The Revolutionary Philanthropist
A manuscript copy of a French prisoner-of-war play,The Revolutionnary Philantrophist, performed on board the Crown prison hulk in 1807 has survived: made on board the Crown in January 1811, it was acquired by the Bancroft Library at the University of Berkeley in 2004. It is one of two full-length French POW play manuscripts to have survived for this period (the other is Roseliska, performed at Portchester Castle in 1810).
The Revolutionnary Philantrophist is labelled a ‘historical drama’ and is set in 1793. Its subject matter is the revolt of enslaved people on Saint-Domingue, France’s wealthiest colony at the time, a curious choice of topic for Lieutenant Rose, who was in charge of the prison hulk, to approve, given that it was to be performed by individuals who had lost their freedom in front of those responsible for taking it. The play gives a genuine sense of place: it heeds the customs, mores, and locations on Saint-Domingue and the names of the Créoles match those of actual plantation holders. This level of knowledge suggests first-hand experience of the island. Indeed, some sailors held on the Crown had partaken in Napoleon’s expedition against Saint-Domingue (1801–1803) and leading figures from the Consulate’s attempts to restore French control of Haiti were held on prison hulks in Portsmouth Bay after their capture by the British in 1804, notably the vicomte de Rochambeau (1755–1813) and his forces.
For more information on the Revolutionary Philantrophist, see Kate Astbury's article
In 2020, the play was used as the basis for the Freedom and Revolution project which aimed to interweave the story of the revolution in Haiti with that of the Caribbean prisoners of war at Portchester Castle.
