While looking through St Helena’s official archives, I found the record of Napoleon’s death and burial in May, 1821.
In the middle of the page is the entry, “Napoleon Bonaparte, late Emperor of France, he died on the 5th Instant at the old House at Longwood, and was interred on Mr Richard Torbett’s Estate.” Click on the photos to see them in larger detail.
Wow, Margaret! What a find! I’m sure you felt a rush encountering such a record – being able to handle it. Thanks so very, very much for posting pictures!
(says Melanie, the bibliophile of old or particularly ancient records 😉 )
You’d go crazy over the archives on St Helena. They run from 1650 to the present, with all the official records, from land disputes and burials to revoking a tavern’s license for selling beer on a Sunday in 1821. I wish I’d had more time to spend reading them.
I was most interested to read of your recent trip to St Helena and in particular to see the copy of the burial register which I had not seen before.
I am a G.G.G. Grandson of Richard Torbett, one of many, on whose estate Napoleon was buried.
Richard Torbett was born on the island where he was married and by that marriage had 5 children. However his first wife Sara died in April 1801 and sometime after that date he travelled to England where he married again, to Elizabeth. They had 3 children born in England. In January 1815 they took out EIC bonds to return to the Island. I guess the timing of this move would have coincided with the Treaty of Fontainebleau and Napoleon’s exile to Elba. Little did they know that within a year Napoleon would be a neighbour!
A further 6 children were born to Richard and Elizabeth on St Helena, one of whom, Charles, was my G.G. Grandfather. (1826). Richard died in 1834 and Elizabeth returned to England in 1849.
I thought you might be interested in this snippet of background information
David, thank you! That is fascinating. If you don’t mind, I’ll repeat your information in a blog post so that my other readers will be sure to see it.
Have you been to St Helena? The tomb is a very moving spot.
Margaret
Hi,
For years Iv’e been interested in the Island. My connection is though Matthew Bazett ( My mouther is a Bazett.) who arrived on St Helena in 1684.
There where rumours of a connection with Napoleon and even an affair with one of the Bazett girls. I however have never been able to find a link.
The Bazett’s had a long history on the Island but records fizzle out in the early 1800’s. I have no idea if anybody with that name still lives on St Helena.
Good luck with your book.
Best wishes,
Barry Perrins.
Hello, Barry,
Thanks for your comment. St Helena has a fascinating past and present–perhaps with the new prospect of an airport opening in 2016, you’ll get a chance to visit. Meanwhile, if you haven’t already, you might enjoy following the news of the island through the website of the St Helena Independent Newspaper. You might even come across mention of a long-lost relative. I’ll keep an eye out for your family name as I continue my research. I hope you’ll subscribe to updates of my blog, as I’ll periodically cover news and history of the island.
Take care,
Margaret
Richard….i think we are related…….I believe i am also a GGG Grandaughter.
Hello, Chantel, I’ll forward your comment on to David Torbett to be sure that he receives it. Do you have any additional information about your St Helena ancestors?
Margaret
Hi, I’m Barry’s cousin and I’d like to elaborate on the Napoleon story. Matthew Bazett was a Huguenot from France who ended up on the island, Apparently he was one of Napoleons guards (not surprisingly, both on the island at the same time) together with being governor for a while (a very short while). Apparently Napoeleon left some stuff to our family, one thing being his carriage which they donated to Madame Tussauds’s which was destroyed by fire in 1925. We still have a silver spoon which is alledged to have been Napoleons (its of french origin)
I find these family histories fascinating, Sarah. Have you discovered any other documentation about the carriage or the time when your ancestor was governor? When you say that Matthew Bazett was a guard,do you know if he was employed by Napoleon or the British? It would be interesting to know.
Hold on to that spoon!You might be able to verify that it’s the same pattern as what Napoleon took to St Helena. Have you heard that, when the British refused to provide sufficient funds to maintain the Emperor’s household, Napoleon had much of his silver melted down and sold to raise money? Also, I wonder if Tussaud’s has photographs of the carriage.
Enjoy and take pride in your family being a part of this great story!
All the best,
Margaret
Hi, me again!
Matthew Bazett died in March 1719 so was dead 96 years before Napoleon arrived on St helena. His Grandson also called Matthew died in 1801 so both of these men could not have been around at the time of Napoleon.
Iv’e also heard the story about the Emperor and my family the ‘Bazetts’ but as hard as I have tried I can find no proof of a connection. Indeed, according to records by 1815 there were no Bazetts left on the Island.
However, at times people who had close links with the family sometimes named their children Bazett. Thus Bazett is also a first name. In 1895 a man called Bazett Leggg took up the job of looking after French propriety’s on the island including Napoleons grave. He held this post for 50 years! This is the only connection I have ever found, so far! More info in link below.
Cheers,
Barry.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.sh/newsletters/no8/newletter-8-feb05-2.html
Thanks for the clarification, Barry. I will keep an eye out for your family’s name during my on-going research. When it comes to Napoleon and the Bonaparte family you never know what you’ll come across.
And what a great article by Michel Martineau. I’d be proud to have an ancestor (whether he’s a blood relative or not) like Bazett Legg.
Take care!
Margaret. I hope it is not too late to join this conversation.
My father was William Ernest Bazett Young; his father was Ernest Bazett Young; his father was Bazette Nairn Young; his mother was Mary Penelope Bazett; then a further three generations back I get to Mattieu (Matthew) Bazett, born in France circa 1668. I ended up going to St Helena Island several years ago because I was fascinated by that aspect of my family history. I live in Sydney, Australia.
My father used to say ‘our ancestors nursed Napoleon’.
I found no evidence of that on St Helena but plenty of other interesting history.
So hello to the Bazetts and Torbetts to whom I am distantly related.
The Torbett connection is because Bazette Nairn Young’s grandfather – Stephen Young – married Charlotte Torbett. He later died in a duel – the only duel to have occurred on the island as far as I can make out. There is still a place called Youngs Valley, near Jamestown, on St Helena.
Regards.
Allan
How interesting! I hope you enjoyed St Helena as much as I did. I’m not entitled to welcome you the Torbett family, but I can welcome you to the People Interested in Napoleon’s Time on St Helena family!
Hi folks, my name is Richard Leakey. My great Grandfather, Peter Nettleton Leakey married a Mary Bazett and they produced 7 sons of which my grandfather, Alexander Bazett Leakey was the youngest. Mary Bazett’s father was a Charles Young Bazett and her Grandfather was Richard Campbell Bazett. I have some some early photographs of miniature paintings of Richard Campbell Bazett and his second wife Sarah. I have been told that there was a Bazett on the island of Elba at the time of Napoleons imprisonment in 1814. Is there any evidence of this or was the island St Helena in 1815-1821? It could be a case of Chinese whispers? James Leakey the Devon artist painted some portraits of the Bazett’s as the Leakey’s and Bazett’s were connected by marriage several times over the early 19th century period. Do you have any pics of the Bazett’s?
Hello, Richard,
I’m sorry I don’t have any special knowledge about your ancestor. My guess is that you saw the comments on my blog from others in your family. A search on web shows that you might want to join Ancestry.com or some other similar site to connect with folks–perhaps relatives–that have information. On one detail from your comment–yes, Napoleon was in St Helena from October 1815 to May 1821. He was in exile on Elba from may 1814 to February 1815. In between he was in France or held as a British prisoner on board a ship. Good luck finding your ancestors.
Hi All,
about Bazett ancestry.
My great aunt Muriel Bazett wrote a short, well-researched history of the Bazett family which I should upload to the Internet. She was a meticulous researcher in the days before the internet and always references her sources.
Another person who hoped to publish a history of the Bazetts, particularly of Richard Campbell Bazett, was Shirley Bazett (wife of Patrick Bazett). She unfortunately died before she could finish it. Her daughters probably have her source materials which included the journals and letters of RC Bazett. I have read her descriptions of these and they are very interesting.
Marion Jensen (granddaughter of Alfred Hugh Doveton Bazett)
Please let me know if you do upload it. Or you can send it to me privately on my email m.a.rodenberg@gmail.com
Thanks!
Margaret
Hi! I’m a Bazett…. I have Barry Perrins here with me (my cousin, another Bazett) we’re both Lancelots grandchildren, my father was one of Louis Leakey’s 2nd cousins…. Anyhow with regards to the Napoleon connection….. we have a very large spoon that apparently was one of Napoleons…. also a carriage that was donated to Madame Tussaud’s in Paris that was destroyed in a fire. The timeline of St Helena doesn’t match but Elba would?
Hello, Sarah! Nice to hear from you. It’s curious that you have a vehicle thought to be one of Napoleon’s coaches. From what I know the fire that gutted Madame Tussauds took place in London around 1925. It did destroy numerous Napoleonic artifacts, including his custom-built coach that was seized in the chaotic aftermath of Waterloo. Here’s a link with more information about that. https://www.regencyhistory.net/2015/06/what-happened-to-napoleons-carriage.html
If you really have one of his coaches and can document Napoleon’s ownership, you have quite a find. It belongs in a museum! I suggest you find someone to authenticate it and the spoon. I’d love to see photos of both.
All the best,
Margaret
John Roberts Dunn was the first Canadian born citizen to receive the Victoria Cross awarded in the Crimean War 1854..
Born on St. Helena, grandson of John Charles Dunn and Elizabeth Bazett(e)
The Dunn family was originally from Nothumberland.
I am the G Grandaughter of Frank Doveton Bazett winner of the MC who was the Mayor of Newbury who descends from Matthew Bazett Acting Governor back on the 1760’s. My mother his Granddaughter was lucky enough to visit the island a few years ago
Wonderful! I hope you get an opportunity to visit St Helena yourself (when the world has returned to normal). It’s a marvelous place.
Thanks for writing.
Margaret