New Joint Talk arranged with the Lymington Society
"Of Emma, Nelson and Trafalgar"
Following the cancellation of the talk by Mary Montagu-Scott on the history of the Bucklers Hard hipyard for personal reasons, the Friends of Sir Harry are very pleased to announce that exciting speaker Phillip St Lawrence, who thrilled us all with his talk on the Battle of Copenhagen last year, has agreed to step in at the last minute and the rescheduled talk will now take place at the Lymington Centre on Thursday the 9th of February at 6.30.pm for 7.00 pm. This is a joint event with the Lymington Society.
Philip will continue the story of Nelson and his destiny with the Battle of Trafalgar and his passionate affair with Emma Hamilton in a talk entitled “Of Emma, Nelson & Trafalgar!”
After Napoleon’s troops assemble at Boulogne to invade England the combined French & Spanish fleets seek control of the Channel. After saying goodbye to his beloved Emma and daughter Horatia, Admiral Lord Nelson confronts them off Cape Trafalgar & Cadiz in perhaps the greatest naval battle in history, his body afterwards taken ashore at Gibraltar.
Philip brings alive the momentous events that brought relief & sadness in equal measure. ‘An inspiring lesson in leadership & utterly heartbreaking!’
Tickets for Members of the Lymington Society are £5.00 to include refreshments and Guest Tickets are also available for £6.00
Tickets are available on the Eventbrite site or will be available on the day on the door.
Tickets available here.
Don Mackenzie
Chair – Friends of Sir Harry
Upcoming Events
To Copenhagen with Nelson
The story of the Battle of Copenhagen, 1801
Tues 15th of November 2022 - 6.30pm for 7.00pm
A fascinating talk by the dynamic and acclaimed speaker,
Phillip St Lawrence
The McLellan Hall Lymington Community Centre
Members Tickets £5.00 to include Refreshments on the door or from Alastair Mann by email alastair.mann@gmail.com
Guest Ticket £6.00 To Include Refreshments, from Eventbrite - Click Here
‘Audiences were enthralled by his delivery and subject matter’ – Cunard voyage report
It is early spring 1801 and Great Britain is intent upon neutralising Scandinavian and Russian support for Napoleon. Copenhagen is well defended and the attack Nelson plans is audacious, the assault both riveting and tense. When Admiral Parker signals him to withdraw Nelson makes perhaps the most famous act of insubordination in history, determined to secure the victory! ‘Simply captivating!’
Philip St Lawrence is a professional speaker who specializes in ‘bringing history alive’ through his various Talks. Following his appearance at the Chalke Valley History Festival in 2021, Philip’s captivating performances are now in high demand consistently receiving excellent reviews. His recent appearances aboard the Queen Elizabeth, as at other venues, have won numerous plaudits!
The History of Buckler's Hard shipbuilding yard at Beaulieu
An illustrated talk by Mary Montagu-Scott
February the 8th - 6.30pm for 7.00pm
The McLellan Hall Lymington Community Centre
Members Tickets to include refreshments £5.00 on the door or from Alastair Mann by email alastair.mann@gmail.com
Guest Tickets including refreshments £6.00 from Eventbrite
The Friends of Sir Harry, dedicated to the life and times of Sir Harry [Burrard] Neale and the Burrard family of Walhampton, is pleased to announce a talk by Mary Montagu-Scott entitled “The history of shipbuilding at Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu River”. This will illuminate the history of the famous Bucklers Hard shipbuilding yard in the historic village of Beaulieu where so many of the famous ships of the early British Navy were built over a 200 year period.
Mary Montagu-Scott, director of the Maritime Museum at Bucklers Hard tells the history of how and why the Beaulieu river came to be the largest private shipyard building ships for the Royal Navy in the Solent area as well as merchant ships and yachts. Over 50 large ships were built there from 1698 – 1815 including many famous ones such as Agamemnon, Nelson’s favourite ship, Euryalus and Swiftsure.
Please support the Friends by attending this talk which promises to be a fascinating glimpse into this new unique place which has played such an important part in the history of Britain, and which is just on our doorsteps.
The Friends of Sir Harry and St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery are pleased to announce that they have been awarded a grant by the Charles Burnett Memorial Fund for a major research project into the life and times of Sir Harry Burrard Neale, the Burrard family and their impact on Lymington and the wider community during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Charles Burnett Memorial Fund has been set up by the family of Charles Burnett lll, who lived for a time at Newtown Park, Portmore and who was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in 2018. Mr Burnett had generously supported the joint Lymington Society and Town Council project to restore the Burrard Neale Monument at Walhampton from 2015 to its completion in 2019.
The new joint Burrard Neale Research Project will be run by staff at St Barbes and will seek to bring together the many disparate sources of information related to Sir Harry and the wider Burrard family as well as information on the family’s impact on the town of Lymington and on the national stage where Sir Harry was a well-known figure.
Speaking about the grant from the Charles Burnett Memorial Fund to help set up this research project, Don Mackenzie, Chair of the Friends said:
The Friends of Sir Harry and St Barbe Museum are thrilled to have been awarded this substantial grant from the Charles Burnett Memorial Fund, to enable us to create an amazing archive of information about the Burrard Family of Walhampton, Sir Harry Burrard Neale and the society of Lymington at this fascinating time in the history of Britain.
The Burrard Family were one of the principal drivers of the Lymington salt industry, which brought so much wealth to the town and the New Forest. They were involved as MPs in governing the country from the mid-1600s as well as regularly serving as mayors of the town.
Sir Harry Burrard became known as Sir Harry Neale upon his marriage to heiress Grace Neale in 1795. He became nationally famous due to his naval exploits and his involvement in defusing the revolutionary naval mutiny at the Nore (near Chatham) in 1797, after this he became a firm favourite of the Royal family, whom he hosted several times at Walhampton.
This exciting research project will build on the research and lecture programme already carried out by the Friends of Sir Harry and the Lymington Society and will aim to create an internationally renowned archive of material related to the Burrard Family who were so influential in the business, cultural and political history of Lymington and also nationally.
The research will be carried out by Mark Haswell who is the Collections and Exhibition Officer and will build on the work of the Friends of Sir Harry and the Lymington Society during the previous phases of the project to restore the Burrard Neale Monument which was completed in 2019
This archive will consist of both digital and physical material and will be available on both the St Barbe and the Friends of Sir Harry websites for researchers worldwide.
We will now be launching a campaign to raise the matched funding of £4needed to complete the project and will be looking for support from the community and from organisations dedicated to the research of naval and political life in Britain during the 18th century.
The Friends would welcome support for the project from the community and anyone wishing to contribute to the fundraising for this fantastic research project, should contact the Chair of the Friends of Sir Harry Don Mackenzie, on 07860 106120 or by email on info@friendsofsirharry.org
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Major Success for Friends of Sir Harry as Joint bid for Burrard Neale Research Project with St Barbe Museum Awarded Grant of over £11,000
Friends of Sir Harry Chair Don Mackenzie (left) with Mark Haswell (centre) and Friends Commitee Member (right) at St Barbe Museum
Forthcoming Events and News
Stop Press. Illustrated Talk by David Hill at the Lymington Centre. Monday the 21st of February at 6.00 pm.
Following the successful visit to the gardens and grounds of Walhampton School in 2021 led by Walhampton Master David Hill, the Friends are pleased to announce that David will be giving a follow up talk at the Lymington Centre entitled “Sir Harry and Walhampton: The House and the Grounds”.
Tickets, which include the talk and refreshments are £5.00 and are available by emailing FoSH Committee Members Alastair Mann.
Email alastair.mann@gmail.com
Friends of Sir Harry and St Barbe Museum make joint bid for research grant to the Charles Burnett Memorial Fund.
The Friends of Sir Harry are grateful to have been invited to apply for a grant to the Charles Burnett Memorial Fund by the Trustees of the Fund. The Friends were extremely grateful to have received a donation of £20,000 from Charles Burnett who lived part of the time at Newtown Park at Walhampton in 2015 and 2018 to help fund the restoration of the Burrard Neale Monument.
Following his tragic death in a helicopter accident, a memorial fund has been set up and the Friends have been invited to apply for a grant of up to £25,000. Working with St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, a joint application has now been made for a grant of £20,000 to set up a major archive of material related to the life and times of Admiral Sir Harry Burrard Neale and the wider Burrard Family. If successful, the Friends will work with St Barbe Museum to create a major archive of information, including documents, images and other material related to the life and achievements of Sir Harry and the Burrard family.
This archive will consist of a physical archive held and curated by St Barbe but also made available digitally on the Friends and the St Barbe Websites.
The Friends, and The Lymington Society before the Friends were set up, have had a long relationship with St Barbe going back to the establishment of the Burrard Neale 250 project to celebrate the 250th anniversary of birth of Sir Harry in 2015 which was supported by St Barbe. Since then the Friends and St Barbe have cooperated in numerous initiatives including several jointly organised and promoted lectures on the the life and times of Sir Harry.
The Friends were pleased to be able to hold their launch event at St Barbe in February 2019 which was kindly supported by our Patron Lord Montague, local MP Desmond Swayne and Mayor of Lymington and Pennington Anne Corbridge.
The Friends look forward reporting further on our application and on the implementation of the project with St Barbe if we are successful.
Visit to Gardens at Walhampton School.
5.30 pm. 28th of May
As the 2021 lockdown is now being relaxed we are now planning to hold our first physical event on the 28th of May when we will be holding a Garden Visit and Tour at Walhampton School. In line with Government restrictions numbers will be limited 30 members.
Tickets for Members Only can be purchased here. Walhampton Tickets
We are pleased to announce that with lockdown easing, the Head of Walhampton School has graciously accepted our request to go ahead with our planned visit to the school gardens, to be guided by David Hill. There will be a limit of 30 people in total for this visit. The date is Friday 28th May and the proposed start time is 5.30 PM.
With the limit on total numbers being on the low side for such an interesting event, we strongly recommend that members apply early: applications from paid up members will be given initial priority and, after the first 20 have been accepted, additional applications will be placed on a stand-by list. The entry fee will be £10 and light refreshments will be served.
A contribution from the proceeds will also be made to the restoration of Admiral Sir Harry Neale's Coxswain's Shell House Grotto in the grounds. The cost of entry to this visit will include a donation of £5.00 per ticket to help pay for the restoration of the shell grotto in the grounds of the School built most likely between 1815 and 1820. Details of the grotto can be found here: Walhampton Grotto
Sir Harry Burrard inherited Walhampton House from his uncle, also called Harry Burrard in 1791 and it was his main residence until he died in 1840.
The gardens and grounds stretch to over 100 acres and are particularly fine. A full description of the grounds and gardens, produced by the Hampshire Gardens Trust can be found here. Description of Walhampton Grounds
Previous Events:
Talk by Rosalyn Goulding. St Barbe Museum
"Command of the Seas:
The Navy and the New Forest Against Napoleon"
Date Wednesday 14th April 6.00 pm via Zoom
(Zoom open from 5.30pm)
Speaker: Rosalyn Goulding of
St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery
Topic: "Command of the Seas:
The Navy and the New Forest Against Napoleon"
Rosalyn's talk explores Britain's naval battles against Napoleon and the role played by the New Forest.
Between 1793 and 1815, Britain was at war with revolutionary France. This talk explores some of the key naval engagements in the run up to the decisive victory at Trafalgar in 1805, as well as what life was like in the navy at the time. It focuses on the important contributions of three local admirals, Cornwallis, Peyton and Man, all of whom are buried at Milford churchyard.
Donald Mackenzie is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Command of the Seas: The Navy and the New Forest Against Napoleon
Time: Apr 14, 2021 06:00 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4553462400?pwd=Z2xNLzhqeExncElPRnR2bGZUNzVHUT09
Meeting ID: 455 346 2400
Passcode: LymSocTalk
Talk by Historian Barry Jolly.
The Real Sir Harry - The Man, the Myth and the Monument
We were very pleased to have been able to host our final event before the “lockdown” when Barry Jolly gave a fascinating talk to about 40 Friends and supporters on the 13th of M arch at the Lymington Centre
Summary of the Talk
What do we really know about our local hero, Admiral Sir Harry Neale? His achievements are listed on the Burrard-Neale Monument as having taken 20 enemy ships in many gallant actions, and maintaining the loyalty of his crew during the mutiny at The Nore, thereby rewarded by the friendship of George III and the thanks of the City of London.
Careful examination of the facts leads to an alternative interpretation; not less praiseworthy butraising doubts about the motivation and identity of the promoters of the monument. Sir Harry was unquestionably favoured by George III, Queen Charlotte, and their daughters; later also by William IV and Queen Adelaide, but the thanks of a grateful nation were limited to a private meeting of merchants and shipowners in London, not even addressed personally to Sir Harry but to the captains, officers and crews’, and a generous donation to the crew by the people of Ludlow.
Royal favour had its downside, as Sir Harry spent much of the wars against the French on royal protection duties, thereby limiting the opportunity for achievements in battle. His haul of 20 shipsover a period of 20 years was actually very modest.
His marriage to Grace Neale is frequently misrepresented; his wife was actually heiress to both her father and, subsequently, her grandfather. It was the latter who stipulated that any husband should change his name to inherit, a stipulation that very plainly stated that the name Neale be adopted instead of –not in addition to -any other: no Burrard, with or without a hyphen.
Interestingly, Grace’s mother remarried, also inheriting with a change of name to Duckett. Her son George Duckett was MP for Lymington from 1807 to 1812, and his daughter, Isabella, in turn married Sir Harry’s nephew, George Burrard, in 1839.
The memorial gas lamp erected by public subscription in 1833 was dedicated to Sir Harry and George Burrard Esq. –his nephew, and not his brother Rev George Burrard. Sir Harry’s name is correctly registered as Sir Harry Neale. Yet only seven days after his funeral, a proposal for a memorial to Sir Harry Burrard-Neale was agreed and put into effect. One name in life; another in death.
The gas lamp was an acknowledgement of Sir Harry’s gift of all the gas lamp standards in the town. This act of apparent benevolence also had a political motive: from 1832, Sir Harry could no longer simply nominate himself as member of parliament for Lymington, there were now 270 voters to take into account. Any doubts on this point were removed when the other member for Lymington, the non-resident John Stuart, financed the gas lighting in the church at his own expense in November 1833.
The driving force behind the memorial to Sir Harry was clearly his brother, now Rev Sir George Burrard. Like the Neales and the Ducketts, George wanted to ensure the continued usage of the Burrard name; an ornamental obelisk on his own land, with Sir Harry’s name amended to Burrard-Neale and some typically extravagant (and not entirely accurate) paeons of praise adorning the four sides, presented the opportunity.
In this he was supported by the local gentry, many of whom had strong naval connexions. Subscriptions flowed from far and wide, including from members of the Royal Family, members of parliament, the navy and army, the clergy and many others of really quite humble origins. Noticeably, the Burrard family did not contribute, but the Rev Sir George thanked the organising committee as follows: ‘Most deeply do I feel this mark of confidence and esteem which is now evinced towards myself’; strange words in respect of a memorial to his brother.
Perhaps a more fitting tribute came from the pen of an old naval comrade, Admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin:
“There was implanted in his heart a principle of Christian benevolence, which made him truly the friend of the friendless. There was nothing from his earliest years, to his death at the age of seventy four, for which he was so remarkable as his attention to the interests of the poor, but it was without parade, and never done “to be seen of men.” It was necessary to know from others the extent of his generosity, and the endearing affability which rendered his visit to the cottagers, far and wide around Walhampton, so gratifying to the inmates”.
Barry Jolly.
Standing room only at Friends of Sir Harry talk from Dan Snow
A large and excited audience of 180 people filled the Fuller-McLellan Hall at the Lymington Centre on Friday night to hear about the Lymington Society and Friends of Sir Harry’s project to restore the Burrard Neale Monument and an eagerly anticipated talk by TV personality and historian Dan Snow, entitled “Sir Harry Burrard Neale’s Navy – The Superpower of the Age”
Don Mackenzie, Chair of the Friends, opened the evening with a brief resume of how the Lymington Society had worked with the Town Council to raise the necessary funds from local donors and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to restore the Walhampton Monument to Sir Admiral Harry Burrard Neale, in a project mostly completed by late Summer this year.
Following this, the Society has now set up the Friends to take forward the HLF requirement to have an organisation in place to help maintain the monument and the surrounding site, and to ensure that the life and times and the achievements of this naval hero are kept in the public eye.
Dan Snow was then invited to talk, and he soon set about his task with gusto. In his opening remarks Dan thanked people for attending and supporting the Friends and he urged people to join the Lymington Society. He said what a pleasure it was to live in a community where the heritage of the area was supported by such volunteer activity.
He then went on to describe how the period from the Glorious Revolution in 1688 to the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815, sometimes known as the “Long 18th Century”, saw the British and the French fight repeated wars over many continents, until Britain finally emerged as the undisputed world superpower. The implications of this are to be seen to this day with English as the main global language and British ideas of democracy and economics spreading worldwide.
Key to this was the strength and power of the British Navy, which was supported by the main political parties of this period, namely the Whigs and Tories, who both undertook to build the largest and most powerful navy in the world - whatever the cost. During this period the navy grew from about 100 ships to over 600 and influenced every aspect of national life, driving industrialisation of the country with its huge demand for the vast amount of manufactured items needed to build and support such a huge enterprise, which at times consumed as much as a third of the GDP of the country.
A video of the evening is available on YouTube. Click here
Dan then described how the newly developed techniques of supplying a blockading force of ships enabled the British navy to keep French navy ships in ports such as Brest for years. This led to undisputed British naval superiority, leading to the capture of many French possessions and colonies worldwide.
Following a question and answers session, a vote of thanks was proposed, and a presentation was made to Dan of a framed engraving of the Burrard Neale Monument from 1855 as a token of thanks from the Friends and the Lymington Society.
Speaking after the event, Don Mackenzie said:
“The Friends of Sir Harry and the Lymington Society are extremely grateful to Dan for so kindly giving up his Friday evening to give such a fantastic and riveting talk about the period from 1688 – 1815, when Britain finally emerged as the undisputed world superpower, due in no small measure to the strength and professionalism of the British Navy.
We are also grateful for the support he gave to the Friends and the thanks he gave to the Lymington Society and other local volunteers who do so much to help look after the heritage of the local area.
We were fascinated to hear from Dan how the naval mutinies of 1779 were turning points where the future of the country was truly seen to be on a knife edge, with mutineers blockading London and expressing revolutionary ideas.
As Dan described, Sir Harry Burrard Neale rose to national prominence at this time due to the actions of him and his crew in sailing away under fire from the mutineers which then caused the mutiny to collapse.
The Friends are very grateful that so many people attended the talk and we hope they enjoyed the “tour de force” that Dan gave in his thrilling presentation of the events of the so-called Long Century.
We also hope that they will now wish to join the Friends and attend our future events, including the tour of the gardens of Walhampton House, home to the Burrard Family and Sir Harry which takes place in May next year.
Major Lecture Organised by The Friends of Sir Harry and St Barbe Museum Announced
Sir Harry Burrard Neale and the Nore Mutiny - Hero or Villain??
By Dr Ann Coats
The Historic Naval Mutinies of 1797. The Role of Sir Harry Burrard Neale of Walhampton.
Lymington Baptist Church – New Street - Lymington –
Friday June 28th at 6.00 pm for 6.30 pm
Come and hear all about Admiral Sir Harry Burrard Neale’s part in the infamous naval mutinies of 1797 which shook the country, and which many thought could herald the horrors of the French Revolution coming to Britain
Starting in the Solent at Spithead, the naval mutinies spread to the important naval anchorage at the Nore at Sheerness and then to the British naval fleets in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans.
Admiral Sir Harry Burrard Neale from Walhampton was widely credited, at the time, with helping to break the main, and most revolutionary mutiny at the Nore anchorage and was nationally renowned for his exploits – as a result of which he became close friends with the royal family.
The Nore Drum, presented to Sir Harry by a grateful nation, is Lymington’s most precious artefact and is on permanent loan to the National Maritime Museum. But some have suggested that Sir Harry was responsible for brutally suppressing the mutiny with cruel consequences for some of the sailors that took part.
Dr Ann Coats, from Portsmouth University, has co-authored the definitive account of these monumentally important times in our national history, when the very future of the country was thought to be in the balance. Her book, The Naval Mutinies of 1797: Unity and Perseverance, examines the huge impact of these crucial events and Dr Coats is widely seen as the most authoritative scholar on these events.
The Friends of Sir Harry – part of the Lymington Society – is organising jointly, with St Barbe Museum and Gallery, an important lecture by Dr Coats on this fascinating time in our nation’s history to coincide with St Barbe’s major exhibition “the Command of the Sea - The Navy and the New Forest against Napoleon” which starts on the 8th of June. Amongst many fascinating images and artifice on display will be the Nore Drum presented to Sir Harry after the mutiny was over.
Organised by St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in partnership with the Milford on Sea Historic Records Society and the National Park Authority, this major exhibition will explore some of the key naval battles in the run up to the decisive victory at Trafalgar in 1805, as well as what life was like in the navy at the time. It will focus on the important contributions of three local admirals, Cornwallis, Peyton and Mann, all of whom are buried at Milford churchyard.
Tickets for the Lecture are £5.00 to include refreshments and can be purchased
at St Barbe Museum or on the door on the night.
Admission free to new members of the Friends of Sir Harry joining on the night.
You can buy tickets online at Eventbright
The formal launch of Friends of Sir Harry at St Barbe Museum
The Friends of Sir Harry was launched at St Barbe Museum at a reception on Friday 15th February 2019.
Friends formed for Local Naval Hero
Public Launch at St Barbe Museum Lymington for ‘Friends of Sir Harry’
6.00 pm – Friday 15th of February 2019
The Lymington Society is pleased to announce the launch of the ‘Friends of Sir Harry’ following the completion of the restoration work on the Burrard Neale Monument at Walhampton.
The Friends will aim to ensure that the Monument and other related memorials in the town are looked after, and that the achievements of Admiral Sir Harry Burrard Neale continue to be appreciated in the years ahead. Anyone wishing to join the Friends or interested in finding out more is welcome to come along. Lord Montagu, Patron of the Friends, as well as Sir Desmond Swayne MP TD and Mayor Anne Corbridge will be attending to support the Launch.
Please join us for a Drinks Reception followed by a programme of
information about the Friends, the life and times of Sir Harry and
the history of the Monument. Read full press release here.
Past News and Events
Pennington Infant School Workshops
Over 60 young people from Pennington Infant School took part in a week of workshops and visits to the Monument. They learnt all about the life and times of Sir Harry, built monuments to their own heros, handled objects from the period and even took part in some marching and saluting of Captain Hardy on the final day. The young people will be showcasing their monument models at the Family Picnic Day on 20th July at the school.
Monument Visits
Infant School students became investigators for the day on a trip to the monument. They were given tasks sheets to find out all about Sir Harry and the monument as a start to a more extensive project back at their school.
Family Fun Day
Friday 20th July from 1pm at Pennington Infants School, Lymington
The school will be hosting an end-of-term family picnic and Friends of Sir Harry will be joining them to celebrate the start of the Burrard Neale HLF restoration project. there will be stands and displays from many local museums and organisations as well as work on display created by young people from the school. This will be a fun filled afternoon and an opportunity to meet some of the people behind the Burrard Neale project.
Heritage Lottery Funding Secured!
Details to follow...
Burrard Neale 250 Celebrations
Details to follow...