Nottingham versus Napoleon

by Michael Kirkby 

With the new Napoleon film starring Joaquin Phoenix gracing our cinema screens this week, I wanted to write something about Nottingham’s relationship with the Napoleonic period, whether it be local individuals, the regimental actions, or the work of others; that when we mention Napoleon Bonaparte or the Napoleonic Wars, Nottingham is never too far away.

John Borlase Warren

Hailing from Stapleford Hall, John Borlase Warren  joined the Royal Navy in 1777 as a young Midshipman and worked his way through the ranks to Admiral by 1795. As Republicanism spread rapidly through France, Toulon, the last French stronghold loyal to the deposed monarch was handed over to a joint British and Spanish force as a foothold for their armies to enter France and push back the Republican forces. Toulon fell in 1793 after it was stormed by Republican forces (a certain Napoleon Bonaparte was present as an artillery officer) and all of France was now in the grip of Republicanism. In 1795 Warren was tasked with transporting and landing a force of exiled French Royalist troops and their officers to the Quiberon Peninsula in Brittany with the intention that the Royalist army would gradually push back against Republican army and reinstate the deposed monarch to the throne. However, once the troops had landed on French soil and secured a beachhead, their commanders dithered on the next course of action, giving the Republican army enough time to entrench themselves and bring up reinforcements. Unable to break out from their positions, the Royalist army had to re-embark on their transports and find another suitable landing point. By the time they were prepared to land again, the combination of bad weather and heavy opposition meant they couldn’t land and the expedition returned home. Warren’s expedition was the one and only chance to fight back again the Republican army before they became too strong.

45^th (1^st Nottinghamshire) Regiment

The 45^th saw action in most of the battles against France in Spain and Portugal from 1808 – 14. One of their more notable actions was the storming of the border fortification Badajoz in April 1812. Will walls too high, and ladders not long enough, the fortress was stormed by a combination of battering the strong medieval walls down with cannons and then sending wave after wave of troops to take the walls under a hail of cannon fire. Suffering heavy losses, a small party of the 45^th under Lt James MacPherson managed to find a lightly defended section of the walls and broke through. Fighting their way to the castle tower they killed all opposition before them and fought their way to the top.

Upon reaching the top of the tower, MacPherson tore down the French flag and took off his own jacket and ran it up the flagpole to signify to Wellington that British troops were now inside the fortification. (See Picture B) To this day in Nottingham, a redcoat is run up the flagpole on Badajoz Day at various points around the city.

59^th (2^nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment

The 59^th spent much of the Napoleonic wars in the West Indies and the East. However, they took part in the disastrous Walcheren Expedition where two-thirds of British troops came down with a fever which abruptly ended any hopes of the expedition’s success. They did serve at Waterloo but were stationed well away from the main battle. However, due to suffering little casualties in the battle, they were chosen to spearhead the advance of Wellington’s forces as they chased the French army back to Paris. Two weeks before a peace treaty was officially signed, there was an exchange of fire between French piquet’s and British troops on the outskirts of Paris. Denis Wonahan, an Irish soldier in the 59^th was shot and killed, thus making him one of, if not THE, last soldier to ever be killed by the armies of Napoleon.

Thomas Wildman

A young officer serving as aide-de-camp to Wellington’s cavalry commander and second in command at Waterloo, the Earl of Uxbridge. Wildman was present when Uxbridge was hit in the leg by a cannon ball. Wildman later bought Newstead Abbey from his friend Lord Byron.

Colonel Arthur Benjamin Clifton

Col. Arthur Clifton was present as Waterloo and took command of the 2^nd Union Cavalry Brigade when their commander was hit.

The Scots Greys

Due to aggressive industrial action by the Luddites in 1813, the local magistrates felt that the local yeomanry units had very little power to prevent further attacks and were even at risk of joining the Luddite cause. They requested a stronger, impartial force to be dispatched to the area and were provided with The Scots Greys. Considered one of the most feared cavalry units in Europe at the time, the Scots Greys already had a long, established history right back to the Restoration period and were one of the oldest regiments in the British army. The Scots Greys were stationed in the barracks (now just off Derby Road) close to the Castle so that any attacks by the Luddites could be dealt with quickly. It wasn’t uncommon during this period for officers of regiments to purchase their own swords and pistols whilst on station somewhere. There were a number of gunsmiths and cutlers close to the barracks and in the town square who may have sold weapons to the Scots Greys whilst on duty in Nottingham. Two years later in 1815 as the Scots Greys charged at the French positions (see Picture E) at Waterloo, some of them may have been carrying pistols and swords manufactured in Nottingham.

John Shaw, Richard Waplington and Thomas Wheatley of Cossall

In Cossall churchyard today you will find a monument to three men of the village who fought at Waterloo. John Shaw and Richard Waplington both had joined the Lifeguards in 1807. Shaw, a miner and carpenters apprentice was strong for his age. He used this to his advantage and took up a side job as a pugilist, making extra money on top of his army pay from boxing matches. Both Shaw and Waplington’s height and strength earned them the nickname The Cossall Giants. Both Shaw and Waplington fought with the Lifeguards at Waterloo and both were slain on the field. Waplington was last seen holding a French Eagle before being cut down from the saddle. Shaw, surrounded by French soldiers snapped his sword and removed his helmet to use as a club to beat at the French troops surrounding him before he too was overwhelmed and killed. Thomas Wheatley, serving in a light dragoon regiment, survived the battle and returned to Cossall. He died in the almshouses just across from the church and is buried under the present day monument.

Isaac Chetham

Isaac Chetham (Sometimes spelled Cheetham) was promoted from Sergeant-Major in the 29^th Foot to Ensign in the 79^th and later a Lieutenant in the 40^t. He served in the majority of the Peninsula War battles and was wounded three times during his career in the army.

He died at his home in Nottingham in 1854 and is buried in Nottingham General Cemetery.

Richard Rutherford-Moore

Even in popular culture Nottingham has never been far from the Napoleonic Wars. When production was granted for a Napoleonic based series about a rifleman and his exploits based on the books by Bernard Cornwell called Sharpe, the production team sought their military advice from a group of 95^th re-enactors who regularly met at Belvoir Castle. One of the group, Richard Rutherford-Moore (Picture H), would go on to be the military advisor for the entire Sharpe series. During this time, Richard lived somewhere near Nottingham Castle. Interestingly, some of the green jackets that the re-enactors used were re-conditioned NCT bus driver’s jackets as the colour of the green cloth was very similar to the shade of green found on early riflemen uniforms.

And if this article has piqued your interest and you are suddenly extremely interested by Nottingham and the Napoleonic Wars, this information can be found in my book, Nottingham Versus Napoleon.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all Nottingham’s connections to the Napoleonic period. There were undoubtably thousands of individuals who fought stook in their ranks shoulder to shoulder with their mates and fired volley after volley into the French ranks during the Napoleonic Wars. But it goes to show, that when we talk about the Napoleonic period, it is not just limited to far away battles on the continent, and far away places like Paris, Moscow or Madrid. Now when watching the film once it is released next week, we are able to see the impacts that the war had on unlikely individuals and the ordinary places back home.