Monkey hanger
Encyclopedia
"Monkey hanger" is an affectionate term by which Hartlepudlians
are often known.
According to local folklore, the term originates from an incident in which a monkey was hanged in Hartlepool. During the Napoleonic wars
, a French ship of the type chasse marée was wrecked off the coast of Hartlepool. The only survivor was a monkey, wearing a French uniform (allegedly)-(presumably to provide amusement for those on board the ship). On finding the monkey, some locals decided to hold an impromptu trial on the beach; since the monkey was unable to answer their questions, and many locals were unaware of what a Frenchman may look like, they concluded that the monkey was in fact a French spy. Just to make sure, the animal was thus sentenced to death and hanged from the mast of a fishing boat on the Headland.
The term was originally derogatory, and is often applied to supporters of Hartlepool United Football Club
by supporters of their arch rivals Darlington
. However it has been embraced by many Hartlepudlians, and only a small minority still consider the term offensive; indeed, Hartlepool United F.C.
's mascot is a monkey called H'Angus the Monkey. In 2002, Stuart Drummond
campaigned for the office of Mayor of Hartlepool in the costume of H'Angus the Monkey and narrowly won; he used the election slogan "free bananas for schoolchildren", a promise he was unable to keep. He has since been re-elected twice.
An alternative theory is put forwards alongside the above on the This Is Hartlepool town guide (read to the bottom of the page).
It states that; "Then there are some who point to a much darker interpretation of the yarn. They say that the creature that was hanged might not have been a monkey at all; it could have been a young boy. After all, the term powder-monkey was commonly used in those times for the children employed on warships to prime the cannon with gunpowder."
Hartlepool residents frequently claim that the monkey was captured in Hartlepool but actually tried and executed in Darlington. Another defence is that the mascot counted as a member of the crew and that if it had survived they would not have been eligible for salvage rights under the terms of maritime law. This is, however, wholly erroneous as the English law of salvage did not require the crew of a ship to be dead in order for salvors to make a claim.
However, the most telling evidence in the debate is to be found in the satirical cartoons of the period which frequently portrayed the French Jacobins as grotesque creatures with monkey-like features, fangs, claws and tails. In an age without photography these bestial images would be the only reference material available to the people of Hartlepool and it thus appears highly likely that the legend is based on fact and they did indeed hang the monkey.
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
are often known.
According to local folklore, the term originates from an incident in which a monkey was hanged in Hartlepool. During the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, a French ship of the type chasse marée was wrecked off the coast of Hartlepool. The only survivor was a monkey, wearing a French uniform (allegedly)-(presumably to provide amusement for those on board the ship). On finding the monkey, some locals decided to hold an impromptu trial on the beach; since the monkey was unable to answer their questions, and many locals were unaware of what a Frenchman may look like, they concluded that the monkey was in fact a French spy. Just to make sure, the animal was thus sentenced to death and hanged from the mast of a fishing boat on the Headland.
The term was originally derogatory, and is often applied to supporters of Hartlepool United Football Club
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
by supporters of their arch rivals Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
. However it has been embraced by many Hartlepudlians, and only a small minority still consider the term offensive; indeed, Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
's mascot is a monkey called H'Angus the Monkey. In 2002, Stuart Drummond
Stuart Drummond
Stuart Drummond is the first directly-elected mayor of Hartlepool in North East England. He was first elected in 2002 and was re-elected in 2005 and 2009. He was the first elected mayor in Britain to win a third term.-Biography:...
campaigned for the office of Mayor of Hartlepool in the costume of H'Angus the Monkey and narrowly won; he used the election slogan "free bananas for schoolchildren", a promise he was unable to keep. He has since been re-elected twice.
An alternative theory is put forwards alongside the above on the This Is Hartlepool town guide (read to the bottom of the page).
It states that; "Then there are some who point to a much darker interpretation of the yarn. They say that the creature that was hanged might not have been a monkey at all; it could have been a young boy. After all, the term powder-monkey was commonly used in those times for the children employed on warships to prime the cannon with gunpowder."
Hartlepool residents frequently claim that the monkey was captured in Hartlepool but actually tried and executed in Darlington. Another defence is that the mascot counted as a member of the crew and that if it had survived they would not have been eligible for salvage rights under the terms of maritime law. This is, however, wholly erroneous as the English law of salvage did not require the crew of a ship to be dead in order for salvors to make a claim.
However, the most telling evidence in the debate is to be found in the satirical cartoons of the period which frequently portrayed the French Jacobins as grotesque creatures with monkey-like features, fangs, claws and tails. In an age without photography these bestial images would be the only reference material available to the people of Hartlepool and it thus appears highly likely that the legend is based on fact and they did indeed hang the monkey.
External links
- The Hartlepool Monkey, Who hung the monkey?
- Gorilla tactics - article on the re-election of Stuart Drummond from the Guardian
- Monkey Hanger Story-Is it true? - article looking at sources of the Monkey story
- Monkey hangers in 17th century Barcelona - a mechanical monkey is paraded through the streets on a pike by rioters who believe it to be the devil's work.