Clik here to view.
Images of Napoleon on St Helena 1818-1821
NAPOLEON I two months before his death, sketched from the life by the English Naval Captain Maryat [sic] I have in the past posted some images of Napoleon made after his death. I thought it might be...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In the Footsteps of Napoleon: Madeira, Henry Veitch and Winston Churchill
The 1792 "Napoleon Madeira"A recent visit to Madeira made me look up the story of Napoleon's brief stay off shore on board HMS Northumberland in August 1815. I first heard of this from a friend who...
View ArticleClik here to view.
"Napoleon's Desk" at Downton Abbey: all is not what it seems
"Napoleon's Desk" at Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) During our stay on St Helena earlier this year we visited Longwood House after 30 or so pieces of furniture had been removed, packed and sent to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Anyone for a Flight to St Helena?
Article on Atlantic Star Airline, St Helena Independent 18th October 2013Before leaving for a meeting of the Friends of St Helena in London yesterday, about which perhaps more some other time, I read...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ban on Export of "Napoleon Death Mask"
The Independent 13th November, 2013 Apparently the Culture Secretary Ed Vaizey has been swayed by the advice of Ms Leslie Webster and has put a temporary block on the export of the rather dubious Boys...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In Search of "Polly" Mason
1815 Map showing location of Mason family properties around Fishers ValleyMiss "Polly" Mason was well known to the occupants of Longwood. Apparently she always bowed profusely whenever meeting Napoleon...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Masons of St Helena: The Visit of Captain Cook
Journal of Captain Cook, May 1775 Following my recent post on Polly Mason, my friend John Grimshaw has pointed out that the Masons of St Helena entertained a very famous visitor, Captain Cook, long...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Maldivia Rock Fall
Bert Constantine surveying massive rock that has fallen into his banana plantation I have written much on this blog about Maldivia, the area in the upper Jamestown Valley just below the Briars. For us...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Auction of Napoleonic Decorative Acts
French Porcelain Bust of NapoleonChicago Auctioneers Leslie Hindman have announced the auction of an unusual and fascinating collection of Napoleonic Decorative Arts. The property of the late Mrs Ann...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Napoleon as "careful pragmatist"
I read quite a lot of biography, but generally find biographies of Napoleon uninteresting: there are too many of them, they tend to be over long, few seem to me to get remotely close to the man, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cabo Verde - the islands Napoleon never saw
Antique Map Cape Verde Islands My recent holiday now means that I have at various times pretty well covered the whole of Napoleon's voyage to St Helena: Madeira, Tenerife and now the windswept, barren...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Napoleon in America: "I should have stayed on St Helena"
Napoleon wrote a novel in his youth, in exile on St Helena described his life as one, and over the past two centuries inspired quite a few others. The latest Napoleonic novel, by the Canadian author...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Theft of Napoleon Memorabilia from the Briars (Australia)
I am saddened to hear of a major theft from the The Briars Homestead at Mount Martha, Victoria, Australia. originally the home of William Balcombe, father of Betsy, and the owner of the Briars on St...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Theft from Briars Melbourne - Postscript
Sterling Silver Inkwell (Inset with three Gold Napoleons), Garrard and Co. London 1821-1822Since publishing an account of the robbery from the Dame Mabel Brookes Napoleonic Collection, I have had...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Napoleon: second only to Jesus Christ!
1. Jesus (Holman Hunt) 2. Napoleon 3. Will Shakespeare It is always a pleasure to read Margaret Rodenberg's blog, Finding Napoleon. A knowledgeable, considered writer who eschews historical clichés...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Guns of St Helena
"Long Tom" being transported to Mundens 1903 (Not Ladder Hill - see postscript) Some time ago I wrote a blog about the Friends of St. Helena's new Facebook page and the excellent collection of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Byron, Churchill, Harrow & Napoleon
The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, Jacques-Louis David, 1812 Wellington, himself an old Etonian, is often misquoted as saying that the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields...
View ArticleClik here to view.
"Napoleon the Great" - new book by Andrew Roberts
"Napoleon the Great" - by Andrew Roberts Biographies of Napoleon come thick and fast, and doubtless more will follow as we near the bicentenary of Waterloo. The latest is the work of the Conservative...
View ArticleClik here to view.
"The pocket-sized Emperor" - letter to the Observer
letter to The Observer October 12th 2014 I cannot remember when I last wrote to newspaper, but a review of Andrew Roberts' recent biography of Napoleon moved me to do so. The propaganda about...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dr Archibald Arnott, Kirkconnel Hall and Salix Babylonica
Kirkconnel Hall, family home of the Arnott family (1838 and 1870)On a recent visit to Scotland I decided to pull off the A74 and have a look at Kirkconnel Hall, the home of Dr Archibald Arnott...
View Article