By John D Ellis
The Bradford Observer of 21st December 1848 informed its readers of the death, in her twenty-ninth year, of Emily Bronte, daughter of the Reverend Patrick Bronte of Haworth. Also noted was the death “at Bradford Moor Barracks, aged 8 years, Richard Umhala, a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and attached to the 90th Foot: the little fellow was a great favourite with both officers and men”.(1)
The historical presence of Black and Asian people in parts of Britain is well documented, however, less is known of the presence of “people of colour” (as people of either African or Asian origin were frequently referred to in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries) in the Bradford area. Richard Umhala, an African, (the Cape of Good Hope is in South Africa) was certainly not the first Black person in the Bradford area, nor the only one living there in the 1840s: Thomas Grenada, described as “a negro” was baptised at St Peter’s Church, Birstall in January 1769.(2) John Williams, “a man of colour”, and his wife Mary, lived at Church Hill in Baildon during the 1840s.(3) William James, also “a man of colour”, aged 53 years, died in the Bradford Poor House in October 1843 and was subsequently buried at the Church of St Peter, Bradford).(4) “People of colour” were also referenced by two of the area’s most famous authors: Emily Bronte’s novel “Wuthering Heights” (1847) features Heathcliff, variously described as a “dark skinned Gypsy” and a “little Lascar” (a nineteenth century term for Indian sailors).(5) Whilst Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” (1847), also contains a Black character – the unfortunate Mrs Rochester.(6) The fact that neither of these characters is portrayed in an entirely positive light may be reflective of attitudes to people of mixed heritage at the time.
A company of the 90th (Perthshire Volunteers) (Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot, (here-after the “90th Foot”), commanded by Major Frederick Eld, had taken up quarters in Bradford Moor Barracks in August 1848. Tasked with supporting the authorities in suppressing the Chartist disturbances, they had recently returned from South Africa and service in the 2nd Kaffir War (1846-1847), (hereafter the “7th Xhosa War”), one of the many small wars that carved out the British Empire and came to define the Victorian period and subsequent attitudes to ethnicity.(7)
It was not uncommon for regiments of the British Army of the nineteenth century to adopt children. Many young boys, including those “of colour”, were either employed as servants or enlisted in regimental bands until old enough to serve in the ranks, most notably, James Francis (“Jimmy”) Durham, (1885-1910), a Black boy who was adopted by the soldiers of the Durham Light Infantry during the Sudan Campaign, and later served as a drummer in the unit.
Richard Umhala’s surname and the service of the 90th Foot in South Africa provide clues to his origins: An African chief of the Xhosa tribe named Umhala, described by those who met him as “a man of superior intellect….one who could judge cause and effect, and future results”, had long been a thorn in the side of the British authorities in the Cape, fighting against them in both the 6th and 7th Xhosa Wars. Politically astute and the consummate survivor, Umhala named one of his sons after a British Army officer, (“Mackinnon Umhala” after General George Henry Mackinnon the Chief Commissioner of British Kaffraria), and even sent his children to Christian mission schools to be educated, (although he would not apparently allow them to be baptised). Thus, it is possible that Richard Umhala, if indeed the son of Chief Umhala, was deliberately sent to Britain by his father to gain a better understanding of the country and people. Alternately, Richard may have been brought to Britain as a hostage acting as surety against his father’s co-operation with the British. It is also possible that Richard had no link to Chief Umhala of the Xhosa and may simply have been a servant boy named after Umhala by the 90th out of respect for their wily erstwhile opponent. (Although the British tended to anglicise the names of African soldiers, sailors and retainers or give them ironic/comedic names – so retaining the surname Umhala would suggest Richard was Chief Umhala’s son). Whilst the fashion for Black servants had waned somewhat since the eighteenth century, Major Frederick Eld’s new wife, Annie Cecilia, was a White South African and Richard was probably her companion; a friendly face and a reminder of home whilst quartered in Bradford – thousands of miles from the place of both of their births.
By the 18th of December 1848 it would have been clear that Richard Umhala was dying: Suffering from hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) for almost four weeks, he was baptised at St Peter’s Church, Bradford. The baptism entry noted that Richard’s father was Umhala, and Richard himself was identified as a “prince” – suggesting that he was indeed the son of Chief Umhala of the Xhosa.(9)
It is unlikely that Richard, had capacity during the baptism. Victorian Bradford had a high rate of infant mortality, so baptising children shortly after birth or when severely ill, (both times of vulnerability) was viewed as an act of spiritual necessity to ensure that they would be accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven. It was also beneficial to the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of their families/carers. However, Richard’s forced baptism, albeit well-intentioned, does not sit comfortably with twenty-first century ideals of tolerance and diversity.
Richard Umhala died in Bradford Moor Barracks on the 19th of December 1848, (the day after his baptism). His death certificate recorded that he was 8 years of age and a native of the Cape of Good Hope. The cause of death was given as hydrocephalus of 28 days.
The informant, present at Richard’s death, was Corporal Henry Fitzmaurice of the 90th Foot.(10) Fitzmaurice’s Army records reveals that at the time of Richard’s death, he was serving as a Corporal in the orderly room of Major Frederick Eld’s company. Annie Cecilia Eld was heavily pregnant (her daughter, Cecilia, being born at Drewton Street, Bradford on the 29th of January 1849), and so it would have been logical for Frederick Eld to ensure that Fitzmaurice, a trusted non-commissioned officer, was given the responsibility for caring for Richard Umhala.(11)
Richard Umhala was buried in the churchyard of St Peter’s Church, Bradford (now Bradford Cathedral) on the 21st of December 1848.
Post-Script and References.
Bradford Moor Barracks. Built in the early 1840s in response to the Chartist disturbances. During WW1, the barracks were used to accommodate German POWs. In the 1930s the barracks were decommissioned and demolished.
The 90th (Perthshire Volunteers) (Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot. The regiment became the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in 1881. In 1968 they disbanded rather than accept amalgamation.
Chief Umhala of the Xhosa (1808-1869). Umhala was problematic for the British. The British newspaper archives, held by findmypast.co.uk, have over 1,200 entries for “Umhala” between 1836, (when, following his defeat in the 6th Xhosa War he swore allegiance to the Crown and in return was appointed as a magistrate), and 1869 (when his death was reported).(13) In 1851 The Sun reported that he had sent one of his sons to gather intelligence on the British forces in the Eastern Cape.(14) The paper also proved a “racialised” pen-picture of him around the same time: “At present he is strongly suspected of cherishing hostile intentions, but, like all his countrymen, he is a shrewd, calculating savage, who weighs the probabilities with great care, and will only act with decision where he sees, or fancies he perceives, his own immediate interest”.(15) By 1857 his continued agitation against the British, and his support for the “Great Cattle-Killing Movement” had reduced his “power to but the shadow of what it was” and he had only “the infirm, and old men for warriors”.(16)
Mackinnon Umhala was apparently educated in England, (which makes it likely that Richard was also sent to England by Umhala to be educated), and upon his return to South Africa worked as a government clerk and interpreter. He succeeded his father as Chief and fought, alongside other members of his family, against the British in the 9th Xhosa War (1877-1879).(17) Many of the Xhosa “rebels” fell in battle, others were captured and executed. Captured and charged with sedition, a witness at his trial described Mackinnon as “a clever fellow” being “a tall, well built, powerful and active man; and has a pleasing, insinuating manner, with a good flow of conversation, and he knows how to turn to advantage all his accomplishments”. Mackinnon Umhala was subsequently acquitted of sedition.(18) His fate remains unknown.
The Xhosa. The Xhosa refer to themselves as the amaXhosa. They were, and indeed still are, (as of the early twenty-first century there are over eight million Xhosa), the main inhabitants of the Eastern Cape, and Richard Umhala, prince or not, was almost certainly Xhosa. Notable Xhosa include Bishop Sir Desmond Tutu (1931-), Bantu Stephen Biko (1946-1977) and Nelson Mandela (1918-2013).
The Elds. Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Eld: Born at Seighford Hall, Staffordshire c.1803. Commissioned in the 90th Foot in 1824 and served in the 7th Xhosa War (1846-1847). He married Annie Cecilia Middleton at St George’s Church, Cape Town in January 1848. He retired from the Army in 1855 and died in Leamington Spa in 1881.(19) Annie Cecilia Eld (nee’ Middleton): A doctor’s daughter, born at the Cape of Good Hope c.1832. Following her death in Leamington Spa in August 1913, Annie’s obituary described her as “one of the handsomest ladies of her day and was endeared to all who knew her”.(20) The Elds had three children: Cecilia Frederica Eld, (1849- 1875).(21) Francis Frederick Eld (1857-1909), married with five daughters. Charles Edward Eld, (1860-1926), married twice, with a daughter from the first marriage and two sons by the second marriage. Both Frederick and Annie Eld were interred in the family plot in Seighford parish church Staffordshire. The Eld family continued to serve as officers in the British Army well into the twentieth century.
Henry Fitzmaurice. Henry Fitzmaurice was born in March, Cambridgeshire c.1824. A clerk by occupation, he enlisted in the 90th Foot at Westminster, Middlesex in August 1846. He did not serve in the 7th Xhosa War, but despite that had been promoted rapidly, almost certainly due to his civilian occupation and the fact that senior non-commissioned officers in the British Army of the time had to be literate. Following the death of Richard Umhala, Henry Fitzmaurice appears to have turned to drink, and he was court-martialled and demoted for drunken-ness on duty. He subsequently served during the Crimean War (1854-1855), (for which he received the Crimean War Medal) and was promoted several times. He was discharged as an out-pensioner of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, as a Colour-Sergeant on a pension of 1s/4d per day in December 1855 due to a medical disability. On discharge he was 5/7 and ¼” tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. It was noted that his character had been “very good”. After leaving the Army he settled in King’s Lynn, and then London. His fate remains unknown.(22)
1)The Bradford Observer, 21st December 1848. Emily Bronte and Richard Umhala both died on Tuesday the 19th of December 1848. findmypast.co.uk
2)For Thomas Grenada see: Huddersfield Baptisms. findmypast.co.uk
3)For John Williams see: The Bradford Observer, 24th December 1840 and 15th March 1849. findmypast.co.uk
4)For William James see: Bradford Observer, 26th October 1843. Burial: 23rd October 1843. William James, aged 53 years, abode given as Bradford. Church of St Peter, Bradford. West Yorkshire, England. West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1985. West Yorkshire Archive Service; Wakefield, Yorkshire, England; New Reference Number: BDP14. ancestry.com
5)Bronte, EJ. “Wuthering Heights” (Thomas Cautley Newby. 1847). How Heathcliff got a ‘racelift’ | Film | The Guardian
6)Bronte, C. “Jane Eyre: An Autobiography.” (Smith, Elder & Co, London. 1847).
7) The 2nd Kaffir War, referred to today as the 7th Xhosa War, was one in a series of wars between the Xhosa and Europeans between the 1770s and 1870s, (the Cape Frontier Wars). “Kaffraria” was the name given by White settlers to what is today part of the Eastern Cape of South Africa, and the word “kaffir” was used as a racial slur against Black Africans.
8)Moore Smith, GC. “The Autobiography of Sir Harry Smith, Baronet of Aliwal on the Sutlej, GCB”. (Pickle Partners Publishing, 2011).
9)Baptism: 18th of December 1848. St Peter’s Church, Bradford. Richard Umhala. Parent’s Christian and Surname: “None known” and “Umhala”. Abode: Kaffir Land. Quality, title or profession: Kaffir Prince. West Yorkshire Archive Service. West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910. New Reference Number: BDP14. ancestry.co.uk Interestingly, a transcript of the baptism on findmypast.co.uk identifies Richard’s mother as “Rose Umhala”, but this cannot be verified.
10)England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007. 4th Quarter of 1848. Bradford, Yorkshire. Volume 23. Page 79.
11)For the baptism of Cecilia Frederica Eld see: Baptism: 6th of March 1849. Christ Church, Bradford. West Yorkshire Archive Service. West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910. ancestry.co.uk For Henry Fitzmaurice see: The National Archives (TNA) WO 97/1653/159.
12)Bradford Cathedral – geograph-2106999 – Bradford Cathedral – Wikipedia
13)findmypast.co.uk
14)Sun (London), 11th June 1851. findmypast.co.uk
15)Sun (London), 7th March 1851. findmypast.co.uk
16)Peires, JB. “The Dead will Arise: Nongqawuse and the Great Cattle-Killing Movement of 1856-57”. (Indiana University Press, 1989).
17)Morning Post, 20th December 1877. Northwich Guardian, 1st May 1878. The Globe, 21st August 1878. findmypast.co.uk
18)East Anglian Daily Times, 14th August 1878. findmypast.co.uk
19)For Lt.Col Frederick Eld see: Staffordshire Advertiser, 6th May 1848. findmypast.co.uk
20)For Annie Cecilia Eld see: Staffordshire Advertiser, 6th May 1848. Leamington Spa Courier, 15th August 1913. findmypast.co.uk
21)For Cecilia Frederica Eld see: Staffordshire Advertiser, 3rd February 1849. findmypast.co.uk
22)For Henry Fitzmaurice see: The National Archives (TNA) WO 22/67, WO 23/50 and WO 97/1653/159. findmypast.co.uk