Volume four of Hutchin’s Extra Illustrated Edition covers just two places; Bridport and Lyme Regis. A M Broadley, the creator of the book, lived near Bridport in Bradpole and this may explain the large number of additions connected with the town.
Amongst the drawings, newspaper clippings and portraits is a flyer for
The Greatest Human Curiosity in Existence!!!
Master Thomas Jones,
The celebrated Cambrian Youth
Thomas was the youngest of 10 children and was born in Cilrhedin in Wales around 1831. He was also known as the Porcupine Youth because his skin, except on his palms and face, was covered with hard, horny spikes like the quills of a porcupine.
He was exhibited at the Pack Horse Inn, Bridport on the 27th November 1843. At this time he was twelve years old and 3 feet 7 inches in height. According to a newspaper report it was believed that his short stature and enlarged joints were the result of his mother soaking him in warm water for hours at a time when he was younger in an attempt to rid him of his spines. The same report stated that his parents had then decided to exhibit him in the hope of raising money to further his education.
We have found articles concerning the exhibition of Thomas from all over the country between the years 1841 and 1848, but we have been unable to out what happened to him and whether the money raised did help to build him a better life. If anyone knows any more about the story we would be fascinated to find out.
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Another curious item is a broadside marking the execution of Napoleon Bonaparte, which apparently took place in Bridport in the presence of a vast concourse of people. As Napoleon definitely wasn’t executed at Bridport we were intrigued by its origin and after some investigation and with the help of some of our followers on Twitter we have found a likely explanation.
In 1814 the whole country, along with much of Europe, was celebrating the defeat of Napoleon. Dorset was especially jubilant as there had been a very real fear that Napoleon might invade the county. There is even a persistent story that he was seen at Lulworth Cove scouting for an invasion.
Amongst the reports of the celebrations there is a report in ‘The Western Flying Post or Sherborne and Yeovil Mercury’ from May 2nd 1814 describing how, on the 21st April in Ilchester, an effigy of Bonaparte was put through the formalities of a legal trial. He was found guilty, hung in chains and then consigned to the flames.
It seems likely that the broadside marked a similar event in Bridport. The top half of the pamphlet reproduces a very well-known piece of anti-Napoleonic propaganda that originated in Germany and spread throughout Europe. The lamentation and epitaph may have been written locally.
It just goes to show that fake news is not a modern phenomenon!
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The section on Lyme Regis consists mostly of items relating to The Duke of Monmouth, who landed in Lyme Regis in 1685 in an unsuccessful attempt to take the throne. There are many pictures of the Duke, accounts of the fate of those who supported him and a very strange tale of a spirit that appeared before Lady Gray with a message for the Duke.
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Alongside these there are also some original letters and portraits relating to Thomas Coram, who was born in Lyme Regis around 1668. He is most famous for founding the Foundling Hospital in London, after being upset by the numbers of poor children he saw on the streets there, but this was just one of a number of causes he devoted himself to.
Look out for an upcoming blog looking in more detail into his fascinating life!
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This blog is part of our monthly series on the 12 extra-illustrated volumes of “Hutchins’ History and Antiquities of Dorset.”
Part one: An introduction to the history and antiquities of Dorset.
Part two: The Pitt family, a piano player, and a plague of caterpillars.
Part three: Coastline, Castles and Catastrophe