Memorial Plaque for famous Manxman - Captain Peter Heywood

Memorial Plaque for famous Manxman - Captain Peter Heywood

Sat, 20 Dec 2008

The Manx Heritage Foundation has unveiled a memorial plaque in honour of Manxman Captain Peter Heywood, born in the Nunnery in Douglas in 1772 and a key player in the famous Mutiny on the Bounty. He joined the ill-fated Bounty as a 15-year old midshipman, and although he was not one of the mutineers against Captain Bligh at Tahiti, he was eventually captured by Royal Naval forces and brought back to England for court martial. He was acquitted, due in no small part to the efforts of his sister, Nessy, who made numerous journeys from the Island to London to plead his cause. He went on to have a distinguished naval career and died in London in 1831 and was interred in the chapel of Highgate School, in an unmarked vault. It was the dedicated research of American scholar and Bounty expert, Don Maxton, that found his long-forgotten resting place, and at Don’s suggestion the Foundation agreed to commission and place a plaque in the school chapel, directly above the vault. A short ceremony in the chapel was attended by Don Maxton, Charles Guard of the Foundation, Stewart Christian, President of the London Manx Society and Rose Fowler, Secretary of the Society as well other interested parties, including TV cook and food journalist Glynn Christian, a great great great great-grandson of Fletcher Christian, who started the mutiny which developed into one of the most extraordinary seafaring adventures of all time.

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