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Attempted assassination of Napoleon III

J

JohnO

master brummie
I'm currently reading a very funny, and informative book by Stephen Clarke, called: ''1000 Years of Annoying the French''.

He mentions an assassination attempt made by a group of Italian nationalists exiled in Britain, in 1858. Apparently they commissioned a BIRMINGHAM engineer to make them some fragmentaion grenades. The grenades were taken to Paris and thrown at Napoleon III and his wife, Eugenie, whilst the Emperor and Empress travelled in their coach.

The grenades worked fine, but the assassins couldn't throw for chips! (ever heard of an Italian cricket team???) Eight unfortunate passers-by and some of the horses were killed; but the Emperor and Empress survived.

The Italian conspirators were guillotined, except for one lucky accomplice, called Carlo di Rudio, who was transported to Devil's Island; from whence he later escaped! His luck must have been exceptional, as he later turned-up in America, fighting alongside General Custer, at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, where, true to form, he survived!

The assassination attempt was a great embarrassment to Britain and to Queen Victoria; so there must be some mention, somewhere, of this Birmingham engineer? Can anyone shed any light as to who he was? Not the eponymous 'Mills' surely?!?!?
 
An interesting time in both English and French politics and the time of the Entente Cordial which was not so cordial . The government were still frightened of the Chartist Movement and of the French invading Britain.
The Italians could have found backing from both the Govt. and the more firebrand Chartist groups , for different reasons but to the same effect.
Many of us look back on Victorian Britain as a place of peace and industry. But it was a place of social inequality with small scale revolts breaking out here and there. I would think anti monarchists would have found sympathy in Birmingham.
There is not much about the bomb makers around the web but there must be something buried in the archives. Good luck in your research.
 
I think the Brummagem engineer was just that, an engineer....and not some political radical. I can imagine him with a pencil behind his ear, asking technical questions like ''do you want them segmented, or plain; I would recommend fragmentation for your shrapnel-spread, but plain for your concussive effect... now, as to your fuse requirements Sir, in my opinion, I'd go for a ....... etc etc'' :)
 
John0, thank you for an interesting thread with a strong Brum connection. I don't know who this engineer was but it started me thinking. Here in Brussels there is war museum with a fantastically full section on Napoleon and the battle of Waterloo. I wonder if Wellington used ammo or guns made in Birmingham? Next time I pay a visit I'll take a closer look. https://www.klm-mra.be/klm-new/ Graham.
 
The leader of the assassination plot against Louis Napoleon (aka Napoleon III) was Felice Orsini, whose Wikipedia biography states:
At the end of 1857, Orsini briefly visited England, where he contacted gunsmith Joseph Taylor and asked him to make six copies of a bomb of Orsini's own design; it would explode on impact and used fulminate of mercury as an explosive. The bomb was tested in Sheffield and Devonshire with the aid of French radical Simon Bernard. Satisfied, Orsini returned to Paris with the bombs and contacted other conspirators, Giuseppe Pieri, Antonio Gomez and Carlo di Rudio (later changed to Charles DeRudio).​
So we have the name of the bomb-maker, but there is no mention of Birmingham, and a quick search on "Joseph Taylor" didn't yield a great deal.
 
The alphabetical list in Dix's 1858 Birmingham Directory contains no fewer than sixteen Joseph Taylors, none of whom is described as a gunsmith. There is an engineer, though:
Taylor Joseph, engineer and machinist, and manufacturer of steam engines, coining machinery, saw and rolling mills, pumps, and machines of various descriptions, Broad Street Foundry; h(ouse), 6, St Martin's place.​
This might be who we're looking for, but he doesn't sound much like a bomb-maker, does he? Perhaps he was a political sympathiser after all. I'd prefer a second opinion from mikejee on the directories.
 
There seems to be the engineer your found , and also a gun engraver, who disappears after about 1849. The engineer probably moves to constitution hill (though cannot be certain he is the same) and also becomes an ironfounder, and either he or someone close (son?) also acts as a diesinker in St Pauls square.

1845(Post Of) Taylor Joseph, gun engraver, 49, Lawley st
1849(Whites) Taylor Joseph, gun mannfr., 49, Lawley st
Taylor Jph. engineer and machinist ; h. 19, Ryland street
1849(Post Of) Taylor Joseph, gun engraver, 49, Lawley st
1852(Slaters) Taylor Jph, engineer, machinist, Brasshouse yard
1855(Post Of) Taylor Jph, engineer, machinist, and constructor for the machinery for her Majesty's Royal mint, Sydney, 33½, Broad st, home 6,St.Martin's place
1862 Taylor Jph, engineer, machinist, 99 Constitution Hill home Acocks Green
1867-72 Taylor Jph, engineer, machinist, 99 Constitution Hill . Home possibly Corinthian villas ,Acocks Green (just J Taylor)
1873 (Whites) Taylor Joseph, engineer and ironfounder, Derwent foundry, 99 Constitution hill ; h Acock’s green
1876 Taylor Jsph.&Co.engineers. See advt which gives 30 St pauls Square., but they are still also listed at 99 constitution hill
However from 1867-73 there is also Taylor joseph die sinker..at 30 St pauls square. In 1876 it seems to be the same firm. Whether they are separate before , one run by Taylor senior , other by Taylor junior, or whether they were run by same person , I don’t know
I attach advert for the diesinkers in 1876
Mike

 
That's an interesting list, Mike! The 1849 entries appear to imply two different Joseph Taylors, even though the gun engraver / maker then "disappears". I like the 1855 connection of the engineer with the Sydney Mint!
 
Excellent work lads! I shall attempt to contact the author, Stephen Clarke and ask for his source on this matter.
 
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