New Chronicles of Mudfog: An AR Exhibition

This exhibition is part of New Chronicles of Mudfog. Each drawing is a tribute to the resilience and diversity of the people who walked Chatham’s streets, worked in the Dockyard, and contributed to the town’s heritage.

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Featured Historical Characters:

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• Chatham Cuffay, from St. Kitts – Formerly enslaved, freed by the Royal Navy, and settled in Chatham as a Dockyard worker.

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• Joshua Campbellton, from Bermuda – Skilled sailor and naval officer who worked on iron warships at Chatham Dockyard.

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• Olaudah Equiano, from Benin (Nigeria) – Former enslaved man who served aboard the Chatham-built Namur and became a leading abolitionist.

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• Aina Sarah Forbes Bonetta, from Okeadan (Nigeria) – Nigerian princess rescued by the Royal Navy who became a ward of Queen Victoria and lived in Chatham.

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• William Brown, from Grenada – A beautiful sailor who disguised herself as a man to serve in the Royal Navy aboard HMS Queen Charlotte.

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• John Harnell, from Chatham, England – Young sailor who joined Franklin’s Arctic expedition on HMS Erebus and was one of its first casualties.

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• Bridget O’Sullivan, from Cork, Ireland – Skilled rope-maker who worked at Chatham Dockyard after emigrating during the Irish famine.

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• Moira “Maggie” MacAllister, from the Scottish Highlands – Canteen cook at the Dockyard, known for her warmth, generosity, and famous stews.

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• Rosa Martínez, from Spain – Shipwright’s assistant who decorated ships with intricate carvings, leaving her artistic mark on the Dockyard.

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• Rev. James Friedrich Schön, from Germany – Missionary who taught freed slaves in Chatham, including Samuel Ajayi Crowther.

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• Captain James Pinson Labulo Davies, from Freetown, Sierra Leone – The first Black commissioned officer in the Royal Navy, later a successful merchant and shipowner.

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• John Franklin, from Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England – Arctic explorer and Royal Navy officer who led the doomed expedition of HMS Erebus and Terror, built in Chatham.

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• Joseph Pyke, from England – Literary figure who convinced Charles Dickens to give public readings, shaping his career.

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• Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, from London, England – Black British composer known as the “Black Mahler,” who lived in Rochester.

 

• Daniel Barnard, of Jewish origin  – Founder of Chatham’s fire brigade and a major figure in the local entertainment industry.

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• George Edward Bond, possibly from Cheshire – Architect of Chatham Town Hall with a mysterious past.

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• Vesta Tilley, from Worcester, England – The most famous male impersonator of the Victorian era, who frequently performed in Chatham.

 

• Ellen Eliza Blight, from Cornwall, England – Young lion tamer known as the “Lion Queen,” who tragically died after a tiger attack

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• Isaac Newell, from Luton - An English teacher who brought football to Argentina.

• Harry Houdini (from Hungary/USA) – The world-famous illusionist and escape artist who attempted to perform at Chatham’s Dockyard prison. Instead, he staged a daring jailbreak at Rochester Prison, freeing himself and locked-up officials in just three minutes.

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• William Cuffay (from England, of St. Kitts heritage) – A tailor and political activist born in Chatham, who became a leader in the Chartist movement, fighting for the rights of working-class men to vote.

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• Captain James Pinson Labulo Davies (from Freetown, Sierra Leone) – A naval officer and entrepreneur whose parents were freed by the Royal Navy. He lived in Gillingham and was a key figure in maritime trade and education, advocating for progress and opportunity.