connell never visited the United States as it was a slave-owning country. He also wouldn’t shake hands with anyone who supported slavery, including the US ambassador saying:

“I should be sorry to be contaminated by the touch of a man from those states where slavery is continued”

He was warned by critics within his own Repeal Association that this could lose financial support from America for Ireland’s cause and indeed it did.

Image 2 - Daniel O'Connell in "The Book of the Illustrious"

O’Connell was a brilliant lawyer and formidable politician. Gladstone called him the greatest popular leader the world had ever seen.  This is the man who conceived peaceful protest – his time in France during the French revolution had given him a dread of mob violence. This belief in non-violence would inspire future leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela -

“Not for all the universe contains would I, in the struggle for what I conceive my county’s cause, consent to the effusion of a single blood, except my own”

O’Connell was the first politician to recognise the possibility and the power of popular politics where everyone could contribute.  Politicians weren’t paid, but by collecting halfpennies and pennies from thousands of people he not only found a way to finances his movement and his political career, he gave people a stake in that movement.

What’s intriguing about this book is that it appears to be a rare volume and four of the five copies that are listed for sale or in a depositary [on a “Google” search] specifically say that the pages on Daniel O’Connell are missing.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasures Project

Boreman's Three Hundred Animals

A Description of above Three Hundred Animals, Viz, Beasts, Birds, Fishes, Serpents, & Insects. With a particular Account of the Manner of Catching Whales in Greenland Extracted from the best Authors, and adapted to the use of all capacities. Illustrated with 100 Elegant Copper Plates by Thomas Boreman. Published by Bell & Bradfute and W. Creech, 1767, [L(WHA)639.281] 

This is definitely another “Unlocked Treasure” housed in the Local Studies collection.  It is unusual to say the least, that a Local Studies library would house a children’s nature book. However, it was added to the Whaling collection at some point since it contains [in the words of Boreman] “a particular Account of the Manner of Catching Whales in Greenland”.

Initially, it appears to be a charming and well-illustrated natural history guide designed for children. In his note to the reader, the publisher and probably the author, Thomas Boreman discusses that many of the books meant to introduce children to the habit of reading “tend rather to cloy than entertain them; I have thought fit to engage their attention with short descriptions of animals, and pictures fairly drawn, which last, experience shews them to be much delighted with.”

Image 1 - Unicorn from Thomas Boreman's publication

It is unusual for its time since it was one of the earliest publications designed to entertain as well as educate children. However, this book is also fascinating for a variety of reasons.  It is interesting that it not only documents real animals, but mythical creatures as well such as a unicorn [image 1] and a manticora (a monster with the body of a lion, the head of a man, porcupine’s quills, and the tail or sting of a scorpion), which is evocative of the medieval period. This is when medieval bestiaries collated descriptions and illustrations of animals, which ranged from the mundane, ordinary to the imaginary, extraordinary creatures.  In most bestiaries the description contained Christian moral lessons. The bestiary was supposed to reflect and remind the reader of the link between God and the natural world, and the superiority of humans to beasts.

Understandably, given the period, some of the illustrations of the real creatures are not entire accurate! Based on the illustrator’s imagination, inaccurate written accounts of the individual animals or the wrong interpretation of those writings.

The volume also contains many foreign creatures such as lion, tiger [image 2], leopard [image 2]and ‘rhinocerot’ [rhinoceros]. This highlights and reflects the continued interest and knowledge of the wider world through the progress of European globalization in the 18th century. Unfortunately, the artist/artists of Boreman’s book are unknown which is a shame although they derived from Buffon and other naturalists. The variety of poses, design and shading used in the illustrations emphasises the care and effort that the artist/artists took and it would be fitting to recognize their “works of art”.

Image 2 - Tiger and Leopard from Boreman's publication

Although the three hundred animals descriptions and illustrations are not entirely accurate, they represent a “snapshot” of an era when there was a quest for knowledge outside of the local and regional level was gaining momentum and paving the way for a more sustained and accurate collection of data on many different subjects such as astronomy, geology, zoology, botany and geography.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, “Unlocking the Treasures” project

Hull's smuggling past

Smuggling was a vicious, violent, and bloody trade. During the 18th and 19th centuries it operated on a massive scale. Goods such as tea, coffee, gin, tobacco, wines, salts, soaps and candles, necessities of their day, had heavy import duties imposed. This led to such commodities being too expensive for many. Smuggling was not an activity of the poor; it was financed by the wealthy, and those who participated in this illicit trade considered it harmless against the unjust laws imposed on everyday necessities. 

The most romanticised picture of smuggling is that along the coasts of Britain. The isolation of North Yorkshire coast for example was ideal for smuggling. Nestled along the coast and protected by the moors, its geography ensured places such as Staithes, Runswick and Robin Hoods Bay's thrived as centres of smuggling, largely out of reach from custom officers prying eyes. The isolated moorland trackways were used to transport smuggled goods inland to towns and cities. 

 Further south, Flamborough, and indeed all down the Holderness coast, though less extensive than their North Yorkshire neighbours, smugglers could be found at work. Flamborough was reputed to use its network of caves at North Landing and Thornwick Bay to hide contraband. One of its caves, Robin Lynth's is said to be named after a local smuggler. 

Smuggling wasn't new or limited to coastal communities. In the fourteenth century, for example, wool was smuggled from Hull. To avoid customs, wool was hidden in the beds of the ship’s crew. And although forbidden, ships left Hull partly loaded to avoid duties, with wool secretly taken on-board once out of sight of the authorities. 

The late 18th and early 19th centuries were the heyday of smuggling and its practices and was rife in many harbours and ports. Hull was heavily active in this illicit trade. Largely small and compact in the 18th century, the harbour or 'Haven' saw ships laden with goods from all around the world. It was here ships that the ships were loaded and unload. Before the construction of the New Dock, later Queen's Dock, Hull was the only port in the country not to have a legal quay. This allowed merchants the opportunity to avoid custom duties from using their private staithes which lined the River Hull. 

Hollar's plan of Hull, 1640 showing the Haven in which ships would load and unload on the private staithes that fronted the river

Even with the opening of the New Dock, smuggling continued. Custom Officers were all too aware of who the smugglers were but tracking them down and catching them was different matter. On one occasion custom officers at Hull received a tip off relating to three known tea smugglers, said to be staying at an inn along the River Ouse. However, when they arrived, they found the inn on the opposite side of the river with the smugglers long gone. 

The odds were very much stacked against the customs officers. Inadequate protection along Humber, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries led to many naval vessels being re-diverted to war effort. Vessels that were left to apprehend the smugglers tended to be smaller and less armed than their smuggling counterparts. In some cases, vessels employed in the prevention of smuggling stayed in port due to the lack of gunpowder and shot. Geographically the Humber was perfect for smugglers and smuggling. Creeks and Havens, such as Stoney Creek, Crably Creek and Patrington Haven were ideal and used by the smugglers to drop off contraband. Even Hessle and North Ferriby were engaged in some form of smuggling activities. 

Goods smuggled included salt, spices, tobacco, tea, and spirits such as gin but also included, medicines, playing cards, toys, paper, and even human hair for wigs. Timber was also smuggled. Much of the smuggling was financed by the wealthy elite. The influential Hull merchant, Samuel Standidge, was suspected of being behind the smuggling of German China. When a Swedish vessel was seized for having a quantity of wool that had not had duty paid on it, its master impeached several notable Hull merchants, including Standidge himself. 

Although the authorities were up against it, they did have some success. A wealthy yeoman from Cottingham was prosecuted for receiving smuggled goods. He was even reputed to have used heavy handed tactics to deter later accusations against him. Such was the seriousness of the smuggling; the authorities deployed the military. The 4th Dragoons in Holderness proved a great help to customs officers by seizing large quantities of gin, tea, coffee, and tobacco. However, for each success, dozens would perhaps go undetected. 

The energy of one man was a thorn in the smugglers side. Captain James Gleadow was a tide-surveyor at Hull, whose job it was to seek out contraband. He apprehended the brig Friends carrying human and animal bones from the battlefields of Europe. The vessel was boarded three miles off Spurn Head. Concealed on board was snuff, tobacco, opium, silks, and gin. Gleadow continued to seize vessels, a vast number of these were in the Humber. Despite his success Gleadow had difficulty in obtaining his reward money, and between 1823 and 1825 he received no reward for his captures. Gleadow continued to apprehend smugglers, but soon he too was implicated in smuggling racket, in which we were accused of profiting from smuggled tobacco. 

Witness statement of James Gleadow, Customs Officer, 1841 against John O'Neal for smuggling tobacco [Ref: C CQB/198/194W]

The late 18th century was arguably the zenith of the smuggling trade, and with-it huge profits were made. It was said tobacco bought for £100 on the continent could sell for then ten times the price in Hull. However, the end of the Napoleonic saw in decline in smuggling, including at Hull and along the Humber. The reduction of import duties which had funded the war against Napoleon no longer made smuggling a profitable enterprise. By the 1830s the illegal trade in tea and wines had all but ceased. Smuggling in spirits and tobacco continued, but in far less quantities than previous. 

Compared to places such as Whitby, Staithes and Robin Hoods Bay, nothing remains of Hull’s smuggling past. Much of the old town has changed over the last century or so since the slum clearances and its redevelopment after the Second World War. There are no Smugglers’ Inn, networks, or small tight alleys for smuggled goods to be easily moved out of sight of customs officers. Only towards Sunk Island with places such as Stoney Creek and its isolation can we get a feel and reminder of the areas smuggling past. 

The History Centre has several books on Smuggling in Yorkshire. Available to borrow, include Graham Smith’s Smuggling in Yorkshire 1700-1850 and Jack Dyke’s Smuggling on the Yorkshire Coast [Ref: L.336.26]. All you need is a Hull Libraries card, which you can sign up for at the Hull History Centre. Just bring proof of address!

Neil Chadwick

Librarian/Archivist 

Paris Exhibition - visit of Hull Workmen - Part two

“Visit of Hull Workmen to the Paris Exhibition – report of the Visit” [L.331.8]

In a previous blog dated 6 May 2022, the detailed reasons for this trip were given but it was primarily as result of the local MP, Sir Henry Seymour King, funding thirty Hull workman to visit the Exposition Universelle of 1889 in August of that year.

This souvenir volume details the views, musings and observations of some of the workmen who went on this sojourn and is a delightful piece of social history from the late Victorian age [image one].

Image 1 - Acknowledgements inside Souvenir Volume

They were fortunate to spend a few days sightseeing around Paris (including a trip up the Eiffel Tower) as well as a visit to Versailles before visiting the Exhibition on the Thursday and Friday. Each account of the trip offers such insight into the individuals on the trip but the majority did agree that:

Sundays in Paris were markedly different to Hull:

“I could not believe it was Sunday; everybody working, or on pleasure; carriages driving, soldiers on horseback; shops open – everything so different to what we see in Hull, that I thought I must have been asleep a day, and got into Paris on Monday”. [G. H. Wright, Saddler]

“It seemed rather strange to Englishmen to see workmen repairing roads & c. on Sunday morning, but such was the case: and later in the day we found business going on all over – in fact, we almost lost sight of the fact it was Sunday”. [J. T. Lyel, Upholsterer] 

The remarkable cleanliness of the Parisian streets:

“Paris is such a grand and beautiful city that, if the people of Hull were to send a body of gentlemen from the Council to see the beautiful streets, boulevards, &c., how they are laid out, kept scrupulously clean, &c., I believe the money would be well spent; and as a ratepayer I would humbly suggest such a trip to your notice” [image 2]. [Henry Tiltman, Ship Draughtsman] 

Image 2 - Henry Tiltman's impressions

The French are so different to the English!:

“A curious thing to an Englishman is that, instead of driving to the left as in England, all drive to the right, and a further acquaintance with Paris proves that everything – or nearly so - is the exact reverse of what we are accustomed to. For instance, we say Smith Street, the French would say Rue de Smith; the soldiers in England wear blue trousers and red coats, the French Tommy Atkins wears a blue coat and red trousers, and very baggy trousers at that; the English people, as a rule, dwell in a house of their own, big or little, the French people live in flats: in fact, everything appears to the untravelled Englishman to be right wrong”. [John Perritt, Printer] 

“Then we saw the market where the favourite dishes of the Frenchmen are supplied – the frogs being sold similar to us selling tripe; one franc a stick; the snails being kept in tanks for the purpose. It was a laughable sight to see us clustering round the frogs, and the Frenchwomen laughing like mad at us, and thrusting the sticks of frogs under our noses” [image 3]. [G. H. Wright, Saddler] 

Image 3 - G H Wright's thoughts

“We often hear in Hull that women can talk well. There is not one that comes up to a Frenchman: they beat us all. You would think, if you saw two of them talking, they were going to fight. They chatter and move their arms and body about, and you would think it is coming to a pitched battle. After waiting to see the end you are surprised to see them shake hands and part friends: it is only their way of talking.” [G.H. Wright, Saddler]

On the Exhibition itself:

“In my own branch I found several new ideas in machinery, and a good many improvements introduced, but a lot of the improvements noted being only interesting to members of the trade, I will pass on, merely remarking that I did not notice anything which is likely to revolutionise the present system”. [John Perritt, Printer] 

“The Exhibition itself I was unable to do justice to, even confining myself somewhat to the machinery department; many exhibits I could not get more than a passing view, owing to the crowd”. [W.T. Myers, Fitter] 

“The boot and shoe leathers were of ordinary sorts, such as may be seen in any English leather warehouse – the sole leather was mostly (what is termed) branded, a kind which we in this country do not care to push”. [James Johnson, Leather Dresser] 

Mr John Newman, joiner was very taken with the newly invented machines for joinery purposes and specifically mentioned those machines made by an American firm, J.A.Fay and Company. He went on to say – “there was nothing in the French inventions (of course I am only speaking of the joinering machines) to call forth any special remark”. 

Mr C. H Green, plumber was delighted to point out that “on entering the British section the first thing that meets the visitor is a banner with arms of Hull: namely, the Three Crowns”.

Tips for the Exhibition:

“Go early; lounge about slowly; keep in the shade; sit down whenever you feel at all tired; and above everything else, don’t go without making a substantial breakfast. An empty stomach frequently brings on a headache, your temper becomes infamous in consequence and you finish up by hating the Exhibition and all it contains”. [John Perritt, Printer]

All the participants did seem to enjoy the week in Paris:

“Still I am certain that what I did see has given me enlarged ideas, and has certainly led me, as I have no doubt it has many others, to read more, and to think more about our friends across the silver streak, and done much to rub off that insular prejudice against foreigners which is so strongly marked a characteristic of all Englishmen”. [John Perritt, Printer]

“I can assure you that nothing can ever efface from my memory the sights and pleasures we enjoyed” [J T Blake, Joiner]

“I came back to the hotel with the impression that Paris was a paradise. As night I went to one of the open-air concerts in the Champs-Elysees. I thought I was in fairy land, all lit up with coloured lights in the trees.” [G H Wright, Saddler]

“I conclude by advising everyone that can make it convenient to visit Paris to do so, independent of the Exhibition; it is well worthy of a visit.” [J T Lyel, Upholsterer]

Some gave more “damning praise”:

“Also, I saw some beautiful locomotives, engines and railway carriages, which by the way, I think they ought to keep in France; for I think everyone will agree with me that their railway service is wretched” [Walter Skirrow, Brass Finisher]

“They call us a shopkeeping nation; but just now, in Paris at all events, they could give us a long start and beat us. The moment an Englishman wants to purchase, they double the price of the article”[G. H. Wright, Saddler]

They were profuse in their praise for the patronage of Sir Henry Seymour King and the town councillors. Their overall impressions of the Exhibition and Paris itself is best left to Mr. John Perritt [printer]:

“then back to Hull, and work, all the better for our trip, and feeling that, though Paris is very beautiful, and sights of the Exhibition very grand, ‘There is no place like home’.” [image 4]

Image 4 - John Perritt's "There is no place like home"

I do wonder what the wives of the workmen thought about the whole enterprise given they were left behind looking after the children. They may have seen it a great opportunity for their husbands to learn new techniques and see new skills that they could adopt themselves.  I hope that each and every one of them used their sovereign to buy a suitable gift for their wives and sweethearts left “minding the fort”!

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasure Project

The Paris Exhibition - a trip by Hull workers - Part one

"Visit of Hull Workmen to the Paris Exhibition – report of the Visit” [L.331.8] – Part One

The binding alone on this incredible souvenir volume is well worth a look - exquisitely bound with the Eiffel Tower shown in gold, both on the front and back cover [image 1].  The actual book acts as a time capsule and allows the reader a trip back into the social history of that time. It offers up a glimpse of the lives of the “every day folk” at the end of the nineteenth century and affords us a better understanding of their lives.

Image one - Eiffel Tower on front cover of  volume

The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a world’s fair held in Paris from 6 May to 31 October 1889.  It attracted more than thirty-two million visitors. The most famous structure created especially for the Exposition, and the symbol of Paris today, is the Eiffel Tower.

The Exposition Universelle was specifically held to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the “Storming of the Bastille”, which was the start of the French Revolution. It was also hoped to act as a stimulus for the French economy which was in a recession.

As the theme of the Exposition was celebrating the overthrow of the French monarchy, nearly all European countries with monarchies officially boycotted the Exposition including Great Britain. However, many companies and individuals, from these boycotting nations, did attend, and a number of countries, again including Britain, had their participation entirely funded by private sponsors.

One such individual was Sir Henry Seymour King [image 2] who was Hull’s Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Central in 1889.  As well as being an MP, he came from a banking background. After leaving Oxford University, he joined the firm of Henry S. King and Company, a London bank founded by his father. Under Sir Henry’s leadership, the bank expanded into India. He had advanced ideas – his bank employed women as typists, as early as 1887, something which most other banks did not do until the First World War. It seemed that Sir Henry lived out of the area and was a resident of Kensington, London. He served two consecutive terms as Mayor of Kensington [1901-1903]. He was instrumental in providing a large interest free loan for the purchase of slum properties in North Kensington so that they could be rebuilt and refurbished.

Image 2 - Sir Henry Seymour King
[Election promotion card in C DIPC1]

Sir Henry Seymour King felt it would be of great benefit for local artisans and craftsmen of his own constituency in Hull to attend the Exposition Universelle to see first-hand what advancements and developments were happening in their particular field of expertise.  What a forward thinking individual he seemed to have been and he certainly “put his money where his mouth was”! With the help of the Mayor, Dr John Sherburn and others on the Town Council, thirty local men were given the opportunity of a lifetime – a week’s trip to Paris in order to see the Exhibition.

Seen through “today’s eyes”, it is hard to imagine what a major event this would have been for the chosen workmen.  The average wage of a carpenter was roughly 25 shillings a week – the idea of trip abroad was out of the reaches of the working classes – even a trip to London would not be considered by the majority of Hull’s working class population.

The chosen thirty came from a variety of trades and industries – including Shoemaker, Cabinet maker, Upholsterer, Cooper, Plumber, Stonemason, Saddler, Joiner, Jeweller and Printer.  As a “thank you” to their sponsor, Sir Henry Seymour King, and the Mayor of Hull, Dr Sherburn, some of the workmen wrote to thank them [image 3] and gave them very detailed written accounts of their experiences.  Their descriptions were turned into this souvenir volume.

Image 3 - John Blake's thank-you for Sir Henry Seymour King and Dr Sherburn

The workmen left from Hull Railway Station on Saturday, 10 August 1889 and they were accompanied by Mr. King’s private secretary, Mr. Trotman.  It seemed they were seen off with some “pomp and ceremony” by members of the Town Council including Councillor E. Robson. He made himself very popular with the party since [out of his own pocket] he gave them each a sovereign to “assist them in enjoying the holiday”.  The sovereign was a gold coin and was worth one pound. There was twenty shillings in a pound so you can appreciate that this would have been was a large sum of money to them.

The party travelled down to London and then onto Dover. After crossing the Channel by boat, they continued by train until they reached Paris. They stayed at the Hotel Longchamps during their trip. They returned by the same route arriving in London on the Sunday morning where they stayed overnight before returning to Hull on the Monday. One member of the party did note how “London looked very grimy after the clean city of Paris.”

They were fortunate to spend a few days sightseeing around Paris (including a trip up the Eiffel Tower) as well as a visit to Versailles before visiting the Exhibition on the Thursday and Friday. Each account of the trip offers such insight into the individuals on the trip but the majority did agree on or that:

-          Sundays in Paris were markedly different to Hull 

-          The remarkable cleanliness of the Parisian streets 

-          The French are so different to the English! 

The details contained in this volume are so fascinating and evocative that a separate blog will be posted next week highlighting their impressions.

As a footnote, Mr Seymour King could be described as a “fallen angel”, he retained his parliamentary seat until he was unseated on petition on 11 June 1911 – when Sir Henry was found guilty of a charge of bribery during the election in December 1910. His vacant seat being filled by Mark Sykes.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasure Project

Easter Island - a fascinating account by Captain James Cook

The Hull History Centre is fortunate enough to have all THREE voyages of Captain James Cook. This includes three volumes relating to Cook’s circumnavigation of the globe [published in 1773], two volumes relating to Cook’s voyage towards the South Pole [published 1777] and three volumes relating to Cook’s voyages in the Pacific Ocean published in 1785.

As a way of celebrating Easter, we thought it was fitting to highlight the visit to Easter Island by Captain Cook and his crew in March 1774.  The first recorded European contact with Easter Island took place on 5 April 1722 and since it was Easter Sunday, the Island was named after the religious day by Dutch navigator, Jacob Roggiveen.

Captain James Cook wrote in his journal that:

“At eight in the morning, on the 11^th, land was seen, from the masthead, bearing west, and at noon from the deck, extending from W.3/4N. to W. by S., about twelve leagues distant.  I made no doubt that this was Davis’s Land, or Easter Island; as it appearance from this situation, corresponded very well with Wafer’s account: and we expected to have seen the low sandy isle that Davis fell in with, which would have been a confirmation; but in this we were disappointed” [Image 1]

Image 1 - Location of Easter Island

Captain Cook was not well enough to visit the Island himself so sent others onto the Island instead.  On the first afternoon, Cook noted that:

“In the afternoon, we got on board a few casks of water, and opened a trade with the natives for such things as they had to dispose of.  Some of the gentleman also made an excursion into the country to see what it produced; and returned again in the evening, with the loss of only a hat, which one of the natives snatched off the head of one of the party.

Early next morning, I sent Lieutenants Pickersgill and Edgecumbe with a party of men, accompanied by several of the gentleman, to examine the country.  As I was not sufficiently recovered by my late illness to make one of the party, I was obliged to content myself with remaining at the landing-place among the natives”

Of the indigenous population, it was noted that there were only about six to seven hundred inhabitants, of which two-thirds were men.  However this could have been due to the females refraining from “making their appearance, during our stay: for though we saw nothing to induce us to believe the men were of a jealous disposition, or the women afraid to appear in public”

Tattooing of the skin was also included in the account –

“Tattowing, or puncturing of the skin, is much used here.  The men are marked from head to foot, with figures all nearly alike: only some give them one direction, and some another, as fancy lead.  The women are but little puncture; red and white paint is an ornament with them, also with the men; the former is made of turmeric, but what compose the latter I know not”

Two incredible images are included in the account – one titled – “Man of Easter Island” and the second titled – “Woman of Easter Island” [Images 2 and 3] 

Image 2 - Man of Easter Island

Image 3 - Woman of Easter Island

These two images illustrate some of the hand-written accounts of the locals included in this volume -

Their hair in general is black; the women wear it long, and sometimes tied up on the crown of the head; but the men wear it, and their beards, cropped short.  Their headdress is a round fillet adorned with feathers, and a straw bonnet something like a Scotch one; the former, I believe, being chiefly worn by the men, and the letter by the women.  Both men and women have very holes, or rather slits, in their ears, extending to near three inches in length.  They sometimes turn this slit over the upper part, and then the ear looks as if the flap was cut off.  The chief ear-ornaments are white down of feathers, and rings, which they wear in the inside of the hole, made of some elastic substance, rolled up like a watch-spring.  I judged this was to keep the hole at its utmost extension.  I do not remember seeing them wear any other ornaments, excepting amulets made of bone or shells”.

It is impossible not to get gripped and absorbed into the detailed and superbly illustrated accounts of all of Captain James Cook’s voyages and it is a real honour and privilege to have access to all three voyages at the Hull History Centre.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasures Project

International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade - Booker T. Washington

 It will come as no surprise to the majority of the public that the Hull History Centre has such an extensive Local Studies collection on the subject of Slavery – Hull connection with William Wilberforce is well known and documented.  William Wilberforce deserves all the recognition and respect that he is due [Image 1]

Image 1 - William Wilberforce 

I thought I would highlight an individual, Booker T. Washington, who may not be as well-known on ‘on this side of the pond’ but played a central role in education of former slaves after their emancipation in the United States.

Booker T. Washington [Image 2] was born into slavery on a tobacco plantation and rose to become a leading African American intellectual of the nineteenth century, founding Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute [now Tuskegee University, Alabama] in 1881 and National Negro Business League two decades later.  He was became the first African-American to be invited to dine at the White House, by President Theodore Roosevelt which caused uproar amongst some white Americans.  Harvard University was the first American university to recognize Washington’s greatness by conferring upon him its honorary Master of Arts degree.

Image 2 - Booker T. Washington 

Washington was born 18 April 1856 – his mother was a cook for the plantation owners, the Burroughs, whilst his father, a white man, was unknown to Washington.  In 1865, at the close of the American Civil War, all the slaves on the Burroughs plantation, including nine year old Booker, his siblings and his mother, Jane Burroughs, were freed.

His step-father, Washington Ferguson, sent for his wife and family to move to Malden, West Virginia.  Ferguson seemed like a feckless individual whose main motive for sending for his family was to use his step-children like slaves so he wouldn’t have to work. Booker T. Washington was sent to work in the salt-mines but was desperate to be educated.  His mother, who seemed like a very resourceful individual, managed to obtain a copy of the Webster spelling book and through this, he taught himself the alphabet. Booker was more determined than ever to get an education and although his stepfather forbad him from going to school, his mother persuaded the local teacher to give him lessons at night.  Eventually his stepfather reluctantly allowed his to go to school provided he went to work in the Salt mines from 4am to 9am. 

It was on his first day here that he adopted the name “Washington”.  Prior to this, he had only been called Booker.  When the teacher asked the pupils their names, Booker quickly realised that every boy had two names so he decided then and there to say “Booker Washington”.  It was only much later that he discovered his mother had named him “Booker Taliaferro” after his birth and so then adopted the full name of Booker Taliaferro Washington. 

Brigadier General Samuel Chapman had founded a school for former slaves in South East Virginia and it was here in 1872 that Booker T. Washington walked 500 miles from Malden to Hampton to take the next step in his formal education.  He was such an exceptional student that it was on the recommendation of Chapman that Washington was invited to become the Principal at a new school for African-Americans in Tuskegee, Alabama.  He would remain here until his death in 1915.

He was a great orator and some of his lasting quotes –

-          “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others, the most miserable are those who do the least”.

-          “I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him”.

-          “Character, not circumstances, makes the person”.

-          “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem”.

-          “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else”.

-          “We all should rise, above the clouds of ignorance, narrowness and selfishness”.

These are as resonant today as when they were first penned by him.

Washington publically expressed views on segregation that seem outdated today. He felt that the way forward for African-Americans was self-improvement through an attempt to “dignify and glorify common labour”. He felt it was better to remain separate from Whites than attempt desegregation as long as whites granted their black men and women access to economic progress, education and justice under U.S. Courts. His views on civil rights fell out of favour as the views of his biggest critic, W.E. B. DuBois, took root and insured the Civil Rights Movement ignited.  By 1913, with the new Woodrow Wilson administration, his views had fallen largely out of favour.

However, there is no doubt that Booker T. Washington did achieve greatness from his very humble beginnings and on his death, he left behind a thriving Educational Institution with a faculty of 200 staff and over two million dollars in educational endowments which has allowed the Tuskegee University to thrive and continue up to the present day.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasures Project