The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty (12 page)
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Authors: Caroline Alexander
Tags: #History, #Europe, #Great Britain, #Military, #Naval
BOOK: The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
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Cockermouth and Moorland Close stood on the edge of the Lake District, “the wildest, most barren and frightful” landscape in England. Years later, Wordsworth would romanticize and memorialize the savage grandeur of fractured crags and sweeping valleys, scored with streams and dark tarns. Cockermouth, situated against the backdrop of Mt. Skiddaw on the Derwent and Cocker Rivers, was by all accounts a pleasant market town, its two main streets lined with stout stone houses roofed with thatch and blue slate.
Little is known of Fletcher Christian’s Cumberland upbringing, but his schoolmate William Wordsworth never forgot the wild freedom this countryside gave his childhood:
Oh, many a time have I, a five years’ child,
In a small mill-race severed from his stream,
Made one long bathing of a summer’s day;
Basked in the sun, and plunged and basked again
Alternate, all a summer’s day, or scoured
The sandy fields, leaping through flowery groves
Of yellow ragwort; or when rock and hill,
The woods, and distant Skiddaw’s lofty height,
Were bronzed with deepest radiance, stood alone
Beneath the sky, as if I had been born
On Indian plains, and from my mother’s hut
Had run abroad in wantonness, to sport,
A naked savage, in the thunder shower.
While Fletcher Christian rode back and forth between the orchards and gardens of Moorland Close to Cockermouth, his two oldest brothers, John and Edward, went off to Cambridge and to professions in law. It was Edward who, as a new fellow of his college, handled his mother’s affairs when her finances finally and fatally bottomed out. The crisis occurred in 1779, although to judge from the size of her debts it had been building for years. Somehow, together with her eldest son, John, she had managed to accumulate debts to the tune of £6,490 0s. 11d. The family, it appears, had been living for years with no regard for reality, and now Ann Christian was faced with the humiliating prospect of debtor’s prison. John Christian, her husband’s wealthy brother and head of the family, once again bailed them out, but seems to have made it clear that he could not be counted upon to do so again. In partial compensation, John Christian assumed ownership of Moorland Close and all effects attached to it.
Through Edward’s special pleading and contributions from his own modest fellowship, he succeeded in scraping together an annuity of forty guineas per annum for his mother, with which, as he observed, she would “be able to live comfortably any where, so that if she is not secure from arrests at Moorland Close, I should have now no objections to the family’s removing to the Isle of Man.” In the course of these negotiations with his wealthy uncle, Edward indicated the hope that “in time perhaps some of us may be in such circumstances as to think it a desirable object to redeem the place of our nativity.” This touching aspiration was never to be realized. In October 1779, an advertisement was run on the front page of the
Cumberland Pacquet
for “that large commodious House situated in the Market Place of Cockermouth” formerly belonging to John Christian, Fletcher and Edward’s oldest brother. Edward briefly became headmaster of Hawkshead Grammar School in Cumberland, where one of his pupils was Wordsworth. After seeking a position as a naval surgeon, Charles junior, the third son, entered the West Yorkshire Militia Regiment, commanded by Sir George Savile, who wrote glancingly of him, noting that “Mr. Christian [is] well satisfied & happy I believe in his situation. Indeed he is very deserving,” which suggests the special attention of an aristocratic patron with “interest” in his new recruit. When the regiment disbanded, Charles Christian went to Edinburgh to study medicine, and then qualified as a surgeon aboard an East India vessel called the
Middlesex.
Cumberland Pacquet
for “that large commodious House situated in the Market Place of Cockermouth” formerly belonging to John Christian, Fletcher and Edward’s oldest brother. Edward briefly became headmaster of Hawkshead Grammar School in Cumberland, where one of his pupils was Wordsworth. After seeking a position as a naval surgeon, Charles junior, the third son, entered the West Yorkshire Militia Regiment, commanded by Sir George Savile, who wrote glancingly of him, noting that “Mr. Christian [is] well satisfied & happy I believe in his situation. Indeed he is very deserving,” which suggests the special attention of an aristocratic patron with “interest” in his new recruit. When the regiment disbanded, Charles Christian went to Edinburgh to study medicine, and then qualified as a surgeon aboard an East India vessel called the
Middlesex.
The fact that Ann Christian, with her daughter, Mary, and young Humphrey, immigrated to the Isle of Man suggests that she was not, after all, “secure from arrest”: debts acquired on the mainland could not be pursued here, and the island had become a haven for financially distressed gentry. Fletcher, now about fifteen, attended St. Bees School, close to Whitehaven in Cumberland, but would have been a summer visitor to the island between school terms, where he encountered another part of his heritage. Here, on the Isle of Man, the Christians were an ancient and distinguished family who could trace their lineage back in an unbroken line of male successors to 1408, the year in which John MacCrysten, deemster or judge of the island, had put his signature on a deed.
It was not, however, in the magnificent, castlelike Christian family home of Milntown, with its sixteenth-century gardens and doors reputedly made from the wreckage of the Spanish Armada, that Ann and her family had settled. Bound to live within the means of her modest annuity, Ann Christian had taken her family to Douglas, where she rented property. Facing the Irish Sea and backed by miles of rolling, sparsely inhabited countryside, Douglas was more isolated and more remote than Cockermouth. It was home to just under three thousand souls. Herring sheds, a small shipyard and a brewery represented local industry. Douglas society, according to a contemporary English diarist, was “not of the best kind, much like that in our common Country Towns.” But life here was cheap: no taxes, a “good living House at £8 a year,” and port wine for ten pence a bottle.
Between Cumberland and the Isle of Man, then, young Fletcher Christian had lived within the shadow of family greatness, even if the shadow was not cast by his own immediate kin. No evidence survives of how he passed the years between St. Bees School and his sudden resurfacing in the muster roll of the
Eurydice
in 1783. The younger sons of Charles and Ann Christian would have been brought up to look forward to university and careers in law, following the paths of John and Edward; but the money had run out. Fletcher’s late coming to his profession, his staying “at school longer than young men generally do who enter into the navy,” may have been the result of family stalling, a hope that something “would come up” to change their fortunes. Nevertheless, Fletcher’s proposal to Bligh—that “he would readily enter his ship as a Foremast-man”—indicates that the young man had accepted with great grace and optimistic courage this abrupt change of destinies.
Eurydice
in 1783. The younger sons of Charles and Ann Christian would have been brought up to look forward to university and careers in law, following the paths of John and Edward; but the money had run out. Fletcher’s late coming to his profession, his staying “at school longer than young men generally do who enter into the navy,” may have been the result of family stalling, a hope that something “would come up” to change their fortunes. Nevertheless, Fletcher’s proposal to Bligh—that “he would readily enter his ship as a Foremast-man”—indicates that the young man had accepted with great grace and optimistic courage this abrupt change of destinies.
Another of the
Bounty
’s newly recruited young gentlemen had a family background remarkably similar to that of Fletcher Christian. In fact, Peter Heywood was distantly related to the Christians: his great-aunt Elizabeth had married another John Christian of Douglas, and both the Christians and his mother’s family, the Speddings, had married into the ancient Cumberland family of Curwen. On his father’s side, Peter Heywood could trace his ancestry back to Piers E’Wood in 1164, who had settled after the Norman invasion near Heywood, Lancashire. A branch of the family eventually immigrated to the Isle of Man, of whom the most famous member had been Peter “Powderplot” Heywood, who had apprehended Guy Fawkes and so forestalled the plot to blow up Parliament in 1605.
Bounty
’s newly recruited young gentlemen had a family background remarkably similar to that of Fletcher Christian. In fact, Peter Heywood was distantly related to the Christians: his great-aunt Elizabeth had married another John Christian of Douglas, and both the Christians and his mother’s family, the Speddings, had married into the ancient Cumberland family of Curwen. On his father’s side, Peter Heywood could trace his ancestry back to Piers E’Wood in 1164, who had settled after the Norman invasion near Heywood, Lancashire. A branch of the family eventually immigrated to the Isle of Man, of whom the most famous member had been Peter “Powderplot” Heywood, who had apprehended Guy Fawkes and so forestalled the plot to blow up Parliament in 1605.
Peter was born on June 5, 1772, on the Isle of Man, in his father’s house, the Nunnery, a romantic former abbey set in extensive gardens about half a mile up the hill from Douglas, and the most imposing property in the area. Peter’s father, Peter John Heywood, like many of the Manx Christians before him, was a deemster of the island, and took a scholar’s interest in the Manx language, unusual for his time.
But while Heywood may have been a learned man, he appears not to have been highly practical. The next year, he was forced by debts to sell the Nunnery, surrender his position as deemster, and move to Whitehaven, close to where Fletcher Christian was to go to school.
Exactly how the Heywoods survived over the next few years remains unclear, but in 1781, Mr. Heywood was offered the appointment as seneschal, or agent, of the Duke of Atholl’s estate and holdings on the Isle of Man. Young Peter had moved back to the island with his large family of ten brothers and sisters, and settled in Douglas, where Fletcher’s mother was now also residing, and where the presence of the Nunnery must have been a constant, bitter reminder of more prosperous days.
In July 1787, only a month before Bligh received his orders for the
Bounty,
Peter’s father was unceremoniously fired by the Duke of Atholl when it was discovered that he not only had been wildly mishandling the Duke’s estate, but had also pocketed several thousand pounds of his employer’s income. Confronted with his wrongdoing, Mr. Heywood had responded with self-righteous hauteur; among other tactics, he pointed out that his family could be traced as far back as the Atholls. This inability to assume any responsibility, let alone culpability, for his actions so incensed his employer that the Duke felt compelled to offer a personal rebuke. For years, he observed to Mr. Heywood, “you have been living in a Stile of profusion far beyond your fortune, and to the detriment of your own Children spending money belonging to another.”
Bounty,
Peter’s father was unceremoniously fired by the Duke of Atholl when it was discovered that he not only had been wildly mishandling the Duke’s estate, but had also pocketed several thousand pounds of his employer’s income. Confronted with his wrongdoing, Mr. Heywood had responded with self-righteous hauteur; among other tactics, he pointed out that his family could be traced as far back as the Atholls. This inability to assume any responsibility, let alone culpability, for his actions so incensed his employer that the Duke felt compelled to offer a personal rebuke. For years, he observed to Mr. Heywood, “you have been living in a Stile of profusion far beyond your fortune, and to the detriment of your own Children spending money belonging to another.”
Mr. Heywood’s sudden loss of employment had brought disaster to his family, who were forced to move out of their house, which was the Duke’s property. On the other hand, the disgrace of Mr. Heywood’s offense was studiously concealed and there is no whisper of any misdeed in all the Heywood papers down through the decades after this. Apparently unashamed, the children seemed to have passed through life with all their illusions of superior gentility intact.
Peter had been sent away to school at the age of eleven, first to Nantwich school in Cheshire and then, briefly, also to St. Bees, at which establishments he would have received a gentleman’s usual diet of religious instruction and Latin. His teacher at Nantwich had published books on Livy and Tacitus, and so one may hazard that young Peter had his fill of these. Unlike Fletcher, however, a seagoing career of some kind had probably been in the cards for Peter, regardless of changed family circumstances; the number of naval and military careers in the Heywood pedigree suggests this was an honored tradition. Peter’s first naval service had been aboard the
Powerful,
in 1786. The
Powerful,
however, had never left Plymouth Harbour. As this represented his only naval experience prior to joining the
Bounty,
he had not yet served at sea.
Powerful,
in 1786. The
Powerful,
however, had never left Plymouth Harbour. As this represented his only naval experience prior to joining the
Bounty,
he had not yet served at sea.
Peter’s position as a young gentleman and an AB on the
Bounty
came through the sympathetic and pitying offices of William Bligh’s father-in-law, Richard Betham, a friend of the Heywoods. “He is an ingenious young Lad & has always been a favorite of mine & indeed every body here,” Betham wrote to Bligh from Douglas, thanking him for taking Peter under his wing. “And indeed the Reason of my insisting so strenuously upon his going the Voyage with you is that after I had mentioned the matter to Mrs Bligh, his Family have fallen into a great deal of Distress on account of their Father’s losing the Duke of Atholl’s Business, and I thought it would not appear well in me to drop this matter if it cou’d be possibly be done without any prejudice to you, as this wou’d seem deserting them in their adversity, and I found they wou’d regard it as a great Disappointment.” Betham did not apparently envisage young Peter’s duties as being particularly nautical. “I hope he will be of some Service to you, so far as he is able, in writing or looking after any necessary matters under your charge,” Betham had added, vaguely.
Bounty
came through the sympathetic and pitying offices of William Bligh’s father-in-law, Richard Betham, a friend of the Heywoods. “He is an ingenious young Lad & has always been a favorite of mine & indeed every body here,” Betham wrote to Bligh from Douglas, thanking him for taking Peter under his wing. “And indeed the Reason of my insisting so strenuously upon his going the Voyage with you is that after I had mentioned the matter to Mrs Bligh, his Family have fallen into a great deal of Distress on account of their Father’s losing the Duke of Atholl’s Business, and I thought it would not appear well in me to drop this matter if it cou’d be possibly be done without any prejudice to you, as this wou’d seem deserting them in their adversity, and I found they wou’d regard it as a great Disappointment.” Betham did not apparently envisage young Peter’s duties as being particularly nautical. “I hope he will be of some Service to you, so far as he is able, in writing or looking after any necessary matters under your charge,” Betham had added, vaguely.
In the summer of 1787, Mr. Heywood accompanied his son from the Isle of Man to Liverpool. Here he bade Peter good-bye, entrusting him to the care of friends who were traveling to London by chaise along the long, rough road, each carrying a pair of loaded pistols as a guard against highwaymen. Once at Deptford, as another token of Bligh’s efforts for the young man, Peter stayed with Bligh and his wife at their lodgings while the
Bounty
was being equipped. Christian had relatives in London of his own to visit, including an uncle and his brother John, who had moved here after his bankruptcy. Given Christian’s already close association with Bligh, it would be incredible that he too did not visit the Bligh household at this time. “You have danced my children upon your knee,” Bligh would remind the master’s mate at a later date.
Bounty
was being equipped. Christian had relatives in London of his own to visit, including an uncle and his brother John, who had moved here after his bankruptcy. Given Christian’s already close association with Bligh, it would be incredible that he too did not visit the Bligh household at this time. “You have danced my children upon your knee,” Bligh would remind the master’s mate at a later date.
Also joining the
Bounty,
rated as a nominal AB, was another fallen aristocrat of sorts, twenty-one-year-old Edward Young. Edward was the nephew of Sir George Young, a distinguished naval captain and future admiral who had served in both the Royal Navy and the East India Company. “As I do not know all his exploits,” one memorialist offered breezily, “I can only state that he was employed . . . in several services requiring nautical skill and British courage.” Since 1784, George Young had been an advocate, with Sir Joseph Banks, of establishing the New South Wales colony, which he envisaged would serve as a port of call for ships on the China trade and more unexpectedly a center for the cultivation of flax. A paper outlining his proposal became a cornerstone of the government’s eventual establishment of a penal colony near Botany Bay. It is probable that it was through his connection with Banks that Young had approached Bligh about a position for Edward.
Bounty,
rated as a nominal AB, was another fallen aristocrat of sorts, twenty-one-year-old Edward Young. Edward was the nephew of Sir George Young, a distinguished naval captain and future admiral who had served in both the Royal Navy and the East India Company. “As I do not know all his exploits,” one memorialist offered breezily, “I can only state that he was employed . . . in several services requiring nautical skill and British courage.” Since 1784, George Young had been an advocate, with Sir Joseph Banks, of establishing the New South Wales colony, which he envisaged would serve as a port of call for ships on the China trade and more unexpectedly a center for the cultivation of flax. A paper outlining his proposal became a cornerstone of the government’s eventual establishment of a penal colony near Botany Bay. It is probable that it was through his connection with Banks that Young had approached Bligh about a position for Edward.
However, there is no family record of a nephew called Edward. On the
Bounty
muster, Edward is entered as coming from “St. Kitt’s,” and a near contemporary reference mentions him as “half-caste.” He was described by Bligh as roughly five foot eight in height, with a dark complexion “and rather a bad look.” Young had dark brown hair, was “Strong Made” and had “lost several of his Fore teeth, and those that remain are all Rotten; a Small Mole on the left Side of the throat.” If Edward was indeed a nephew of Sir George, it is most likely that his father had been Robert Young, a younger brother who had died in 1781 on St. Helena while captain of the East India Company’s
Vansittart.
Whereas other distinguished families associated with the
Bounty
would be loud in their opinions, news of the mutiny was met with a thundering silence by the Youngs. If Edward had been born on the wrong side of the blanket, there may have been relief when he vanished from the picture altogether.
Bounty
muster, Edward is entered as coming from “St. Kitt’s,” and a near contemporary reference mentions him as “half-caste.” He was described by Bligh as roughly five foot eight in height, with a dark complexion “and rather a bad look.” Young had dark brown hair, was “Strong Made” and had “lost several of his Fore teeth, and those that remain are all Rotten; a Small Mole on the left Side of the throat.” If Edward was indeed a nephew of Sir George, it is most likely that his father had been Robert Young, a younger brother who had died in 1781 on St. Helena while captain of the East India Company’s
Vansittart.
Whereas other distinguished families associated with the
Bounty
would be loud in their opinions, news of the mutiny was met with a thundering silence by the Youngs. If Edward had been born on the wrong side of the blanket, there may have been relief when he vanished from the picture altogether.
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