Richard Masters
Proposed Plaque
Below details are from the Faculty submission:
Proposed Memorial to Private RICHARD MASTERS, Royal Marines, of St Tudy:
died 21 October 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar
1. BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT
1.1 Private Richard Masters, Royal Marines, was born in St Tudy in 1784. He was christened in the church's still-existing font. As a young man he was employed as a farm worker, and, in the midst of the wars against France, he joined the local militia.
1.2 He went on to join the Royal Marines. He trained at the Stonehouse barracks in Plymouth, Devon, and in May 1805 he embarked in the 74-gun warship HMS THUNDERER. Just five months later, aged 21, he was killed at the battle of Trafalgar. As was usual in the rage of battle, his body was thrown overboard.
1.3 Private Masters thus has no grave but the sea. However, several of his relatives, including his mother, are buried in the churchyard at St Tudy. The exact location of her grave is not known, but the graves of other family members are marked.
1.4 As a joint initiative, the St Tudy Historical Society and The 1805 Club wish to raise a memorial plaque to Private Masters in the churchyard, close to the known graves of his relatives. We regard this as a form of 'bringing him home' at last.
2. THE PARTIES INVOLVED
2.1 There are two parties to this joint project, namely the St Tudy Historical Society (STHS) and The 1805 Club. Both are voluntary organisations.
2.2 The STHS was conceived and established in the years approaching the centenary of the First World War, its purpose being “to discover, preserve and disseminate the history of the Parish of St Tudy while also fostering an interest in Cornish and wider history, in addition to honouring our Fallen.” It has developed into an energetic and creative group with a busy annual calendar of events. Its informative website may be visited on www.sttudyhistorygroup.co.uk.
2.3 The 1805 Club (the Club) was established in 1990 as a private organisation with three objectives: to restore and maintain Nelson-related monuments and graves, to research and publish new material on the subject, and to organise cultural and historical events.
2.4 In 1998 the Club transformed from a private organisation into a public charity, and expanded the time-period of its three objectives to cover the whole Georgian era (1714-1837) and the reign of King William IV.
2.5 The Club has recently become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and has members in 23 nations. Its president is Admiral Sir Jonathon Band GCH DL, and its current chairman is Captain John Rodgaard USN (Retd).
2.6 The Club’s website may be visited on www.1805club.org.
3. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PARTIES
3.1 In October 2023 a member of the STHS wrote to the Hon. Secretary of The 1805 Club, STEPHEN HOWARTH (the present Petitioner).
3.2 It was discovered from the Club’s online research databases that Private Masters was from St Tudy, and advice was sought on the possible creation of a plaque to his memory.
3.2 The Trustees of the Club could see much of merit in this idea, both in its own right and as an excellent fit with the Club’s objectives and experience.
3.3 As well as 50+ successful conservation projects achieved by that time, The 1805 Club conceived and created The Trafalgar Way (TTW), and is its official custodian. This marks the route taken in 1805 by Lt John Lapenotiere RN from Falmouth to the Admiralty in London, when he brought the news of Trafalgar to Britain.
3.4 Racing in a horse-drawn post-chaise, Lapenotiere took ‘only’ 37 hours to get from Falmouth to London. TTW includes 29 plaques, with one for each of the essential stops to change horses. The third of these stops was in Bodmin. The 1805 Club's TTW plaque there may be seen on the entrance to Shire Hall.
3.5 As well as conserving existing memorials, when appropriate The 1805 Club also creates new memorials to those who have none. The Club therefore proposed that rather than merely giving advice, it should partner with the STHS in this project.
3.6 This proposal was accepted.
4. PROGRESS
4.1 An expert local stonemason, DEAN HILL of KERROW MEMORIALS, has been approached and has supplied an acceptable quote for the creation and installation of a silver-grey Cornish granite plaque of similar size and appearance to an existing plaque on the external east wall of St Tudy church.
4.2 The proposed plaque will be fixed to the wall with invisible stainless steel ‘secret fixings’. These will make it completely secure from theft.
4.3 The 1805 Club will meet this expense and will send out invitations for the unveiling to relevant individuals. From experience these will include amongst others the Lord Lieutenant of the county, the Bishop of Truro, and the Mayor of Wadebridge.
4.3 The STHS will manage all local aspects for the unveiling ceremony and subsequent hospitality.
5. CONCLUSION
5.1 The British victory at the battle of Trafalgar was hugely important for Britain as a whole, removing the threat of invasion by Napoleonic forces. The fact that a quite ordinary young man from St. Tudy was one of those who gave his life in that battle, and who never came home, is very touching.
5.2 It is not always possible to record the life and death of someone who was not an officer. Private Masters’ commemoration will fill a void, providing educational opportunities not only for Cornwall but elsewhere too.
5.3 The target date for the commemoration and unveiling is SATURDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2025. This will fall between two key dates: the baptism of baby Richard on 19 September 1784, and the 220th anniversary of his death at sea off Cape Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.
5.4 The St. Tudy Historical Society and The 1805 Club are confident that this will be a project of lasting value for St. Tudy, the county of Cornwall, and beyond. We hope and trust that the approval for a Faculty will be given soon.
