Mrs Jackman with John and George Hyde.
EACH year thousands of tourists visit Osborne House, Queen Victoria's country estate on the Isle of Wight. This was where the Queen and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg had created a royal retreat to escape the more demanding formalities of state and enjoy family life with their children.
The Swiss Cottage Museum can be found in the estate grounds and for anyone with an interest in Bulgaria, display case 12 contains a surprise. There you can see the embroidered clothes of two orphaned Bulgarian children, Yani and Georgi, who were rescued by the Royal Navy in 1854 and were subsequently brought up in one of the Osborne estate cottages under the watchful eye of Queen Victoria.
Michael Hunter, Curator of Osborne House, keeps a well-researched paper that describes the rescue of the orphans and how the Queen became involved. Thanks to this account the story of the two boys (well known in the mid-nineteenth century) came to light again.
In 1854 a small squadron of British and French warships was operating in the Black Sea under orders to blockade the coast between Varna and the Danube Delta. Russia was at war with the Ottoman Empire and was advancing through Moldavia and Wallachia. The British in turn were concerned about the threat to their communications with India should the Russians approach Constantinople.
The task force patrolling the coast included HMS Firebrand, a steam frigate commanded by Captain Hyde Parker and, on March 28, 1854, they anchored off Kustenjeh (modern Constantsa) in order to obtain information about local troop movements. The town was virtually deserted as most citizens had fled before the advancing Russians and they were also greatly in fear of retreating bands of Turkish irregulars. When a British naval landing party returned on April 1 they came across two small coastal craft at anchor by the harbour.
Dr Hugh O'Hagan, the ship's surgeon on HMS Firebrand, described the scene in his Journal. "In them was found a number of persons badly wounded, a marauding party of Bashi-Bazouks having set on and massacred four of their crew and passengers and severely maltreated or wounded the remainder. Among them were two children, one about nine months and the other four-years-old. Their parents had been butchered and they themselves grievously wounded, the elder having five slugs or balls shot through the shoulder and elbow joint and the infant a pistol ball through the wrist. The wounded were brought on board and the adults landed at Balchik the next day, but the children were humanely adopted and kept on board...where by attention they rapidly recovered. They became great favourites with the officers and ship's company."
The London Illustrated News published a letter with more news of Johnny (Yani) and Georgy a few months later. "Captain Hyde Parker gladly took charge of them, there being no known relation anywhere... the elder boy at first spoke Bulgarian, but has now lost it, and speaks English only. When asked his name he says Johnny Firebrand."
Captain Hyde Parker had decided to adopt the boys and take them back to England, but in July 1854 in a daring but mismanaged raid on Sulina he lost his life while attacking a gun battery. However, in August "a very exalted person" said she would take charge of the abandoned pair. Queen Victoria had heard about the rescue of the boys and the death of Captain Parker. She decided to have them brought up on the Osborne House estate and wrote in her Journal. "I shall have the greatest pleasure in watching over these wounded innocents, who are precisely the same age as our two little boys! We have consulted...on the estate who would be suitable to take charge of them before they could go to some Institution to be educated." It was decided that Mrs Jackman "who has only one child of her own and lives in the Barton cottages" would be most suitable.
John and George Hyde were duly adopted and took their surname from the Captain who had saved their lives. In 1857 the Queen noted, "The little Bulgarian boys look so grown and nice". They were constantly at Osborne House and the Queen frequently visited them, both at their school and in the cottage that had become their home.
Both John and George joined the Navy but had varied fortunes in later life. George also served in the army becoming a Paymaster Sergeant in the Rifle Brigade. He died in 1896 leaving a widow and a daughter.
John continued his naval career until 1881 when he decided to seek his fortune in America without success. He later married in London and died in Camberwell aged 78 in 1927.
The Swiss Cottage Museum can be found in the estate grounds and for anyone with an interest in Bulgaria, display case 12 contains a surprise. There you can see the embroidered clothes of two orphaned Bulgarian children, Yani and Georgi, who were rescued by the Royal Navy in 1854 and were subsequently brought up in one of the Osborne estate cottages under the watchful eye of Queen Victoria.
Michael Hunter, Curator of Osborne House, keeps a well-researched paper that describes the rescue of the orphans and how the Queen became involved. Thanks to this account the story of the two boys (well known in the mid-nineteenth century) came to light again.
In 1854 a small squadron of British and French warships was operating in the Black Sea under orders to blockade the coast between Varna and the Danube Delta. Russia was at war with the Ottoman Empire and was advancing through Moldavia and Wallachia. The British in turn were concerned about the threat to their communications with India should the Russians approach Constantinople.
The task force patrolling the coast included HMS Firebrand, a steam frigate commanded by Captain Hyde Parker and, on March 28, 1854, they anchored off Kustenjeh (modern Constantsa) in order to obtain information about local troop movements. The town was virtually deserted as most citizens had fled before the advancing Russians and they were also greatly in fear of retreating bands of Turkish irregulars. When a British naval landing party returned on April 1 they came across two small coastal craft at anchor by the harbour.
Dr Hugh O'Hagan, the ship's surgeon on HMS Firebrand, described the scene in his Journal. "In them was found a number of persons badly wounded, a marauding party of Bashi-Bazouks having set on and massacred four of their crew and passengers and severely maltreated or wounded the remainder. Among them were two children, one about nine months and the other four-years-old. Their parents had been butchered and they themselves grievously wounded, the elder having five slugs or balls shot through the shoulder and elbow joint and the infant a pistol ball through the wrist. The wounded were brought on board and the adults landed at Balchik the next day, but the children were humanely adopted and kept on board...where by attention they rapidly recovered. They became great favourites with the officers and ship's company."
The London Illustrated News published a letter with more news of Johnny (Yani) and Georgy a few months later. "Captain Hyde Parker gladly took charge of them, there being no known relation anywhere... the elder boy at first spoke Bulgarian, but has now lost it, and speaks English only. When asked his name he says Johnny Firebrand."
Captain Hyde Parker had decided to adopt the boys and take them back to England, but in July 1854 in a daring but mismanaged raid on Sulina he lost his life while attacking a gun battery. However, in August "a very exalted person" said she would take charge of the abandoned pair. Queen Victoria had heard about the rescue of the boys and the death of Captain Parker. She decided to have them brought up on the Osborne House estate and wrote in her Journal. "I shall have the greatest pleasure in watching over these wounded innocents, who are precisely the same age as our two little boys! We have consulted...on the estate who would be suitable to take charge of them before they could go to some Institution to be educated." It was decided that Mrs Jackman "who has only one child of her own and lives in the Barton cottages" would be most suitable.
John and George Hyde were duly adopted and took their surname from the Captain who had saved their lives. In 1857 the Queen noted, "The little Bulgarian boys look so grown and nice". They were constantly at Osborne House and the Queen frequently visited them, both at their school and in the cottage that had become their home.
Both John and George joined the Navy but had varied fortunes in later life. George also served in the army becoming a Paymaster Sergeant in the Rifle Brigade. He died in 1896 leaving a widow and a daughter.
John continued his naval career until 1881 when he decided to seek his fortune in America without success. He later married in London and died in Camberwell aged 78 in 1927.
