Open Writing

They say that when you get older you read the death notices and obituaries in the newspaper more often. What a sad thought! It’s a lot more exciting to read them in very old newspapers. For instance, consider the list of people who died in 1893, published in The Times.

You’ll find Mrs Martin Gubbins, widow of the Financial Commissioner in Oudh in 1857, a lady who rendered benevolent service to the wounded at Lucknow; and Vice-Admiral Jonkheer von Cassembroot, “the hero of Shimonoseki”. Also in the list are Mr William Stokes’s “Wonderful Boy” who died at the age of 86, and Mrs Harrison, one of the last survivors of the “Clapham Sect”.

Royalty who passed away included the Crown Prince of Siam, the Queen of Korea, and Prince Wolfgang of Bavaria, grandson of the Prince Regent. We shouldn’t overlook Prince Wilhelm von Montennovo, son of the Archduchess Marie Louise (second wife of Napoleon I) by her morganatic marriage to Count von Neipperg. He somehow managed to retain his title in spite of the fact that his father was not royalty. Work that one out, if you can.

It’s difficult to find the precise identity of Mr William Stokes’s “Wonderful Boy”. Entertainment at The Royal Aquarium, Westminster, included the opportunity to consult Mr Stokes — who was then known as Professor Stokes, by the way — on how to improve your memory. Before you did that, you could watch a grand spectacle entitled “The War in Egypt”. Mr Farini’s walrus was also on show, as were some crocodiles. There were sundry wondrous circus acts, too. How utterly delightful it must have been for the better class of person, as well as educational and enlightening for those of the serving classes.

Mr, sorry, Professor Stokes wrote a book on memory training which seems to have paved the way for future developments in that area. It went into at least ninety reprints and new editions. He was assisted in his public demonstrations by his “wonderful boys”. That’s a somewhat eyebrow-raising term, but we can assume that their relationship was unsullied. The boys might have been his sons or well-trained young experts in his system. Perhaps there’s a misprint in the obituary line. From what we know about him, William Stokes himself probably died in 1893.

However, there’s no mystery about the Clapham Sect. Nicknamed “the saints”, they were evangelical church-people who fought for social reform from about 1790 to 1830. One of their most famous members was William Wilberforce, whose name is strongly linked to the eventual abolition of the Slave Trade. It’s possible that their work also led to the establishment of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
There’s a much sadder story surrounding the death of the Queen of Korea. There had been a monarchy in that country for about 2,000 years. According to legend, it started much further back in history. The last queen, Empress Myeongesong, Queen Min-bi, was brutally murdered by Japanese and Korean assassins. King Kojong was elsewhere in the palace and was not attacked. Continuous war involving China and Japan brought an end to his rule in 1910.

Grand titles were abundant. 1893 saw the passing of Sir Thomas Wade, formerly British Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to China, and the remarkably designated Mrs Townshend Wilson, Extra Bedchamber Woman to the Queen. No, stop smirking.

Monarchs, peers, dignitaries, centenarians, smugglers, explorers, generals, bishops, vicars, nonconformist ministers, prominent Freemasons, jockeys, cricketers, industrialists, reformers, writers, musicians, entertainers, and more besides, they’re all in the list. It even includes Herr Dowe, inventor of a bullet-proof coat, and Mrs Amelia Bloomer, advocate of women’s rights, dress reform for women, and pioneer of eponymic bloomers.

Let’s not be distracted by Archduchess Marie Louise’s morganatic marriage and Mr Stokes’s “wonderful boys”. They pale into insignificance beside the benefits of bullet-proof coats and bloomers.

© Copyright 2006 Brian Barratt