Life in the time of
Philip Melvill, Esq, Lt Governor of
Pendennis Castle
By Penny Hampson
I
came across Philip Melvill whilst researching the next story in my Gentlemen
series. Set in Falmouth, Cornwall, my story features Pendennis Castle, and I
needed to know who was stationed there in 1810. I discovered someone who
survived against great odds, accepted stoically what life threw at him, and
overcame his physical limitations to improve the lives of others.
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| Falmouth Harbour |
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| Pendennis Castle. |
Born
in Dunbar in April 1762*, Philip Melvill was the fourth and youngest son of
John Melvill, a Collector of the Customs, and a deeply religious man.
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| Portrait of captain Philip Melvill. |
At
the age of sixteen Philip’s father purchased him a commission in the 73rd
regiment, commanded by Lord Macleod. According to Philip’s memoirs, this choice
of profession was based on his youthful desires for respect, to command others,
and the appeal of ‘the noisy pomp and desultory habits of a military life.’
Described at this point in his life as ‘below the middle size’ but ‘regular
and well proportioned’, he had ‘a remarkable sweetness of expression,
and his manners were frank and courteous’. He sounds to be a very
attractive young man.
His
first task as an officer was to recruit a certain number of men to his
regiment, which meant travelling round remote parts of Scotland for this
purpose. Although he achieved his objective, this period exposed him alas, a
mere youth of sixteen, to the temptations of drink. ‘It was usual to begin
the morning with a dram, and the close of day seldom left the guest in
possession of his reason and his senses.’ In other words, it seems he was
on an extended pub crawl. Fortunately, this did not totally ruin him, but he
admits that alcohol did leave its mark on both his health and morals.
After
a brief return home, he rejoined his regiment at Elgin, and his moral
principles were again put under strain.
He found himself in ‘a society consisting chiefly of youths… unawed
by the eye of authority, eager to assert their right to all the privileges of
manhood… in such a society the most licentious spirit, even without the aid of
a ready wit and an engaging address, will commonly have more influence to lead
the weaker part astray, than the example of better conduct, in the well
principled few, will have to preserve them.’
Melvill
ignored his parents’ strictures about leading a moral life, and took up a life
of idleness and dissipation.
After
some time spent in training, Melvill was appointed to the light infantry, and
in May 1778 he sailed with his regiment from Fort George to Portsmouth. The
journey took fifteen days, causing them to miss the last of the season’s ships
to the East Indies. They were ordered instead to Guernsey and Jersey, remaining
there until the following December.
By
March 1779, and now in Petersfield, Melvill and his company were again ready to
depart for the East Indies, but this process was not without incident. Ordered
to march to Portsmouth, one of the companies mutinied, almost resulting in a
bloodbath, with the soldiers of one company ready to fire on their comrades in
the mutinying troop. Fortunately, this was avoided and soon all returned to
their duties. On 7th March the fleet finally set sail for the East Indies.
The
long journey was not without problems — ill-discipline, and all the discomforts
of living in very close quarters did not make for an easy passage. Arriving in
warmer climates, an infectious disease known as jail-fever broke out, and
Melvill was one of its victims. He was so ill that it was thought he would die.
Fortunately, he recovered, and ten months after setting off from Portsmouth, he
arrived in Madras, India.
At
this time Madras was seething with resentment to colonial rule, but the British
military rulers there ignored all warnings of
impending trouble. ‘The Company’s treasury was exhausted; the army
ill-paid, and ill-equipped; an extensive frontier unprovided with the means of
defence, and our allies and dependent states depressed and disaffected’.
The
expected uprising occurred in July 1780, with Hyder Ally, the ruler of Mysore,
invading the Carnatic region, burning villages, and laying siege to British
forts. On the morning of September 10th, Lieutenant Melvill and his company,
under the command of Colonel Baillie, became engaged in an action against Hyder
Ally… and this is when the course of Melvill’s life changed.
At
the battle of Peranbancum, Hyder Ally’s forces broke through the British
troops, inflicting many casualties, and forcing them to surrender. Melvill was
one of those severely wounded. The first of his wounds caused the bone of his
left arm to be shattered. A second ball passed through the same arm and part of
his left breast. His company now overrun by the enemy, he received slashes to
his right arm, severing the muscles, and was thrown to the ground. Stripped of
his clothes, he was stabbed in the back with a spear, and left for dead.
‘Wounded
and maimed I was left on the field of battle.… At this dreadful period of pain
and destitution, I was lying naked on a bank of scorching sand, fainting from
time to time with loss of blood, and from the severity of my wounds unable to
move.’
For
two days he lay in the searing heat until he was picked up by enemy soldiers,
hoping to claim the ten rupee reward for bringing in a European alive to Hyder
Ally’s camp. Held with one hundred and twenty-six fellow soldiers in a crowded
tent, with no medical assistance, and under appalling conditions, the ordeal
continued.
‘The
wounded were crowded together in one tent, and mutually incommoded each other,
so as to prevent a moment’s ease or rest.’
At
this point Melvill attempted to take his own life, but did not have the
physical strength to do so. After several days, he, and those prisoners who
still survived, were conveyed to the fort of Bangalore. Here they were treated no better, but placed in chains,
subjected to threats of torture and violent death, and denied any medical
treatment.
‘Some
were maimed and helpless. All medicine was denied, and it was very difficult to
procure it clandestinely, under the strict prohibitions of introducing it which
prevailed, and the danger of punishment if detected.’
This
horrendous situation continued for four years, until March 1784, when, with the
signing of the Treaty of Mangalore, Melvill and his fellow prisoners were at
last released. Of their original number, only thirty survived.
Because
of his poor health and the condition of his wounds, Melvill, although promoted
to Captain, was unfit for active military duty. Instead, he went to stay with
his elder brother who was living in Bengal, where he remained until 1786.
At
last Melvill returned to England, and although still eager to serve his
country, he was in no physical shape for active service, being unable to eat or
dress unassisted, and often in great pain. But luck was on his side, and he was
given the command of an invalid company stationed in Guernsey.
His
good fortune didn’t end there. It was in Guernsey that he met the love of his
life, Miss Elizabeth Dobree, and it wasn’t long before the pair were married.
The couple remained on the island for five years, and it was there that Melvill
started the good works that he became renowned for. Not only instilling
military discipline amongst the soldiers in his charge, he also set up a school
for their children, supplied it with books, and even taught them religious
instruction.
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| Portrait of Elizabeth Melvill. |
After
further spells of ill-health, and a return to the mainland as a retired captain
on full pay, Melvill was offered the command of another invalid company
stationed at Pendennis Castle. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor of
Pendennis Castle and eventually formed the Pendennis Volunteer Artillery.
His
new position was initially not an easy one. The troops under his command were
ill-disciplined ‘habitual drunkenness, swearing, profanation of the Sabbath’
were commonplace. But Melvill, through his good works, changed all that. He got
his men to build cottages for themselves and their families, laid out gardens
on the slopes of the castle, ensured their religious instruction, and
established schools both for the children of the garrison and in Falmouth. In
1807 he founded the Falmouth Misericordia Society ‘for the relief of poor
strangers and distressed persons of the town,’ an organisation in operation
until at least 1887.
His
personal life was also not without its trials; he and Elizabeth had nine
children, two of his sons pre-deceasing him at the young ages of nineteen and
twelve years. Of his remaining sons, two joined the East India Company, one
became a Church of England clergyman, and another followed his father into the
army, becoming a Major General and awarded the KCB (Most Honourable Order of
the Bath).
Philip
Melvill, after a relatively short life of misfortune and atrocious ill-health,
but unselfish and dedicated public service, died on 27 October 1811 at
Pendennis Castle.The streets of Falmouth were lined with mourners at his
funeral procession, keen to pay their respects to someone who had done so much for
the life of their community.
*
I have discovered that there is a discrepancy in the published secondary
sources for Melvill’s date of birth. In The Melvill Family, a Roll of Honour
of the Descendants of Captain Philip Melvill, Lieutenant Governor of Pendennis
Castle, by Joubert de la Ferte, 1920, his birth year is given as 1760,
while Susan E. Gay, gives his year of birth as 1762. The memorial to Philip Melvill in Falmouth
Church states that he died in 1811 aged forty-nine years.
Sources
Old
Falmouth, Susan E. Gay, London, 1903
Memoirs
of the Late Philip Melvill, Esq. Lieut. Gov. Of Pendennis Castle, Cornwall, London, 1812
The
Melvill Family, a Roll of Honour of the Descendants of Captain Philip Melvill,
Lieutenant Governor of Pendennis Castle, by E. J. Joubert de la Ferté, 1920
The
Melvill Family and India,
by David Williams, 2014 ( https://cpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.ucl.ac.uk/dist/1/251/files/2014/05/Melvill-case-study-PDF-Final-19.08.14.pdf)
An Officer’s Vow
(Gentlemen Book 2)
By Penny Hampson
The
future looks bleak to Major Nate Crawford. Depressed after being sent home from
the Peninsular Campaign as unfit for service, he contemplates ending it all.
Then an unexpected opportunity for adventure beckons in the shape of a
delightfully intriguing runaway heiress. He will prove his worth as an officer
and a gentleman by offering his help. He has a plan…
Lottie Benham is desperate. Her life is in danger and she needs a place
of safety until her next birthday. The unexpected proposal from this attractive,
but intimidating officer could be the answer to her prayers. Not normally a
risk-taker, she decides to gamble all by placing her trust in this charismatic
gentleman, who she suspects might be more in need of help than she.
But the best laid plans…
Caught up in conflict, danger, and deception, will Lottie and Nate
survive to find the perfect solution to their problems?
The
Coffee Pot Book Club
★★★★★
Highly
Recommended
Read
the full review HERE!
Pick
up your copy of
An
Officer’s Vow
Penny Hampson
Having worked
in various sectors before becoming a full time mum, Penny Hampson decided to
follow her passion for history by studying with the Open University. She
graduated with honours and went on to complete a post-graduate degree.
Penny then
landed her dream role, working in an environment where she was surrounded by
rare books and historical manuscripts. Flash forward nineteen years, and the
opportunity came along to indulge her other main passion – writing historical
fiction. Encouraged by friends and family, three years later Penny published
her debut novel A Gentleman’s Promise.
Penny lives
with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys
reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same
time).
Thanks for hosting me, Mary Anne!
ReplyDeleteWhat an impressive man.
ReplyDeleteI agree, April. Although plagued by ill health and physical disabilities, he turned his life around. After reading his story, I had to give him a walk-on part in my book!
DeleteWas he the grandfather of twig mouth Melville VC?
ReplyDelete