Model ship's fascinating voyage from Napoleonic Wars to early Nelson
MODEL OF HMS ST GEORGE, STARBOARD SIDE. NELSON PROVINCIAL MUSEUM COLLECTION. 4.37
An unusual model ship made from animal bone by French prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars (1793 to 1815), has been part of Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao Nelson Provincial Museum’s collection since 1919. Michael Davies, who is a senior collections technician at the museum, said the story of the ship’s origin is not only fascinating, but there are also several intriguing links between it and some of the first settlers to arrive in the city of Nelson.
Prisoner of War Models, as model ships like this are known, are renowned for their fine finish and attention to detail. They were made by French prisoners of war (POWs), held in British prisons, during the Napoleonic Wars, which took place from 1793 to 1815.
The POWs used bones that were left after cooking their rations, including beef and mutton. After cleaning them, they bleached and carved the bones, then sliced, shaped, and polished them using basic hand tools to create intricate models.
MODEL OF HMS ST GEORGE, RIGGING. NELSON PROVINCIAL MUSEUM COLLECTION. 4.37
The model ship is 350mm long by 90mm wide by 280mm high. It has three masts, bowsprit, and jib boom, all carved from bone. The fibre that makes up the thin rigging has not been tested, but other models made at this time used a wide variety of fibres including horse and human hair. The hull, which is made of a thin layer of bone over a wooden core, is supported on two slender carved bone cradles. As well as the figurehead, this model has rigging with minute carved blocks, brass cannons set in lidded gunports, and a checkerboard patterned stand surrounded by a carved fence. The carved ship’s boat suspended over each side even have the remains of blue trim painted around their gunwales.
“At first glance it is impressive,” said Davies. “It’s a remarkable piece of art. But as you look more closely, the finely carved details become even more intriguing. Which ship is it? Who made it? How old is it?”
Davies and others in the curatorial team regularly seek to answer these sorts of questions as part of their efforts to establish the ‘provenance’– that is, the known history and/or record of ownership - of objects in the collection.
“As can be expected with this type of origin, the details about the makers of almost all of these models, around the world, are unknown,” said Davies. Prisoners could be detained for several years at a time during this era. This was a change from previous conflicts as Napoleon refused British attempts to exchange prisoners, believing that any prisoners he released in return would re-join the fight against France.
Making items for sale to the English public in prison markets gave those incarcerated the opportunity to pass the time as well as to create an income to make prison life a little less uncomfortable. Being sailors, ship models featured prominently in the items made.
“Opinion also varies on how accurately the models represent the exact details of the ships they are named after. Some in overseas collections are clearly noted as being French in style, yet they were given names of ships from the Royal Navy. Others have suggested that this could have been so that they would be more attractive to English buyers.”
While this model ship’s name isn’t engraved on the hull, it has been recorded as HMS St George ever since it was donated. The HMS St George was a 98-gun Second Rate Ship in the British Royal Navy. It was launched in 1785 and wrecked in 1811, with a large loss of life. However, during her life at sea, she was then Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson’s flagship in the Baltic in 1801. The ship was commanded by Captain Thomas Hardy, who would again serve alongside Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar four years later, in October 1805. This battle represented a turning point in the Napoleonic war.
The model is extremely fragile and sensitive to vibration as well as changes in climate.
“When examining the model out of its case you find yourself holding your breath as you look at the fine detail,” said Davies.
MODEL OF HMS ST GEORGE, FIGUREHEAD. NELSON PROVINCIAL MUSEUM COLLECTION. 4.37
Model ship sailed with early Nelson settlers
There are also several social history connections between both the model ship, and the original HMS St George, and one of the first families to settle in Nelson.
Mr Samuel Strong was an early Nelson merchant who arrived on the Bombay in late 1842 with his wife Martha and two daughters. Their son, Samuel H Strong, was born after they arrived in Nelson.
In March 1899, Samuel H Strong donated the model ship to the Bishop Suter Art Gallery, just before it opened in May of that year. A newspaper article published in the Nelson Evening Mail at the time remarks on the French appearance of the figurehead, supporting the hypothesis that it may have been a model of a French, and not a British, ship.
At the time, Strong junior indicated that his father had served on HMS St George “for a time”, having run away from home to join the Royal Navy as a boy. However, he was removed from the ship and returned home by relatives “a little before the battle of Trafalgar”, which would have made him only nine or 10 years old at the time.
“While this is shocking to us today it was not unheard of at the time,” said Davies. “The linking of the dating of Samuel’s enforced departure from HMS St George to the famous battle of Trafalgar may have been added in for effect in the later telling of the story, given HMS St George was not involved in that battle.”
Nothing has come to light about the intervening 37 years, until Samuel Strong (senior) arrived in Nelson. It seems likely, however, that he acquired the model well after he was returned home from his youthful adventure on HMS St George. The information that has been recorded about his life in Nelson relates mostly to his pivotal involvement in the early establishment of the Society of Friends in Nelson. He and his wife Martha Strong were active members and hosted services in their home until the Quaker Meeting House near Rutherford St was completed in 1853. They would later be buried there; Martha in 1854 and Samuel in 1875.
In 1905, at a function celebrating Labour Day, Samuel Strong’s assistance with employing men during the financial downturn in Nelson in the 1840s was recalled with gratitude. He commissioned the construction of a ship, which provided work to local men. The ship then sailed to San Francisco carrying Nelson produce and returned with much needed stocks of flour and potatoes.
In 1919 the model was transferred from the Bishop Suter Art Gallery to the museum with the agreement of Samuel Strong (junior).
PLEASE NOTE: this object is not currently on display. It will be on display during our summer 2022-2023 exhibition, ‘Treasured’. For more information about this object, please contact us.
This article was prepared by Nelson Provincial Museum curators, with additional reporting and editing by Kerry Sunderland. The article was originally published in The Nelson Mail on Saturday 30th July, 2022. To view the story please click here.