Druitt and the Civil Service

[Natalie Severn]

Well Andy,I haven"t yet given it any real thought but off the top of my head I would say that Druitt may well have been a man who felt very strongly for whatever reason about Home Rule.Certainly Henry Labouchere ,the radical member of parliament was determined to get Parnell"s name cleared and was extremely suspicious of Pigott ,the Irish journalist,who forged the letters for The Times, criminalising him.
Labouchere had apparently studied the handwiting of Pigott and drew attention to the great similarity between the Dear Boss letters" handwriting and that of Pigott----Pigott committed suicide in February 1889 during The Special Commission.Labouchere was it appears pretty seriously convinced that Pigott was Jack The Ripper---and if he was his suicide was timely.Now Pigott certainly did scribed those letters which formed part of a supposed expose of Parnell-as a terrorist etc and at the same time Robert Anderson,a fierce "anti Home Ruler" of Unionist persuasion,also scribed articles for the same paper,The Times that implicated Parnell in crimes connected with terrorism.However,a very strong liberal element prevailed as well as the Irish Nationalist defence led by Michael Davitt, [ not a dynamiter per se],which was for Home Rule,brought about through parliamentary means with great support therefore for the Irish Home Rule MP, Parnell and which fought tooth and nail to clear his name of the forger Pigott"s slander.
Pall Mall Gazette was part of it therefore Edward Cook would have been too,as was the MP Labouchere.
BTW- A place where some of these met was Hammersmith---at William Morris"s house on the river and at Bernard Shaw"s.They were mostly intellectuals who had never been at odds with the law in their lives but who felt very strongly about this issue.
Finally ,of extreme importance in all this was, Sir Edward Jenkinson,ex Spy Master at Dublin Castle and later at The Home Office for Matthews.Jenkinson was a secret "Home Ruler"and Parnell sympathiser and did everything in his power to expose Pigott via a meeting in Paris that October 1888 with Michael Davitt who was defending Parnell.Their meeting was just before the Special Commission opened.By doing this he also ofcourse got back at Anderson and Monro who had had him sacked in 1885.Both Pigott and Anderson were also in Paris that October and both left Paris on the very same day=4th October 1888.Its thought they were trying to get ex fenians living in exile to come to the Special Commission to testify against Parnell.That failed but they did get Le Caron,the British spy, to testify and Caron lived the rest of his life under armed guard!

Was Druitt therefore the man Macnaghten is alleged to have said was"a leader of the plot to assassinate Balfour---that is who the Ripper was" or similar words.
Will return to this later-must go out now
Cheers
Nats

[aspallek]

So, Nats, who was the "Professor Goldwin Smith" mentioned in the article in the attachment link above?

[Robert]

Hi Andy

It's a bit long to post, but if you go to the Times June 8th 1910, page 8, and click on "Memoir" you'll see a lot of info re Prof GS.

Robert

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Andy,
Yes I have now read the article thanks for that.I think The Palmerston Club would have been attended by Liberals,some of whom were quite radical.Clearly Professor Goldwin Smith was once quite radical himself but that night he revealed in his speech that he was disenchanted with the uppity ways of the proles of late-especially since returning from the States.
Well it doesnt tell us anything about Druitt except that,as a guest at a Liberal Club, he was most probably a supporter of the Liberal Party and therefore a likely supporter of Home Rule.Goldwin Smith sounds as though he spoke on an unexpectedly sour note that night about the way thinge were going----but it looks as though his words were not exactly "gladly" received if there was a lot of gloom and doom about.
Natalie

[Natalie Severn]

It should also be kept in mind that this one time Liberal editor of Stead"s paper Edward Cook,was not only from Blackheath and a student at Winchester and Oxford but was also the President of this Palmerston Club, that held a dinner attended by Druitt.
Nats

[aspallek]

Thanks, Natalie and Robert. I haven't read the post you refer to, Robert, but I shall. I did find many other articles regarding Goldwin Smith, however. Was he a Canadian or merely an Englishman living in Canada?

It should also be noted that we don't' know for certain that it was Montague Druitt who was at the Palmerston Club Dinner. It may have been a relative.

[Sam Flynn]

Hi Andy,

I did find many other articles regarding Goldwin Smith, however. Was he a Canadian or merely an Englishman living in Canada?

There is a "Goldwin Smith", described as "Regius Professor of Modern History", visiting Priory House School - a boarding school in Cheltenham, Glos - in the 1861 Census. He was born around 1824 in Reading, Berkshire - therefore an Englishman. In 1851 he was at Eton, again visiting, where he is listed as an "MA, Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford".

According to Oxford University Alumni, 1715-1886, he was professor of English and Constitutional History at Cornell University, Ithaca, from 1868-1871 - which would explain the transatlantic connection. An illustrious chap, it seems...

[Robert]

Hi Andy

It seems to have been mainly for undergraduates. See Times January 31st 1878 page 10.

What was the date for the attached article?

Robert

[aspallek]

Hi Robert,

The article was from the 12 June 1886 Jackson's Oxford Journal. I did also find a helpful article on Goldwin Smith at Wikipedia.

Perhaps this discussion should be taken over to the "Druitt at Oxford" thread.

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Sam very helpful.
Andy,do you know whether the other Druitts went to Oxford? Its looking to me like Monty may have been a friend of this Edward Cook.I say that because they could have encouraged each other to take those civil service exams.Such work,if it concerned the sort of government post that Rugles Brise obtained for example,and not very long afterwards at that,as Civil Servant to HM Secretary of State - Home Secretary Matthews--- ,would have given access to Government secrets including official secrets.
A wonderful job for that Macnaghten suspect ----that is if the suspect really was the leader of a plot intending to assassinate Balfour!

[aspallek]

Nats --

Yes, I know that some of the other Druitts did attend Oxford, Montague's cousin James for one. I'll try to have a look to see which ones attended and when.

[m_w_r]

Do you know whether the other Druitts went to Oxford?

Here are the Druitts who went to Oxford (and came through), from Oxford University Alumni, 1500-1886:



Here is the entry for Edward Tyas Cook:



You'll notice, Natalie, that Cook and Monty matriculated at the same college on the same day. Another thing to link them together.

Regards,

Mark

[Sam Flynn]

Thanks Sam very helpful.

Thanks for the thanks

[Natalie Severn]

So Cook and Druitt [M] went to the same preparatory school,then the same Oxford College -New College -where they matriculated on the same day .They then sat the very same Civil Service exam,on the same day but both failed to get in----is that correct?
When they both lived in Blackheath was it at the same time,does anyone know?
I think we may be getting somewhere here!

m-w-r,
that was great posting those college Druitts,
Natalie

[aspallek]

Cook was also president of the Palmerston Club while an undergraduate. Druitt's (potential) presence at the 1886 Palmerston dinner suggests he was a member as well.

Ed- Cook lived at Lewisham in 1881. Listed as a Law Student. Living at home with his apparently widowed mother and siblings. Can't find him in 1891 but I'm sure Chris will....

In 1899 he has an address at no. 61 Russell Square. This may have been an office?

Cook was born at Brighton as was HR Farqhuarson. He, Farquharson, and MJ Druitt were all born in 1857.