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English Prisoners
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English Prisoners in Gournay in the Year One
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On 21 September 1792 (year one of the revolutionary calendar) France became a republic. Following the execution of Louis XVI on January 21, 1793, Britain declared war on France on February 1, 1793. To reinforce its armies, destined to fight on the continent, the United Kingdom launched a recruitment campaign throughout the kingdom, including Ireland. A company of new Irish recruits which had been raised in Dublin embarked on the merchant ship "The Williams" to join a training camp at Chatham near London. On 15 April 1793, at the entrance to the Channel near Beachy Head, "The Williams" was intercepted by the Dunkirk privateer "L'Ami des Lois" and captured. The crew of the privateer must have been as disappointed as they were surprised to find their prize was a cargo totally devoid of market value: one hundred and twenty-two people, 105 soldiers including two captains, one lieutenant, four sergeants, five corporals and two drummers. The rest consisted of the ship’s crew and some women and children. Anxious to rid itself as soon as possible of this poisoned chalice, a contingent of the crew of "L'Ami des Lois," sailed "The Williams" with its prisoners to Dieppe under the command of citizen first lieutenant Bertheloot, arriving on April 16, 1793. For the municipality of Dieppe, it was unthinkable to keep the prisoners in Dieppe itself, because that would encourage the Royal Navy to conduct a raid on the port to save them and to obtain information about local naval defenses. The Dieppe council therefore turned to the regional authority, the General Council of the Département de la Seine Inférieure. It was backed in its efforts by the municipality of Le Havre, which was also trying to dispose of 17 British prisoners it was holding. The General Council approached the District of Gournay asking it to accept the establishment of a prison on its territory for British prisoners of war. Gournay was considered a good choice for this. It was far enough from the coast not to be in danger of an English raid and, if prisoners escaped, they would have little chance of reaching the coast. Having previously got itself in the bad books of the General Council, the officials of the District of Gournay could hardly refuse. They were informed, in a letter from the General Council of the department dated 19 April, that the British prisoners would leave Dieppe for Gournay on April 21. Thus, on April 22, 1793 the Gournay District Council found itself organising, in extremis, the installation of English prisoners in the former convent of the Ursulines, having commandeered part of the building for the purpose. For the construction of cells the municipality was authorized to use wood from the demolition of the market hall, and "anything useful rendered available to the nation by the emigration of Anne Léon Montmorenci" (sic). To furnish the installation the municipality appealed to the citizens of Gournay and managed to collect 60 beds. The biggest problem, however, was food, for although the military authorities agreed to subsidise rations for the soldier and sailor prisoners, they flatly refused to provide for the women and children. This proved to be is the beginning of an administrative imbroglio of the first magnitude. (To be continued)
