Memories of a royal carouser in Newfoundland
There have been many visits to Newfoundland by members of the British Royal Family. Albert, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), visited St. John’s in 1860. The Duke and Duchess of York (later King George V and Queen Mary) travelled here in 1901, as did King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the present Queen Mother, in 1939. Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and members of their family have made many official visits in the past 50 years. One royal prince, however, actually lived in Newfoundland for a short time.
Prince William Henry was born at Buckingham Palace on Aug. 21, 1765, the third son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He was educated at home by tutors before joining the Royal Navy in 1779, two months short of his 14th birthday.
COUNTRY AT WAR
He was assigned to the Prince George, flagship of Capt. Robert Digby, as an able-bodied seaman and was accompanied by his tutor, Dr. John James Majendie. Apparently, his formal education was to continue aboard ship. At this time, Great Britain was once again in the throes of war, attempting to quash a rebellion in its American colonies while simultaneously trying to fend off its perpetual European adversaries, the French and the Spanish, who were allies of the renegade Americans.
William’s first tour of duty was in 1780 at the relief of Gibraltar, which was under siege from the Spanish. A second tour at Gibraltar, in 1781, was followed by a posting at New York, where he narrowly missed capture by the Americans. In the fall he was sent to the West Indies.
William rose quickly through naval ranks; in 1785, he was made a commissioned lieutenant and placed in charge of the frigate Pegasus. He was in command of that ship when he arrived at Placentia on July 20, 1786.
There he exercised the authority of a naval surrogate with the power to hear and pronounce judgment in criminal cases. A strict disciplinarian with a severe hostility to Roman Catholics, he was soon alienating the majority of Placentia’s inhabitants, who were members of that faith.
He denied Catholics the use of the courthouse for celebrating mass and from being buried in the local cemetery. He attempted to prevent the resident priest, Edmund Burke, from building a chapel. He also forbade Protestants from availing of Burke’s services for baptisms or marriage.
At the request of the magistrate, Dr. Alexander Willson, he brought a company of sailors ashore from his ship to quell a protest by local fishermen. Considering their complaints to be unfounded, he ordered the ringleaders pressed into service in the navy.
A further demonstration of his authoritarian approach to justice occurred when he sentenced a man to 100 lashes for inciting a disturbance. The following day it was discovered the wrong man had been sentenced, but not before he had already received 80 lashes.
The prince had a much higher opinion of the young women of Placentia, reportedly engaging in affairs with several. One of his favourites was accorded the epithet “Little Queen,” and it was widely speculated that several children born during the winter and spring of 1787 may have been sired by him.
UNPROVOKED ATTACK
Part of William’s stay in Newfoundland was spent in St. John’s, where he continued his anti-catholic stance, threatening to have the Catholic chapel burned to the ground and wounding Bishop James Louis O’donel in an unprovoked attack by throwing an iron file at him. His visit was also marked by carousing, drunken debauchery and sexual exploitation of the local women.
After only a few months in Newfoundland, the prince was ordered to Quebec and then back to the West Indies. On May 20, 1789, he was created Earl of Munster and Duke of Clarence and St. Andrews. He was retired from active service in 1790 at the age of 25, with the rank of rear admiral.
The next 30 years were spent mainly in England, where he held the nominal position of Ranger at Bushey Park and began a relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan that would last for 20 years. He was made vice-admiral in 1794, admiral in 1799 and admiral of the fleet in 1811.
King George III died in 1820 and was succeeded by his eldest son as George IV. The death of the new king’s only child, Charlotte, in 1817, had moved William second in line to the throne behind his elder brother, Frederick. When Frederick died in 1827, William became the heir presumptive.
When George IV died on June 26, 1830, William was proclaimed king.
As king, he did not try to exercise the absolute authority that had been his lot as a commander in the Royal Navy. He played a supportive and conciliatory role in securing passage of the Reform Bill of 1832, which brought needed reform to British institutions, including the government, and is generally viewed as being a capable and thoughtful monarch.
His reign lasted only seven years, and at his death on June 20, 1837 he was succeeded by his 18-year-old niece, Victoria.
William had married Adelaide, daughter of George, Duke of Saxe-coburg Meiningen, on July 18, 1818. Two daughters were born to this marriage but both died as very small children.
He was not without heirs, however, as his 20-year affair with Dorothea Jordan produced 10 children, all of whom he recognized and gave the surname Fitzclarence. His oldest son, George, succeeded to his father’s title as Earl of Munster.
Prince William Henry was the first and only member of the British Royal Family to have resided in Newfoundland.
Despite his questionable administration of justice, his hostility to Roman Catholics and his wanton attitude toward woman, he was not without a certain charm and generosity. Upon his departure from Newfoundland in 1787, he donated 50 guineas to assist in the construction of a Church of England chapel for Placentia and a silver plate communion service for its use.
Today, that communion set resides in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, a lasting reminder of the short time the Sailor King was in residence here. Bert Riggs is a retired archivist with the Centre for Newfoundland Studies at Memorial University. This article is reprinted from June 2001.
A strict disciplinarian with a severe hostility to Roman Catholics, he was soon alienating the majority of Placentia’s inhabitants, who were members of that faith. He denied Catholics the use of the courthouse for celebrating mass and from being buried in the local cemetery. He attempted to prevent the resident priest, Edmund Burke, from building a chapel. He also forbade Protestants from availing of Burke’s services for baptisms or marriage.