TO-DAY IN HISTORY

Southland Times, Issue 20633, 3 November 1928, Page 6

TO-DAY IN HISTORY

NOVEMBER 3. Born: Lucan, Latin poet, 39 A.D., Cordova. Died: Constantins, Roman Emperor, Cilicia, 361; Pope Leo the Great, 461; James IL, King of Aragon, Barcelona, 1327; Thomas de Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, killed in France, 1428; Bishop Robert Lowth, Biblical writer, Fulham, 1787; Theophilus Lindsey, Unitarian divine, 1808; Dr. Felix Mendelssohn mua * ca l composer, Leipsig, Spun and Spur-money. Among the privy-purse expenses of Henry VII., in the year 1495, appears the following items: “To the children for the king’s spurs, 4/-.” And between June, 1530, and September, 1532, no leas than three payments of 6/8 are recorded as made by his successor’s paymaster “to the Coristars of Wyndesor in rewarde for the king’s spurres.” Mr Markland quotes a note from Gifford’s edition of Ben Jonson, stating that from the disturbance of divine service in the cathedrals (more especially in St. Paul’s) by the jingling of the spurs of persons walking in their precincts, a trifling fine was imposed upon offenders in this way called “spur-money” the collection of which was left, to the beadles and singingboys. Nicholas supposed that in the above cases the money was paid to redeem the royal spurs from the choristers, who claimed them as their perquisites at installations or at the annual feast in honour of St. George. Spur-money, as a penalty to be paid for wearing spurs in a cathedral, seems to have been thoroughly established in the seventeenth century. In the “Gull’s HornBook” Decker, advising his readers how they should behave in St. Paul’s says: “Be sure your silver spurs clog your heels, and then the boys will swarm about you like so many white butterflies; when you in the open quire shall draw forth a perfumed, embroidered purse—the glorious sight of which will entice many countrymen from their devotions to wonderings—and quoit silver into the boys’ hands, that it may be heard above the first lesson, although it be read in a Voice as big as one of the great organs.” That the custom was not confined to St. Paul’s is proved by a passage in "Ray’s Second Itinerary”—"July 26, 1661. We began our journey northward to Cambridge, and that day, passing through Huntingdon and Stilton, we rode as far as Peterborough, twenty-five miles. There I first heard the cathedral service. The choristers made us pay money for coming into the quire with our spurs on.” Another old writer complains that the boys neglected their duties to run after the spurmoney. There was one way of escaping the tax, the spur-wearer being held exempt if the youngest chorister present failed to repeat his gamut correctly upon being challenged to do so.' This curious saving clause is set forth officially in a notice issued by the dean of the chapel-royal in 1622: “If any knight, or other person entitled to wear spurs, enter the chapel in that guise, he shall pay to the quiristers the accustomed fine; but if he command the youngest quirister to repeat his gamut, and he fail in the doing so, the said knight or other shall not pay the fine.” NOVEMBER 4. Born: William 111., King of England, Hague, 1650; James Montgomery, poet, Irvine, 1771. Died: John Benbow, British admiral, Jamaica, 1702; Charles Churchill, satirical poet, Boulogne, 1765; Josiah Tucker, D.D., Dean of Gloucester, political economist, 1799; Paul Delaroche, artist, Paris, 1856. “Old Benbow.” The enterprise which is specially associated with Benbow’s name was the following. During the war with France in 1702, Admiral Ducasse. with a French squadron of five ships threatened one of our West India Islands. Benbow sailed after him with seven vessels and overtook him on August 19, On giving the signal for his ships to engage, it was soon evident that something was amiss; the ships held back and Benbow was unable to commence his fight with the enemy. It afterwards appeared that Benbow’s offensive manners had led to a rupture between him and most of his captains; and that these officers took the indefensible course of showing their hostility just when the honour of the country demanded their prompt obedience to orders. Next morning the admiral again put forth the signal, but five of the seven captains agreed that they could not assist him. Vexed and irritated, Benbow went into action, two ships against five, and maintained the action during the whole day. His one coadjutor, the "Ruby” becoming disabled, he sent that ship to Jamaica to refit. Again he signalled to the five captains and received some equivocal excuse that the enemy were too strong and he were better not to attack. He thereon renewed the fight, on the 21st, his one ship the "Breda” against five. Three different times did Benbow in person board the French admiral’s ship, and was driven back. He received a severe wound in the face, another in the arm, and his right leg was shattered by a chain-shot. Still he refused to give in. He caused his cot to be brought up on deck, and there he lay, giving orders, while his shattered limbs were bleeding. When one of his lieutenants expressed regret at his leg being broken, Benbow replied: "I am sorry for it too; but 1 had rather have lost them both than seen the dishonour brought upon the English nation. But —do you hear? —if another shot should take me off behave like brave men and fight it out.” At this time all the other English ships being inactive and at a distance, most of the French ships concentrated their fire on the "Breda,” and Benbow had only just time to extricate her and sail to Jamaica. Admiral Ducasse knew very well that his squadron had been saved through the disgraceful conduct of Benbow’s captains, and he was too true a sailor to regard it in any but the proper light. He sent the following letter to Benbow: — “Sir, —I had little hope on Monday last but to have supped in your cabin; but it pleased God to order it otherwise, and I am thankful for it. As for those cowardly captains who deserted you, hang them up; for, by God, they deserve it! Yours, etc., Ducasse.” When Benbow reached Jamaica he ordered the captains to be arrested, a courtmartial being held on them under RearAdmiral Whetstone. Captain Hudson, of the "Pendennis” died before the trial; Captains Kirby and Wade were convicted and shot; Captain Constable was cashiered and imprisoned. Two others had signed a paper engaging not to fight under the admiral; but there were extenuating circumstances that led to their acquittal. One of these two was Captain Walton of the "Ruby”; he had signed the paper when drunk; but he repented when sober and rendered good service to the admiral. He was the officer who, sixteen years afterwards, wrote a despatch that is regarded as the shortest and most fitting in which a naval victory was ever announced: — Canterbury, off Syracuse, August 16, 1718. Sir, —We have taken and destroyed all the Spanish ships that were upon the coast, the number as per margin. Yours, etc., G. WALTON. To Sir George Byng, Commander-in-Chief. Poor Benbow sank under his mortification. He was acquitted by the courtmartial, but the disgrace to the nation fretted him. He dragged on a few weeks and died on November 4. No monument, i we believe, records the name of "Old Benbow”; his deeds are left to the writers of . naval song and story.