Utterly numbed by pain

This is how Lady Colin Campbell described her feelings after the death of her sister in January 1885. Mary had been beautiful, popular in society, and was only around thirty. They had attended parties and other social events together, and were known as the two beautiful sisters, Gertrude “dark and dashing”, Mary “fair and sweet”.  It was probably typhoid or another infection contracted from poor water supplies, rather than the “east wind” as one journal stated, but coming mid-way during Lady Colin’s legal battles with her estranged husband, it knocked her back and left her feeling “desolate.”

I’ve recently discovered that a stained glass window was created as a memorial for Mary, presumably organised by her family, and announced two years after her death. It is located at St. Michael’s Church, Bray, near Maidenhead, where Mary is buried. Still partially hidden by some organ pipes, the window will be fully on display soon, as a new organ will allow the old organ paraphernalia to be removed. 

The window is described as “two lights depicting the Annunciation, made by Clayton and Bell in their Regent Street studios” and underneath is a plaque which reads: “In memory of Mary Beatrice wife of George Thomas Bolton of Ballynastraw Co. Wexford, Ireland and eldest daughter of Edmond Maghlin Blood of Brickhill, Co. Clare, Ireland. Obit Jan-2-1885.” 

 

With thanks to Ken Amery and St. Michael’s Church, Bray.

Bold attempt to steal Crown Jewels!

Yesterday’s headlines reporting that thieves had stolen keys to the Tower of London reminded me of one of Lady Colin Campbell’s colourful Irish ancestors, who in 1671 became the only person to have ever stolen the Crown Jewels.

“Colonel” Thomas Blood was born in Ireland in 1618, the nephew to Lady Colin Campbell’s great great great great great grandfather. He initially fought for the Royalists in the English Civil War but switched allegiances to the Roundheads. After hostilities had ended in England, Cromwell shifted his focus to Ireland and set sail with a large force of men to assert his leadership. Thomas joined their number and was given confiscated lands as a reward for his services. However, he only enjoyed a decade of peace, before the monarchy was restored and former Royalists regained positions of power.

Like many of the disgruntled Cromwellians, Thomas feared for his land and his religious freedom as a non-conformist Protestant, so decided to take action. In 1663, with a group of sympathisers, he hatched a plot to capture the Duke of Ormond, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and issue a declaration for religious and property rights. Later known as Blood's Plot, it failed and most of the group was arrested. Thomas escaped using various disguises and spent several years on the run. In 1670 he made another attempt to capture the Duke of Ormond and again he failed. He then decided on his most daring plan – to steal the Crown Jewels. His motivation was political, rather than financial, to show the authorities that they would have no peace until they granted religious tolerance. Using the guise of a parson, Thomas befriended Talbot Edwards, keeper of the Jewel House. On 9 May 1671 he visited with some friends, and whilst waiting for dinner, Thomas persuaded the keeper to show them the jewels, kept in the basement of the Martin Tower. This was not unusual, as Edwards supplemented his meagre income by charging visitors to view the jewels. However, on this day the unsuspecting keeper was knocked to the ground, then bound and gagged, whilst his supposed new friend and accomplices escaped with the jewels. Edwards managed to raise the alarm and Thomas's prodigious luck finally ran out; he was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Thomas refused to answer any questions except to the King. He was taken to the palace and questioned by Charles and other members of the royal family. Despite facing the ultimate penalty for this act of treason, Thomas mysteriously received a pardon and left the Tower in July 1671. Some believe the King was amused at his audacity, others that he must have served him at some time as a secret agent. The King may have feared an uprising from Blood's followers, and decided he could be of more help alive, aiding negotiations with the Non-Conformists. To the disgust of the Duke of Ormond, not only did he escape with his life, but the King also restored his land in Ireland, worth £500 a year.

For those wishing to read some more, there is an excellent biography by David C. Hanrahan, “Colonel Blood: The Man who Stole the Crown Jewels.”