Death of an Eton Schoolboy
On Sunday 28th February 1825, after church, two schoolboys got into an argument in the playground which resulted in a fight which was broken up by other pupils. The two schoolboys however demanded satisfaction and they agreed to meet for a bare-knuckle fight the following day. The school boys in question were the Hon. Anthony Francis Ashley Cooper, the fourth son of Lord Shaftesbury and Charles Alexander Wood, the son of Colonel Wood a politician, landowner and courtier. The playground was at Eton School, the renowned boarding school for sons of the nobility.
Fist
fighting was illegal but it was a custom at Eton for differences to be settled
by a “pugilistic contest”, and at the end the victor shook hands with his
adversary.[1]
At four p.m. on 1st March 1825 a large group of scholars gathered to
watch the contest. Mr Cooper had declared he would never give in, but by the
eighth round he was beginning to tire. Some of his supporters gave him brandy
to help him recover and the contest continued. Brandy was administered between
every round and after nearly two hours, Cooper fell heavily and hit his head
and fell unconscious. He was carried to his lodgings by his brother and put to
bed. No one thought to call the doctor as he appeared to be sleeping, but four
hours later when medical assistance arrived it was too late and the youth died.
The
fight and its consequences were widely reported in The Times and other
newspapers. The death of the son of such a high-ranking nobleman was discussed
for some time and the sorrow was felt by many.
Immediately after the death the Secretary of Lord Shaftesbury arrived at
Eton to remove his two other sons from Eton. A Bill in Parliament which the
Lord Chancellor was due to commit had to be postponed due to the Chairman of
the Committees of the House of Lords, Lord Shaftesbury , having gone to Eton on
hearing of the death of his son.[2]
Colonel Wood also arrived at Eton on
hearing the news and “evinced much sorrow”.[3]
The
inquest took place in the Christopher
Inn in Eton, at 2pm the day after the death. Mr Charsley the Coroner
swore in the Jury and they all proceeded to walk to the deceased’s lodgings to
view the corpse. On returning to the Inn where crowds of scholars were in the
inn-yard and several Masters inside the Jury room. The Constable was asked to
bring forward witnesses and he declared that he had been unable to find any.
This statement was made inspite of the Times reporting that the majority of
scholars were present at the fight. The Constable declared that he had
“inquired amongst the Collegians but they were not inclined to give him any
information.”[4] Mr
Christopher Teasdale was presented to the Court. He said he was a student who
knew both combatants and was present at the first fight but did not know what
it was about. He heard they had agreed to fight the next day at 4pm. He was so
reluctant to give any details that the Coroner had to admonish him. Another witness,
Mr Carter, said he saw no foul blows struck and thought it was a fair fight. He
said that after the 11th and subsequent rounds he did see brandy
being given to Mr Cooper. The witness knew
that Mr Wood had an appointment with a Master and heard him ask Cooper several
times to postpone the fight, but Cooper and his second would not agree. After
another round the deceased fell heavily and Wood said he must go. He was
prepared to make up with his protagonist but by this time Cooper was
unconscious. The witness thought Cooper had drunk about half a pint of brandy
during the fight, although the Coroner declared that it was an exaggeration.
A
surgeon was called as a witness. Mr O’Reilly said he visited the deceased on
Monday night. He declared that the cause of death was a brain haemorrhage. The
Coroner asked if this was caused by a blow or by a fall or by a natural cause.
The doctor said it was caused by a violent fall, and if there had not been a
four hour delay in calling for medical assistance there was a chance that the
deceased might have survived.
In the
Coroner’s summing up to the Jury he said “he had no hesitation in saying that
he did not believe they entertained a feeling of malice towards each other
which would make the offence murder”.[5]
However the killing of a person is an unlawful act and amounted to
manslaughter. It was up to the Jury to decide if the deceased was unlawfully
killed even though the fight appeared to be a fair trial of strength. After
several hours the Jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against Mr Wood and
Mr Cooper’s second, Alexander Wellesley Leith.
Charles
Alexander Wood was held in custody at the house of his tutor guarded by a
Constable. The Earl of Shaftesbury declined to bring charges but the parties
still had to be tried on the coroner’s warrant.
The
funeral of the Hon. Anthony Francis Ashley Cooper took place at Eton on Sunday
6th March and after the service his body was placed in a vault in
the ante-chapel. A newspaper reported that the Provost would address the boys
on the “impropriety of their recent conduct”, but this speech did not take
place.[7]
Many of
the facts of the case were mis-reported and in the days that followed the
papers had to print corrections. Colonel Wood reported that his son was 14 and
not 17 as some had reported.[8] Lord Shaftesbury took out an advertisement to
say that only one of his sons took part in the fight. The other was confined to
bed by a severe illness.[9]
On the 8th
March 1825 the Times Leader wrote a scathing attack on Eton College. They
reported that they had received a great many letters on the subject of the
“melancholy event” at Eton. Normally, it said, they regard “crimes or
calamities” at schools and colleges as accidental and they recognise that boys left
to “their natural resources” will often end up fighting after a quarrel, and up
to a point they advocate this. The fact that Cooper and Wood fought is
accepted, but that the lads at Eton should be given brandy as a substitute for
their natural stamina is to be condemned.
The Leader went on to question the “astonishing ignorance” of the
students at Eton who did not recognise the fact that if a boy is insensible and
remains so for several hours he should receive medical attention. In other
words The Times suggested that parents of scholars at Eton who hand
guardianship of their children to the supposedly intelligent and experienced
staff cannot be secure about their care.
The
Headmaster of Eton College, Rev. Dr. Edward Craven Hawtrey, wrote indignantly
to the Times that Charles Alexander Wood remained in his house until his father
collected him the following day and he did not permit him, not least because of
Wood’s own emotional state, to appear in class. The headmaster also reports
that three gentlemen, returning from a hunt, came across the fight in the
school playing fields about 50 minutes after it had commenced. They watched the
fight for ten minutes and rode away after seeing nothing that warranted their
interference.[10]
The
Trial of Wood and Leith for manslaughter began at Aylesbury on Wednesday March
9th 1825. Both pleaded ‘Not Guilty’. Mr Wood was described by the
Times as being of elegant appearance, aged about 14, but his “eyes were very
much confused”.[11]
His coat sleeve was still torn from the fight. Mr Leith was aged about 19. No
one appeared in Court to conduct the prosecution. The witness from the
Coroner’s Court, Christopher Teasdale, was called three times, but did not
appear. The Coroner was called who confirmed that he had given Teasdale, as
well as two other witnesses, notice to attend, but none were present.
As there were no prosecution the prisoners had to be
acquitted and a Not Guilty verdict was given. An application to hear Mr Wood’s
defence statement was refused and he returned with his father to London. Mr
Leith also had a defence statement prepared had the trial proceeded. The Times
printed his statement in full. Mr Leith disputed the amount of alcohol that was
reported to have been administered to Mr Cooper during the fight. Leith said
the deceased only sipped at the brandy between rounds and no more than one
whole glass was consumed. He also said that it was not unusual for spirits to
be given to contestants in fights
at Eton, and that he was not the only supporter of Mr Cooper between rounds. He
goes on to correct the report about the disparity in ages of the combatants and
confirms they were of equal age. He concludes that he does not claim to be
blameless, but thinks that the real cause of the fatality is inexperience.[12]
On 14th
March the Times reported that Lord Shaftesbury had written to Colonel Wood,
“couched in very friendly terms” in which he believed that no blame should be
attached to young Wood in relation to the unfortunate affair and that he will
continue to send his other sons to Eton.[13]
By publicly releasing this letter the Earl hoped to end the newspapers
attention on this whole affair. In the public’s minds it had been written off
as an unfortunate accident, although for those involved the memories of the
fight might have been harder to eradicate.
It is
not known what the lasting effect of this incident did to Leith and Wood.
Alexander Wellesley Leith succeeded his father to the baronetcy in Jan 1842 and
died six months later in Madeira at the age of 35.[14]
He left a wife and son. In his short life he does not appear to have made any
impact on society and his life is not chronicled in any biographical
dictionary.
Charles
Alexander Wood continued to study at Eton and then went on to study at
Cambridge.[15]
He
became a Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioner responsible for
superintending the sale and settlement of the waste lands of the Crown in the
British Colonies “and the conveyance of emigrants thither”.[16]
He was the Treasurer of the Society of Ancient Britons and attended royal
functions in that capacity. He was also deputy Chairman of the board of the
Great Western Railway. He was knighted
by Queen Victoria in 1874.[17]
He died in 1890.
Conclusion.
The fact
that both Colonel Thomas Wood and Major-General Sir George Leith, fathers of
the accused, were present at the trial reflects on the parental concern of both
men, but I cannot help wondering why there were no witnesses or prosecutors at
the trial. I have no idea how common this was so I cannot comment further.
For two
weeks, until Lord Shaftesbury’s letter to Colonel Wood effectively put an end
to the gossip and discussion, the case was reported daily in the newspapers. It
was probably seen as an indication that children of the rich and noble were no
different in character to street urchins. It showed the public that an
education makes no difference to a boy’s natural instinct to fight. The Times
leader called it duelling among boys and suggesting that by venting their angry
feelings it extinguished personal hatred. The publication seems to suggest that
fighting among boys is natural and it teaches them courage and strength. This
is probably the reason that the staff at Eton at that time appear to have shown
a blind eye to the occasional fight among pupils.
[1] "Coroner's Inquest." Times [London,
England] 3 Mar. 1825: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[2] "The Lisbon papers contain the official
notification of the appointment of Count Palmella as Ambassador to
this." Times [London, England] 2 Mar. 1825: 4. The
Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.
[3] "Coroner's Inquest." Times [London,
England] 3 Mar. 1825: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[4] "Coroner's Inquest." Times [London,
England] 3 Mar. 1825: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[5] "Coroner's Inquest." Times [London,
England] 3 Mar. 1825: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[6] Lyte, H. C. Maxwell, Sir. A history of Eton
College, 1440-1910. 4th ed.,
rev. London: Macmillan, 1911, p. 295.
[7] "ETON, SUNDAY AFTERNOON.-The funeral of the Hon.
F. A. Cooper, who was unfortunately killed on." Times [London,
England] 7 Mar. 1825: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[8] "The recent melancholy event at Eton has, in all
circles, made a most painful impression. The statement that one of
the." Times [London, England] 7 Mar. 1825: 3. The
Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.
[9] "It was rumoured in the gallery of the House of
Commons, that pending the debate last night, intelligence." Times [London,
England] 8 Mar. 1825: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[10] "E. C. HAWTREY." "Eton School." Times [London,
England] 9 Mar. 1825: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[11] "Aylesbury, Wednesday, March 9." Times [London,
England] 10 Mar. 1825: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[12] "Aylesbury, Wednesday, March 9." Times [London,
England] 10 Mar. 1825: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[13] "We understand that Lord Shaftesbury has written
a letter to Colonel Wood, couched in very friendly terms, in." Times [London,
England] 14 Mar. 1825: 2. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Sept.
2016.
[14] "Deaths." Times [London,
England] 9 May 1842: 9. The Times Digital
Archive. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
[17] “Obituary”Times,
(London, England) 8 Apr. 1890: 3. The
Times Digital Archive. Accessed 15 Sept 2016.
