the regicides as a crime, and those who suffered as martyrs, would
appear from the pains taken to vilify their memory when dead, and
attempts made to justify their execution.
The authorities for the life of Hugh Peters are mainly: _Memoirs of
Edmund Ludlow_, 1771; B. Whitelocke's _Memorials of English Affairs_,
1732; Rushworth's _Collections_, 1692; Bishop Burnet's _History of His
Own Time_, 1724; John Thurloe's _Collection of State Papers_, 1742; J.
B. Felt's _Ecclesiastical History of New England_, 1855; Benjamin
Brooke's _Puritans_, 1813, Vol. III; _The Trial of Charles I and of Some
of the Regicides_, in Murray's Family Library, 1832; the Rev. Samuel
Peters' _A History of the Rev. Hugh Peters_, New York, 1807; _An
Historical and Critical Account of Hugh Peters_ (with portrait), London,
1751, reprinted 1818; Felt (Joseph B.), _Memoir, a Defence of Hugh
Peters_, Boston, 1857; Colomb (Colonel), _The Prince of Army Chaplains_,
London, 1899; also Gardiner's (S. R.) _History of the Commonwealth_, and
the _Dictionary of National Biography, passim_.
FOOTNOTES:
[2] Froude, _Hist. of England_, X, p. 410.
[3] _Ibid._, XI, 471-2.
[4] We have only Peters' own word for this sum. It was probably much
less.
[5] _Vita_, J. Barwick, London, 1721.
[6] Stubbe, _Justification of the War_, 1673, pt. ii. p. 83.
JAMES POLKINGHORNE,
THE WRESTLER
James Polkinghorne, the noted champion wrestler of Cornwall, was the
son of James Polkinghorne, who died at Creed, 18th March, 1836. The
wrestler James was born at S. Keverne in 1788, but there is no entry
of his baptism in the parish register.
Cornish wrestling was very different from that in Devon--it was less
brutal, as no kicking was allowed. The Devon wrestlers wore boots soaked
in bullock's blood and indurated at the fire, and with these hacked the
shins of their opponents, who wore as a protection _skillibegs_, or
bands of hay twisted and wrapped round their legs below the knee.
I have so fully described the wrestling in my _Devonshire Characters
and Strange Events_, that it is unnecessary here to go over the same
ground more than cannot be helped.
There was a Cornish jingle that ran as follows:--
Chacewater boobies up in a tree,
Looking as whish'd as ever could be,
Truro men, strong as oak,
Knock 'em down at every stroke--
that had reference to the wrestling matches.
In 1816 Polkinghorne, who had become the innkeeper of the "Red Lion,"
S. Columb Major, wrestled with Flower, a Devonshire man of gigantic
stature, and threw him. Then Jackman, another Devonian, challenged
Polkinghorne, and he was cast over the head of the Cornishman,
describing the "flying mare." But the most notable contest in which
Polkinghorne was engaged was with Abraham Cann, the Devonshire
champion. The match was for £200 a side, for the best of three
back-falls; and it took place on October 23rd, 1826, on Tamar Green,
Morice Town, Plymouth, in the presence of seventeen thousand
spectators. I have quoted the account already in my _Devonshire
Characters_, but cannot omit it here.
[Illustration: JAMES POLKINHORN, THE FAMOUS CORNISH WRESTLER
_From a drawing as he appeared in the Ring at Devonport on Monday,_ 23
_October_, 1826, _when he threw Abm. Cann, the Champion of Devonshire,
for a stake of_ 200 _sovereigns_]
"Tamar Green, Devonport, was chosen for the purpose, and the West was
alive with speculation when it was known that the backers meant
business. On the evening before the contest the town was inundated,
and the resources of its hotels and inns were taxed to the utmost.
Truculent and redoubtable gladiators flocked to the scene--kickers
from Dartmoor, the recruiting-ground of the Devonshire system, and
bearlike huggers from the land of Tre, Pol, and Pen--a wonderful
company of tried and stalwart experts. Ten thousand persons bought
tickets at a premium for seats, and the hills around swarmed with
spectators. The excitement was at the highest possible pitch, and
overwhelming volumes of cheering relieved the tension as the rivals
entered the ring--Polkinghorne in his stockings, and Cann with a
monstrous pair of shoes whose toes had been baked into flints. As the
men peeled for action such a shout ascended as awed the nerves of all
present. Polkinghorne had been discounted as fat and unwieldy, but the
Devonians were dismayed to find that, great as was his girth, his arms
were longer, and his shoulders immensely powerful. Three stone lighter
in weight, Cann displayed a more sinewy form, and his figure was knit
for strength, and as statuesquely proportioned. His grip, like
Polkinghorne's, was well known. No man had ever shaken it off when
once he had clinched; and each enjoyed a reputation for presence of
mind and resource in extremity beyond those of other masters of the
art. The match was for the best of three back-falls, the men to catch
what hold they could; and two experts from each county were selected
as sticklers. The feeling was in favour of Cann at the outset, but it
receded as the Cornishman impressed the multitude with his muscular
superiority. Repeatedly shifting their positions, the combatants
sought their favourite 'holds.' As soon as Cann caught his adversary
by the collar, after a contending display of shifty and evasive form,
Polkinghorne released himself by a feint; and, amid 'terrible shouts
from the Cornishmen,' he drove his foe to his knees.
"Nothing daunted, the Devonian accepted the Cornish hug, and the efforts
of the rivals were superb. Cann depended on his science to save him, but
Polkinghorne gathered his head under his arm, and lifting him from the
ground, threw him clean over his shoulder, and planted him on his back.
The very earth groaned with the uproar that followed; the Cornishmen
jumped by hundreds into the ring; there they embraced their champion
till he begged to be released; and, amid cheers and execrations, the
fall was announced to have complied with the conditions. Bets to the
amount of hundreds of pounds were decided by this event.
"Polkinghorne now went to work with caution, and Cann was conscious that
he had an awkward customer to tackle. After heavy kicking and attempted
hugging, the Cornishman tried once more to lift his opponent; but Cann
caught his opponent's leg in his descent, and threw him to the ground
first. In the ensuing rounds both men played for wind. Polkinghorne was
the more distressed, his knees quite raw with punishment, and the
betting veered in Cann's favour. Then the play changed, and Cann was
apparently at the mercy of his foe, when he upset Polkinghorne's balance
by a consummate effort, and threw him on his back by sheer strength--the
first that the sticklers allowed him. Cann next kicked tremendously; but
although the Cornishman suffered severely, he remained 'dead game,' and
twice saved himself by falling on his chest.
"Disputes now disturbed the umpires, and their number was reduced to
two. In the eighth round Polkinghorne's strength began to fail, and a
dispute was improvised which occasioned another hour's delay. With
wind regained and strength revived, the tenth round was contested with
absolute fury; and, taking kicking with fine contempt, Polkinghorne
gripped Cann with leonine majesty, lifted him from the earth in his
arms, turned him over his head, and dashed him to the ground with
stunning force. As the Cornishman dropped on his knee the fall was
disputed, and the turn was disallowed. Polkinghorne then left the ring
amid a mighty clamour, and by reason of his default the stakes were
awarded to Cann. The victor emerged from the terrific hug of his
opponent with a mass of bruises, which proved that kicking was only
one degree more effective than hugging.
"A more unsatisfactory issue could hardly have been conceived, and the
rival backers forthwith endeavoured to arrange another encounter.
Polkinghorne refused to meet Cann, however, unless he discarded his
shoes."[7]
Various devices were attempted to bring them together again, but they
failed. Each had a wholesome dread of the other.
An account of the contest was written as a ballad and was entitled "A
New Song on the Wrestling Match between Cann and Polkinghorne," that
was to be sung to the tune "The Night I Married Susy," or else to "The
Coronation."
Full accounts are to be found in _The Sporting Magazine_, London,
LXVII, 165-6; LXIX, 55-6, 215, 314-16, 344. In the _Annual Register_,
chronicle 1826, 157-8.
Polkinghorne died at S. Columb, on September 15th, 1854, at the age of
seventy-six, twenty-eight years after his match with Cann. He was
buried on September 17th.
FOOTNOTE:
[7] Whitfeld, _Plymouth and Devonport in War and Peace_, Plymouth, 1900.
HENRY TRENGROUSE, INVENTOR
Helston is a quaint old town, once of far more importance than at
present. It possessed an old castle, that has now disappeared. It was
one of the six stannary towns, and prior to 1832 returned two members
to Parliament. It still glories in its "Furry Day," when the whole
town goes mad, dancing, in spite of Methodism. It has on some of its
old house-gables pixy seats, and it had a grammar school that has had
notable masters, as Derwent Coleridge, and notable scholars, as Henry
Trengrouse. It is the key and capital to that wonderful district, rich
in geological and botanic and antiquarian interest, the Lizard.
The great natural curiosity of Helston is Loe Pool, formed by the
Comber, a small river, penned back by Loe Bar, a pebble-and-sand ridge
thrown up by the sea. The sheet of water lying between wooded hills
abounds in trout, and white swans float dreamily over the still water.
The banks are rich with fern, and yellow, white, and pink
mesembryanthemum. Formerly the pool rose till it overflowed the lower
parts of the town; now a culvert has been driven through the rocks to
let off the water as soon as it has attained a certain height.
Henry Trengrouse was born at Helston, 18th March, 1772, the son of
Nicholas Trengrouse (1739-1814), and of Mary, his wife, who was a
Williams.
The family had been long among the freeholders of Helston, and
possessed as well a small estate, Priske, in the parish of Mullion;
but the family name is taken from Tref-an-grouse, the House by the
Cross, in the same parish.
Henry was educated in Helston Grammar School, and became, by trade, a
cabinet-maker.
On 29th December, 1807, when he was aged thirty-five, a rumour spread
through the little town that a large frigate, H.M.S. _Anson_, had been
driven ashore on Loe Bar, about three miles distant. Mr. Trengrouse
and many others hastened to the coast and reached the bar.
The _Anson_, forty-four guns, under the command of Captain Lydiard,
had left Falmouth on Christmas Eve for her station off Brest as a
look-out ship for the Channel Fleet.
A gale from the W.S.W. sprang up, and after being buffeted about till
the 28th, with the wind increasing, the captain determined to run to
port. The first land they made was the Land's End, which they mistook
for the Lizard, and only discovered their mistake when the cry of
"Breakers ahead!" was heard from the man on the look-out. They were
now embayed, and in face of the terrible storm it was impossible to
work off, so both cables were let go. The _Anson_ rode to these till
the early morning of the 29th, when they parted, and the captain, in
order to save as many lives as possible, decided to beach her on the
sand off Loe Pool. A tremendous sea was running, and as she took the
beach only sixty yards from the bar, she was dashed broadside on, and
happily for the poor fellows on board, heeled landwards. Seas
mountains high rolled over her, sweeping everything before them. Then
her masts went by the board, her main mast forming a floating raft
from the ship almost to the shore, and over this scrambled through
the maddened waves most of those who were saved.
[Illustration: HENRY TRENGROUSE, THE INVENTOR OF THE ROCKET APPARATUS
FOR SAVING LIFE AT SEA
_From an oil painting by Opie the younger, reproduced by permission of
Mr. H. Trengrouse_]
It was a terrible sight to witness for the hundreds of spectators who
had by this time collected on the beach, but it was almost impossible
for them to render any assistance.
At last, when all hands seemed to have left the ship, two
stout-hearted Methodist local preachers--Mr. Tobias Roberts, of
Helston, and Mr. Foxwell, of Mullion--made an attempt to reach her, so
as to see if any one remained on board. They succeeded, and were soon
followed by others, who found several people, including two women and
as many children. The women and some of the men were safely conveyed
ashore, but the children were drowned. There were altogether upwards
of a hundred drowned, including the captain, who stood by the frigate
to the last. The exact number was never known, as many of the soldiers
deserted on reaching the shore.
The survivors salved a good deal from the wreck, amongst which were
watches, jewellery, and many articles of considerable value. They were
placed all together in a bedroom of the old inn at Porthleven, with a
soldier with drawn sword on guard. One of the beams that bent under
such an unusual weight may be seen bowed to this day. A local militia
sergeant was soon afterwards sent to Helston in charge of a wagon-load
of these valuable goods, and when half-way to his destination was
accosted by a Jew, who offered him £50 in exchange for his load. "Here
is my answer," said the sergeant, presenting a loaded pistol at his
head, and the fellow hurriedly took his departure.
Much indignation was raised at the time by the way in which the victims
of the disaster were buried. They were bundled in heaps into large pits
dug in the cliff above, without any burial service being performed over
them. It was customary everywhere at that time for all bodies washed
ashore to be interred by the finder at the nearest convenient spot. But
as a result of the indecent methods of burial of the _Anson_ victims, an
Act of Parliament was framed by Mr. Davies Gilbert, and passed on 18th
June, 1808, providing "suitable interment in churchyards and parochial
burying-grounds" for all bodies cast up by the sea.
The _Anson_ was a sixty-four gun frigate cut down to a forty-four, and
had seen much service. Among many fights, she figured in Lord Rodney's
action on 12th April, 1782, formed part of the fleet which repulsed
the French squadron in an attempt to land in Ireland in 1796, helped
in the seizure of the French West Indies in 1803, and in 1807 took
part in the capture of Curaçao from the Dutch. It was not long after
her return from this latter place that she left Falmouth for the
cruise on which she met her fate.[8]
In 1902 the hull of the _Anson_, after having been submerged for
ninety-five years, came to light again. She was found by Captain
Anderson of the West of England Salvage Company, whose attention had
been directed to the wreck by a Porthleven fisherman. Unfortunately at
the time the weather was so stormy that Captain Anderson could not
proceed with any efforts of salvage, and with the exception of one
visit of inspection the interesting relic was left untouched. But in
April, 1903, with a bright sky and a light breeze from the north-east,
he proceeded to the spot and inspected the remains. The hull of the
vessel was not intact, and several guns were lying alongside. One of
these, about 10 ft. 6 in. long, Captain Anderson secured and hoisted
on to the deck of the _Green Castle_ by means of a winch, and
afterwards conveyed it to Penzance. It was much encrusted. Amongst the
mass of _débris_ also raised were several cannon-balls.
But to return to Henry Trengrouse, who had stood on the beach watching
the wreck, the rescue of some and the perishing of others.
Drenched with rain and spray, and sick at heart, Henry Trengrouse
returned to his home, and was confined to his bed for nearly a week,
having contracted a severe cold. The terrible scene had made an
indelible impression on his mind, and he could not, even if he had
wished it, drive the thought away. Night and day he mused on the means
whereby some assistance could be given to the shipwrecked, some
communication be established between the vessel and the shore.
He was a great friend of Samuel Drew, whose life was devoted to
metaphysics, and it was perhaps the contrast in the two minds that
made them friends--one an idealist, the other practical.
Trengrouse had a small competence, besides his trade, and he devoted
every penny that he could spare to experiments, first in the
construction of a lifeboat, but without satisfactory results.
The King's birthday was celebrated at Helston with fireworks on the
green; and as Henry Trengrouse looked up at the streak of fire rushing
into the darkness above and scattering a shower of stars, it occurred to
him, Why should not a rocket, instead of wasting itself in an exhibition
of fireworks, do service and become a means of carrying a rope to a
vessel among the breakers? When a communication has been established
between the wreck and the shore, above the waves, it may become an
aerial passage along which those in distress may pass to safety.
Something of the same idea had already occurred to Lieutenant John Bell
in 1791, but his proposal was that a shot with a chain attached to it
should be discharged from a mortar. Captain George William Manby had his
attention drawn to this in February, 1807, and in August of the same
year exhibited some experiments with his improved life-preserving mortar
to the members of the Suffolk House Humane Society. By the discharge of
the mortar a barbed shot was to be flung on to the wreck, with a line
attached to the shot. By means of this line a hawser could be drawn from
the shore to the ship, and along it would be run a cradle in which the
shipwrecked persons could be drawn to land.
Manby's mortar was soon abandoned as cumbrous and dangerous; men were
killed during tests; notwithstanding which he was awarded, £2000. The
great merit of Trengrouse's invention was that the rocket was much
lighter than a shot from a mortar, and was, moreover, more portable,
and there was a special line manufactured for it that would not kink,
nor would it snap, because the velocity of the rocket increased
gradually, whereas that from a discharge of a mortar was sudden and so
great that the cord was frequently ruptured.
The distinctive feature of Trengrouse's apparatus consisted of "a
section of a cylinder, which is fitted to the barrel of a musket by a
bayonet socket; a rocket with a line attached to its stick is so
placed on it that its priming receives fire immediately from the
barrel";[9] whereas a metal mortar could not be conveyed to the cliff
or shore opposite the scene of disaster without being drawn in a
conveyance by horses, and where there was no road with the utmost
difficulty dragged over hedges and ploughed fields by men. Not only
so, but a shot discharged by Captain Manby's mortar was liable to
endanger life. Wrecks generally happened in the dark, and then the
shot would not be visible to those on the wreck. But Trengrouse's
rocket would indicate its track by the trail of fire by which it was
impelled, and could be fired from either the ship or the shore.
Trengrouse expended £3000 on his experiments, and sacrificed to this
one object--that of saving life--his capital, his business, and his
health. He cut off the entail on Priske, which had belonged to the
family for several generations, and sold it to enable him to pursue
his experiments. There was much that was pathetic in his life: there
were the long and frequent journeys to London from Helston, four days
by coach, sometimes in mid-winter and in snowstorms, with the object
of inducing successive Governments to adopt the rocket apparatus,
meeting only with discouragement. Nor was this all. After all his own
means had been exhausted, he received a legacy of £500 under a
brother's will, and this sum he at once devoted to further endeavours
with H.M. Government for the general adoption of his rocket apparatus.
The Russian ambassador now stepped forward and invited Trengrouse to
S. Petersburg, where he assured him that, instead of rebuffs, he would
experience only the consideration due to him for his inventions. But
Trengrouse's reply was, "My country first"; and that country allowed
him, after the signal services he had rendered to humanity--to die
penniless.
His original design was to supply every ship with a rocket apparatus;
as vessels were almost invariably wrecked _before_ the wind, the line
might the more easily be fired from a ship than from the shore.
Trengrouse once met Sir William Congreve, who also claimed to be the
inventor of the war-rocket; and Trengrouse said to him in the course
of their discussion, "As far as I can see, Sir William, your rocket is
designed to _destroy_ life; mine is to save life; and I do claim to be
the first that ever thought of utilizing a rocket for the saving of
human lives."[10]
Trengrouse moreover invented the cork jacket or "life preserver." This
was a success, and has never been improved on. It has been the means
of saving many hundreds of lives. He also built a model of a lifeboat,
that could not be sunk, and was equal to the present lifeboats of the
Royal Lifeboat Association in all respects except the "self-righting"
principle. It was not until February 28th, 1818, after many journeys
to London, and much ignorant and prejudiced objection that he had to
contend against, such as is found so usual among Government officials,
that Trengrouse was able to exhibit his apparatus before Admiral Sir
Charles Rowley. A committee was appointed, and on March 5th it
reported favourably on the scheme.
In the same year the Committee of the Elder Brethren of Trinity House
reported in high terms on the invention, and recommended that "no
vessel should be without it."
Thereupon Government began to move slowly; in the House the matter was
discussed and haggled over. One speaker exclaimed: "You are guilty of
sinful negligence in this matter, for while you are parleying over
this invention and this important subject, thousands of our fellow-men
are losing their lives."
[Illustration: THE WRECK OF THE "ANSON"
_From a sketch by H. Trengrouse_]
At last Government ordered twenty sets of the life-preserving rockets,
but afterwards resolved on making the apparatus itself, and paid
Trengrouse the sum of £50, the supposed amount of profit he would have
made on the order. Fifty pounds was all his ungrateful country could
afford to give him. In 1821, however, the Society of Arts pronounced
favourably on his apparatus, and presented Trengrouse with their
silver medal and a grant of thirty guineas.
Through the Russian ambassador, the then Czar sent him a diamond ring,
in consideration of the great advantage his apparatus had proved in
shipwrecks on the Baltic and the Black Sea. Even this he was constrained
to pledge, that he might devote the money to his darling project.
With these acknowledgments of his services he had to rest contented;
but ever the news of lives having been saved through his invention was
a solace to an even and contented mind.
Henry Trengrouse died at Helston on February 19th, 1854.
As he lay on his death-bed with his face to the wall, he turned about,
and with one of his bright, hopeful smiles said to his son, "If you live
to be as old as I am, you will find my rocket apparatus all along our
shores." They were his last words; in a few minutes he had passed away.
The rocket apparatus is along the shores at 300 stations, but not, as
he had hoped, on board the vessels. He had despaired of obtaining
that, yet that is what he aimed at principally.