Diarist, painter, unlikely explorer, Hamiltonian
John Herbert Caddy among first to explore Mayan cities and leave memorable record
“You’ll be interested in this,” the Lady said, not actually saying what “this” was.
“What?” I said,
“I found something. It’s in the Spec.”
Sure thing. This, just to be clear, is a little game we play: she knows something, and I have to guess it. The questions which arise may be in fact the goal of the game. For example: Where is today’s Spec? What page does she want me to look at? And, on that page, which item does she have in mind? The guessing game has lasted over 50 years, so I’m betting it’s not going to stop any time soon. I’m also not complaining because: a) I found the piece, and b) I was glad to read something not about the covidemic or politics or unrest. Instead, it was a picture of several gravesites in the Hamilton Cemetery, one of which — the one the Lady wanted me to look at — was of particular interest.
It was the grave of John Herbert Caddy — diarist, painter, unlikely explorer and Hamiltonian.
He had quite a life. He was born in 1801 to a British military couple in Amherstburg, Upper Canada. Sent to England’s Royal Military Academy at 14 to train as an engineer and cannoneer, he also learned topographical sketching and painting. In 1828 he married Georgiana, beginning a fruitful union: the two of them had eight children.
His early career with the British military took him frequently to the West Indies; Tobago (in 1828), St. Lucia (1832), St. Vincent (1834) and almost finally, to British Honduras (now Belize, in 1838). His diaries are exquisite, detailed chronicles of the times — the social rounds, sketching, hunting and more. We’ll get to more in a minute.
The story gets really interesting in Belize. In November, 1839 he and Patrick Walker, both of them untrained and inexperienced explorers, led a hastily organized expedition to the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico. His documentation of the months-long journey details the river and overland trip, the native people, tribes and cultures, the wildlife and dangers. And especially the architecture of the magnificent, now dead Mayan city.
Palenque isn’t a name that pops into your head when you think of famous places, is it? It’s of interest to me though, since it’s where I’ve spent a lot of time — in my head — writing “A Potter’s Tale.” It was led by arguably the greatest Mayan king, Pakal, who ruled for decades in the seventh century AD. The king, his long and (for his time) peaceful rule, the decline of the Mayan civilization after his death? All very real. Caddy’s description of the buildings and layout of the city? Also very real. “A Potter’s Tale?” Not so much.
Why did he visit Palenque? The British had learned the Americans were mounting a similar exploration and — not wanting to be outdone by those Yankee upstarts — thought they could beat the U.S. at its game: get to Palenque first, create an official report with drawings and text, gain recognition. Enter the two unlikely explorers, Caddy and Walker, one of whom we know had sizable painting and writing skills. While our guys arrived there first, the Americans beat them at the publishing game; only later did Caddy’s Palenque diary and illustrations get published.
What happened to Caddy after Palenque?
It’s apparent that he and his growing family had had enough of British holdings in Central America. He moved to a posting in London, Canada West, where he was a civil engineer, and began to paint Canadian landscapes. Finally, he decided on a destination that most of us will understand: in 1851 he moved to Hamilton, turning full time to painting as his profession. He captured scenes around Hamilton, London and other Canadian settings — probably all a piece of cake for him compared to the trip to Palenque. In Hamilton, he opened his own studio, gave private lessons, served as art instructor and built a lasting name as a meticulous, sought-after landscapist.
What brought him to Hamilton? Despite reading pretty extensively, I can’t say that I know. It remains, like so much, a question. I have to say though, that I’m used to them by now, the questions; they’re part of the game we play.
Want to read more? Check out: biographi.ca/en/bio/caddy_john_herbert_11E.html.
Dave is a retired family doc and medical educator. His first novel, “A Potter’s Tale,” published by Story Merchant Books, Los Angeles, is available on Amazon.ca . You can visit him at www.drdavedavis.com. He’s working on his next novel, “Immortal,” out soon.