Tower and Town, June 2017 (view the full edition)Burning The White HouseHMS Marlborough (iii) was laid down in 1807 - shortly after the Battle of Trafalgar in the Napoloenic Wars as a third rate ship of the line (ie the line of battle). 'Third rate' to our ears sounds rather feeble, but third raters made up most of the French and British battle fleets; they were a good compromise of fire power and sailing qualities. She was a big ship carrying a crew of around 600 and 74 guns on two decks. In 1812 she could be spared from European waters and the fight against France and went to North America to join the fleet blockading the US ports in the war of 1812 - 1814. Our cover picture shows her blockading Chesapeake Bay. This unwanted war came about as a result of the Royal Navy's sometimes high handed way of stopping American ships to take off any British deserters they might have among their crews, and American confidence that Canadians would be eager to join their union. The blockade shut down American coastal shipping and provided a means of raiding inland. One such raid from Chesapeake Bay went up the Patuxent River and through Lower Marlborough and Upper Marlborough to the new federal capital under construction at Washington in the District of Columbia. The raiders burned many government buildings and caught the inhabitants of the President's Palace at breakfast (which they ate) and set fire to the building before withdrawing. To cover up the scorch marks the 'Palace' was later painted white to become the White House.  Alexander Kirk-Wilson |