Rev. James Jackson [1796-1878] The Pillarite Patriarch

Bodies lay fragmented, torn asunder by the cannon shells that rained down on the two Armies like hail stones in a raging wintertime storm, oblivious on who they fell. The calendar year is 1796 and we are in southern Italy where by the fight of Montenotte is perfectly beneath way. Napoleons troops are pitted towards an Austrian Army led by Depend Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau, and it is not going perfectly for the Austrians.

Across the English Channel in the county of Cumberland some 526 miles absent, yet another particular struggle was becoming fought amongst a mother and the vagaries of childbirth. Neither Napoleon nor the unborn kid understood, that their futures had been inextricably joined, and while they would under no circumstances satisfy personally, they would stand on the exact piece of land some nineteen decades later for related nevertheless distinctive factors, and this time, the struggle would not be heading properly for the French.

As it turned out, the Struggle of Montenotte for Bonaparte, on that uninteresting cloudy damp working day in April was victorious, just as the own fight getting place that exact same working day in the dwelling of Mrs Agnes Jackson, as she gave birth to her next son who was later christened James.

James Jackson’s father Robert, was a grocer by trade and even though they were being not of property or social standing, he experienced a affordable upbringing and at the age of 13, they managed to shell out for him to attend a nearby (non-public) Grammar School where he been given a superior schooling.

The two Bonaparte and James experienced nonetheless to play their section in background, and although it is prevalent information how Bonaparte’s foreseeable future panned out, it is only in the context of community awareness within just his house county, that James’s future is known. In spite of this localised fame, James would by some of his deeds, go down in the annals of heritage with regards the early pioneering heritage of Lake District climbing and mountaineering which was at the time of his beginning, nonetheless in its infancy.

In 1815 aged nineteen, James heard the connect with of his State who was continue to engaged in a armed forces marketing campaign with Napoleon Bonaparte. In order to serve his state, James enlisted in the 33rd Regiment of Foot.

The 33rd Foot was very first raised in 1702 as “The Earl of Huntingdon’s Regiment” by order of Queen Anne to battle in the War of the Spanish Succession. In advance of James enlisted, the regiment fought with difference in the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven A long time War, and, throughout the American War of Independence.

When James enlisted, the regiment were however in Holland when Bonaparte escaped from his prison on the island of Elba, and returned to France. The regiment marched none end south to a compact town called Waterloo exactly where James and other new recruits, joined them, a few times before the struggle.

The Duke of Wellington, put the 33rd Foot regiment in the center of the struggle strains where they effectively withstood the French attacks all day. Observing probable defeat, Bonaparte threw his elite Imperial Guard into the fray hoping at the very last minute, to salvage a victory. However, regardless of their bravery they could not split the British centre held by the troopers of the 33rd Foot, and ended up pressured to retreat.

Heritage is testament to the truth, that Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by the stern resistance of the British strains which finished his rule as French Emperor, this regardless of the Duke of Wellington referring to his troopers as the scum of the earth right after the British troops broke ranks to loot the abandoned French wagons, as an alternative of pursuing the beaten foe. This gross abandonment of willpower triggered an enraged Wellington to create in a renowned dispatch to Earl Bathurst, “We have in the service the scum of the earth as widespread troopers”. While later, when his mood experienced cooled, he extended his comment to praise the adult males beneath his command saying that nevertheless a lot of of the gentlemen ended up, “… the scum of the earth it is genuinely wonderful that we should really have designed them to the wonderful fellows they are”.

If such a statement integrated James Jackson, we shall hardly ever know, but his regiment fought bravely at Waterloo and took a lot of losses with 277 killed from a power of 561, just about half their men, but James Jackson was not a single of them.

After he was again on English soil, James was honourably discharged obviously obtaining decided, that a navy daily life was not a job he wished to go after.

Yet again, we will hardly ever know no matter if the carnage he witnessed at Waterloo was instrumental in main him down the ecclesiastical street or not, but this is the road he took. As it occurred, at the same time that he arrived property, St. Bees Theological College or university experienced just opened its doorways as a personal theological educating institution, providing young men of indicates a two yr class about four phrases every single 12 months, at £10 a term.

James Jackson, along with nineteen other youthful ‘men of means’, were the first to enroll in this new venture, and on his very first day, what he was not conscious of, was that 112 miles away in a tiny village called Rivington in the civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, a infant girl, Susanna Thorpe, experienced just occur into the globe and who would later engage in an integral aspect in the relaxation of his existence as would the location where by she was born.

James matriculated from St. Bees Theology College or university in February 1819 and invested the subsequent two years consolidating his career prior to getting up a new article as Vicar of Rivington on 9th Might 1823 which is how he fulfilled Susana Thorpe who he afterwards married.

Evidently, Rev, James Jackson was a ‘man of means’, since in advance of he acquired married to Susana Thorpe in 1831, he expended twelve years roaming about the environment, working at times as a Vicar inside isolated communities.

For case in point, he crossed the Atlantic in 1826 in a perilous journey in an outdated sailing ship, from Liverpool to Boston, from the place he designed his way north to take a look at Niagara Falls the place he took a boat to see the falls from beneath, before transferring on to Nova Scotia where by he worked as a missionary for the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in Yarmouth fishing port. In 1828 he set out on a 12 month sailing voyage all over the planet wherever he put in time checking out several areas across Europe, which integrated sing “God help you save the King” in the corridor of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, climbing Mount Vesuvius all through an eruption, and ascending all the key mountains in Ireland and North Wales, right before returning property and settling down to married existence.

The relatives took up residence at Parsonage House beside the church from in which James would preach to his flock. It was although he was vicar at Rivington, that he turned greatly recognized for fixing a weathervane cock on the church steeple when no a person else would attempt the feat. This was a time when steeple-jacks ended up usually ‘jack of all trade’s’ relatively than experienced specialist scaffolders and on this event, they all refused to climb the steeple to resolve the weathervane. James disrobed, rolled up his sleeves and duly climbed up the steeple and established the make a difference appropriate.

On descending he was met with a mixed reception. On the 1 hand there ended up all those parishioners who considered he was placing his existence and limb at threat and that these perform was down below that of a clergyman whilst others applauded his endeavours which fed into his ego, resulting in him crafting and publishing a brief 4 lined poem about his deed immediately after writing of the “terror which designed the workmen recoil from the undertaking, and gazing rustics turn unwell with horror at the sight”:

“Who has not read of Steeple Jack?
That lion-hearted Saxon,
Though I am not he, he was my sire,
For I am Steeple Jackson”

This was the beginning of Jackson’s witty however dry retorts about his deeds and behaviour which escalated just after he retired, and, which did not normally obtain a beneficial response from the public specifically, when his responses have been posted in the area press.

On 26th august 1856, he resigned as vicar at Rivington with no explanation presented even though being sixty several years of age, he potentially felt that retirement was perfectly above thanks. He and Susanna moved to Broughton-in-Furness in advance of eventually settling down in the West Cumberland village of Sandwith, a smaller hamlet in the parish of St. Bees located in a tiny valley two and half miles south of Whitehaven. The household was identified as Summer months Hill and was a villa about a 50 % a mile from the village, commanding a very good look at of Cleator Valley and the mountains in the distance.

The period of climbing and mountaineering as we know it today as a leisure pursuit and sport was not still born although a few males of non-public suggests were exploring the dales, fells and mountains of the Lake District while many summits rarely felt the walkers boot.

We will need to digress a minor to investigate the importance that Pillar Rock held in all those distant times, for its standing was in truth (historically) considered to be ‘un-climbable’ in accordance to the 1825 version of John Otley’s ‘Descriptive Guidebook to the English Lakes’. Offered that Pillar Rock is identified for the reality that it is extremely hard to stroll to the summit but demanded the use of fingers for scrambling (climbing) to arrive at the summit suitable, and the point that William Wordsworth mentions it in his Pastoral Poem The Brothers*, it is not surprising that ascending the Pillar to the summit turned a result in celeb for a lot of community adult males with the spirit of experience in their souls.

“You see yon precipice–it almost seems to be
Like some huge making created of lots of crags,
And in the midst is just one certain rock
That rises like a column from the vale,
Whence by our Shepherds it is call’d, the Pillar”.

A level of competition formulated between the nearby dales males to be the initially to stand on its leading, and on July 9th in 1826, the ‘competition’ was received by a cooper and shepherd by the identify of John Atkinson who hailed from the nearby hamlet of Ennerdale Bridge.

The Pillar received about fifty far more ascents thereafter up right until it was initial ascended by a ladies 9th July 1870 by a Mrs A. Barker from Gosforth, a impressive accomplishment in itself permit by yourself that she would have been dressed in a major tweed very long ankle duration skirt which would have prevented her from seeing where by she was placing her ft as she ascended the rock experience.

Three several years later (1873), Pillar Rock obtained its next feminine ascent when Miss out on Mary Westmorland (Penrith) stood on its summit after climbing it with her brothers, Thomas and Edward. They were accompanied by their other sister Annie, but she declined to sign up for them in the climb preferring to wait around at the base of the Pillar until finally their safe return.

Observe: All climbing ascents at that time was performed without having a rope as it had not nonetheless been launched into the sport so every person climbed solo in all weathers!

A 12 months later, Thomas Westmorland wrote an post for the Whitehaven Information relating the tale of their ascent and that his sister was now the second female to stand on the summit of Pillar Rock. He finished his posting titled: THE PILLAR IN ENNERDALE – A Summer months RAMBLE – JULY 24TH 1873 and finished with a prolonged poem.

Having said that, the Westmorland families’ thoughts of elation and pleasure, shortly turned to anger when an short article appeared the adhering to week in which the following assertion was built:

“With incredulous amazement, the rhythmical account of an alleged ascent of the Pillar by two gentlemen and a woman and that in all likelihood what the Westmorland party climbed was not the Pillar Rock but Pillar Mountain a route which did not involve rock climbing to the summit”.

The posting went on to say that the writer experienced walked every fell, hill and dale in the area was signed XYZ.

The Westmorland brothers responded with a adhere to up post immediately and forcefully resenting the “accusation of falsehood” declaring that they could distinguish the mountain from the Rock deal with and it was with out any question the Pillar Rock that they had climbed. They went on to list the names they located in the bottle and finished by declaring that if the gentleman who wrote the write-up signing his name XYZ who as mentioned in his report experienced walked past the Pillar numerous occasions but never ever felt self-confident to be ready to climb it to the summit, if he was to send them his card and they would be satisfied to set his title in the bottle.

Before XYZ could respond, the issue was cleared up the subsequent weekend when a local Penrith climber George Seatree (with Stanley Martin) climbed to the leading of Pillar Rock on Monday 14th September 1874 and in carrying out so, defended their fellow climbers honour, by corroborating that their names were in the bottle on the summit with the date – despite the fact that Mary for what ever motive, signed her identify Pollie! On his return, he wrote an report for the Whitehaven News stating:

“Eagerly we sought the ‘ bottle,’ and to our surprise observed a few. Two of them contained the names of persons who experienced been there the 3rd seemed to have been applied by a person who assumed they may possibly require a minor stimulant on the best. We observed the names of twenty-five gentlemen and two women recorded, some of them on deal with cards, some on a paper collar, and other individuals on a piece of slate.

In two bottles in the Cairn on the Pillar Rock ended up: William M. Pendlebury, Charles Pendlebury, M. Pendlebury, Liverpool C. Comyn Tucker, Beachcroft, Melville E. J. Nanson, Trinity College Henry B. Priest, Birkenhead Henry Lancaster, Lamplugh Tom Westmorland, Ned Westmorland, Pollie Westmorland, Penrith William Gilbanks, Borrowdale J. G. Whitehead, H. R. Wyndham, Cockermouth and Mr Charles Pilkington.”

And inscribed on a piece of slate ended up the adhering to: G. Scoular, Falkirk M. and A. Barnes, Portinscale W. Grave H. Wooley R. Whitwell and W. G. Holland.”

On a fresh new sheet of note-paper there was the following: “Ascended this rock with a woman in 1869, Charles Arundel Parker, Parknook, Gosforth Henry A Barker, Ellerslie, Gosforth.”

Once Seatree’s article appeared in the Whitehaven Information, XYZ owned up by stating that it was he (the Rev. James Jackson) who had composed the preliminary article, and that on looking at Seatree’s account, he graciously withdrew his before charges and assertion with the adhering to comment:

“Though I am now in my 79th calendar year there is existence in the previous pet but for I have not abandoned the hope that on some long term day, with some instruction from your two correspondents who have currently performed the feat, I could be equipped to place my title in the bottle”.

Not to be outdone, Jackson was of the belief that if a women could climb Pillar Rock, then so could he and in the process, go away his have title in the bottle. To influence this, he wrote to George Seatree, who was deemed to be the Pillar Rock skilled, for some information on how he could summit it. In his letter, he also asked for tips, about regardless of whether or not, when he (Seatree) experienced climbed the Pillar, no matter whether or not he utilised a rope or spikes (which are named pitons in to-times modern-day world of climbing).

He then went on to check with Seatree if he would agree to direct him to the summit, and to impress him in the hope that Seatree would agree, Jackson instructed him of his “prowess and conditioning” in that on Oct. 1st 1864, he walked 46 miles in 14.5 hrs, 3 times afterwards he walked 56 miles in 18 hours, and 3 times just after that, he walked 60 miles in 19 hrs and 50 minutes.

Jackson proceeds to tell Seatree, that he has wandered about the regarded planet and has been beneath the waters of Niagara, has sung ‘God help you save the King’ at a Ball in St. Peter’s in Rome, climbed Mount Vesuvius in the course of the eruption of 1828, has climbed Snowdon in Wales, and Sheve Donard in Ireland in addition to all the large hills in the Lake District and completed by expressing:

“It only continues to be for me to mount the Pillar Rock, and then I may sigh for a thing else to conquer and if underneath your assistance I should really be successful in the try, you could crown me with a parsley fern or heather as ‘The Pedestrian Patriarch of the Pillarites’ because I would be 80 years old”.

Seatree did not concur to lead him up the Pillar and as Jackson did not have the persistence to hold out, he sought out an additional youthful climber in the name of John Hodgson, who agreed to lead him to the summit. They set off on 31st May 1875 when Jackson was aged 79 in good climate and superior hopes of accomplishment. They ascended the summit by using the Slab and Notch route, although it should be explained, that this was the to start with recorded climb that made use of artificial aids in purchase to make the ascent successful, when Hodgson hammered in 4 metallic nails into a crack, from which he hung 4 strands of rope which Jackson utilised as handholds on his way across.

In no way a one particular to allow the minute go earlier, in honour of his accomplishment, Jackson gave himself the title The Patriarch of the Pillarites and wrote and revealed the following poem:

“If this in your intellect you will deal with,
When I make the Pillar my toy,
I was born in 1, 7, 9, 6,
And you are going to imagine me a nimble previous boy”.

Not only did Jackson control to place his title in the bottle on the Pillar summit, he still left two a lot more bottles, one with some journey tit bits relating to Rome, Vesuvius, Loretto and Niagara and the other with a reminder, that he experienced been the incredibly first college student to sign up at St. Bee’s Theologian College or university.

Inspite of the point that George Seatree did not agree to guide Jackson up the Pillar Rock, they managed a common correspondence more than a interval of decades which each discovered satisfying. This kind of correspondence was eventually released in 1906 in a booklet with the usual prolonged title of:

“A collection of letters published by the Rev.James Jackson of Sandwith, Whitehaven, to Mr George Seatree and other folks describing his amazing octogenarian mountaineering and climbing exploits in Cumberland, 1874-1878”.

Jackson continued his prolific going for walks across the wild fells and mountains in the Lake District but he just could not leave Pillar Rock by yourself, and so two weeks immediately after his 82nd birthday, on 30th April 1878, he set off by yourself from Ritson’s Inn tin Wasdale intending to tackle Pillar Rock by the Slab and Notch route again for a third time. As ever, he went off that morning with an additional 4-line tribute to his personal prowess prepared in his pocket:

“Two elephantine homes were mine
For I can bend to decide on up pin or pack
And when this yr the Pillar Rock I climb
Four rating and two’s the howdah on my back again”.

Even so, he did not return to the Inn at Wasdale exactly where he was keeping, and three days afterwards, his entire body was identified various hundred yards from Pillar Rock and it was assumed he slipped whilst building his way to the start off of the route.

Whilst right now, we may well think the Jackson was eccentric if not an odd character and carried a massive ego, but the reality is, that for his time, there was nothing nameless about James Jackson – he observed to that. It is tricky to conceive of any other age creating these kinds of a guy. He took the vintage Victorian features – physical vigour, moral earnestness, ineffable self-assurance – and elevated them to the brink of absurdity. He was saved from turning out to be ludicrous by his immense appetite for lifetime, an abounding gusto which seemed to maximize as he grew more mature.

On the spot in which his entire body was observed, a small memorial is etched into the rocks honouring his walking and climbing talents that he pursued at such a great age.