Phillip THOVEZ [14136]

  General Notes:

Bronte Insieme/Storia - Ducea Nelson, gli amministratori dopo A. Graefer <http://www.bronteinsieme.it/2st/nelson_graefer1.htm>
Il libro "La Ducea di Bronte" di A. Nelson-Hood. Recentemente ho avuto occasione di leggere il pregevole libro "La Ducea di Bronte" di Alexander Nelson Hood edito dal Liceo Classico Capizzi di Bronte a cura di Marilù Franco ().Ho così potuto avere un'autorevole definitiva risposta ad alcuni dei quesiti proposti nel mio articolo "Chi era Graefer?"().
ntblwww.bronteinsieme.it <http://www.bronteinsieme.it>


History Monuments People Traditions Environment Economy News and Information Brontesi in the World
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The administrators of the Ducea (Duke) until 1873
by Mario Carastro

The English Duke at the foot of Etna

The book "La Ducea di Bronte" by A. Nelson-Hood
Recently I had the opportunity to read the valuable book "La Ducea di Bronte" by Alexander Nelson Hood published by Liceo Classico Capizzi di Bronte edited by Marilù Franco (1). I was thus able to have an authoritative definitive answer to some of the questions proposed in my article "Who was Graefer?" http://www.bronteinsieme.it/2st/nelson_graefer.htm

More about Graefer
First of all, the 5th Duke of Bronte gives us the certainty that A. Graefer worked immediately after his appointment for the reconstruction of the castle-monastery, ruined by the terrible earthquake of 1693, and for the beginning of its transformation into the luxurious residence we know today.
And so it seems plausible that the crazy expenses of which Horace Nelson (3) (4) complained about referred precisely to the work begun by Graefer in Maniace. Thus it also seems very likely that Graefer was able to take an interest in the castle garden as I had hypothesized.
We then learn that Graefer is buried in the Church of Maniace, a circumstance of which we could not have had any news on the grounds that a tombstone with an epigraph is missing; we must therefore think that the burial of the botanical-garden administrator must be located below the floor of the church.

The Carastro Paper Mill
The book suggested, finally, two other considerations. The first one is of a family patrimonial nature because it refers to the rich and productive citrus groves of Malpirtuso, Cartiera, Francesco La Piana and Ricchiscia and to the building existing in Francesco La Piana and called "La Cartiera". The Cartiera has been owned by my family since 1975, having been received by my father from the 7th Duke of Bronte also as an end-of-work treatment at the time of his retirement from work by the Ducea.
Now in footnote no. 6 at the foot of page 48, the editor of the publication tries to identify and locate the building and the district mentioned by the Duke, formulating some hypotheses and concluding that Duke Alexander in his writing speaks of the Cartiera Carastro.
This conclusion is correct and to me for my family history seems obvious, but since the occasion has happened I am pleased to give some explanations and additional news.
It is opportune, in this regard, to remember that the property of the Ducea in the area of citrus groves, regained just at the time of the 5th Duke, subtracting its perpetual use with liberation to Baron Meli di Pisciagrò, departed from Malpirtuso, a district upstream of today's Ponte di Passopaglia on the left bank of the Simeto, to extend then, beyond the bridge, for Cartiera and for Francesco La Piana and Ricchiscia e Nascarossa always in the more or less wide strip of flat land between the river and the columnar basalt wall of great geological as well as landscape interest.
The paper mill complex is now clearly visible from the Passopaglia bridge.
It was, in any case, customary during the time of the Ducea Administration to generically call the whole area of the citrus groves with the name of Ricchiscia, but when one wanted to be for some reason more precise, as the Duke does, one went down to the details of the single district.
On the origin of the name Ricchiscia, or rather Ricchisgia, Benedetto Radice (5) dwells, who also speaks of the source of Malpertuso and of the Paper Mill, going back up the building with "....a batting mill and gualchiera..." to years probably before 1484 and remembering that there was a small church annexed to it, as Duke Alexander himself writes.
The capture of the source of Malpertuso was perfected at the time of this duke to use the water for irrigation downstream as well as for feeding the mill and a "paratore", complex to make the "drape" (rough fabric with irregular yarn similar to the orbace).
Some of these hydraulic products are still not only visible but also used.
The remains of the mill, which certainly remained in operation until 1943 (6), of the parator and some basalt tanks probably used for the manufacture of paper are still present at the Paper Mill.
Recently some strangers have taken the last basalt millstone still present from the paper mill's garden courtyard. I still keep in Bronte, to take it away from the thieves' interest, the "helm" of the millstone.
Other news about Cartiera can be found on the site www.bronteinsieme.it <http://www.bronteinsieme.it> looking for "la cartiera araba".
Then it is clear that there can be no confusion with other districts called "la Piana" because it is in a flat area, as the one to which the Duke refers is the Francesco La Piana district, entitled, we do not know why, to an unknown person with a surname, La Piana, practically disappeared in Bronte. I remember that my father's maternal grandfather, who was also a gardener at the villa in the Ducal Palace of Bronte, bore the surname La Piana.
In conclusion, the "interesting building in Francesco La Piana, called La Cartiera" and "situated under the picturesque lava rock, on the river bank...built as a paper factory..." mentioned by the 5th Duke (1) and with a small chapel attached is precisely what is identified in the note in the book as the Cartiera Carastro.
Among other things I must confess that some historical news for my articles I have taken from a few manuscripts fortunately and fortunately found in a corner of a warehouse, where oranges were stored under layers of volcanic sand, right in Cartiera.
The other consideration, which was then the decisive stimulus for the writing of this article, comes from the Duke himself, when he mentions on page 50 the administrators of the Duchy, beginning with Graefer and his successor, Marquis Forcella, and then moving on to "a certain Mr. Gibbs" and Mr. Barret and then the others until his time.

The administrators of the Ducea from 1802 to 1873
Now after having dealt with Graefer it was already my intention to reconstruct the history of the "procurators" of the dukes (or "governors" or "general agents"), who followed one another over time, perhaps in several stages of study, given the difficulty of finding news.
But now I have decided to anticipate the times in part because of the curious, in my opinion, little precision of the Duke in indicating Gibbs or rather "a certain Mr. Gibbs" as a real administrator to be counted in the list of administrators who succeeded after Graefer. Who was Gibbs, in fact, I have already had occasion to write about him in my previous article, but it will be better to remember him. Then the Duke points out William Thovez as the nephew of Philip Thovez in contradiction with the news provided by William himself.
So there is enough for an early investigation. I will limit myself, in the meantime, to the first administrators, namely Forcella, Mr. Barret, Mrs. Barret and the Thovez, postponing to a second time the news from William Thovez's successor, Samuel Grisley, onwards; in practice I will deal with the period of time between 1802, the year of Graefer's death, and 1873, the year of Grisley's appointment.

Abraham Gibbs
Abraham Gibbs (signature, 1802) As can be deduced from Horace Nelson's epistolary (7), Abraham Gibbs was never a real administrator but was a banker of English origin from Palermo, who provided for the remittances of money to and from England but who did his best, first for esteem and friendship and then for payment, to solve particular problems especially at the court of Palermo on behalf of the Admiral and his brother, the Rev. William.
He was, therefore, a trusted advisor of the Nelson family who joined the other administrators, that is a sort of side-administrator with the power to report directly to the dukes and to whom was probably given some special power of attorney with reference to financial problems, so much so that he kept a current account with the Nelson family and could also take out loans to put money back in England.
Gibbs was the owner of the bank based in Palermo Gibbs & Gibbs, of which he was a partner and whose interests were then also taken over by a certain Lenzitti. The already cited letters of the Admiral (7) highlight the quality of the relationship between the two. And it is known from these that Gibbs communicated to Nelson the death of Graefer and obtained from Lord Acton the appointment of Antonio Forcella as second administrator.
In any case he continued to maintain current accounts with Orazio Nelson before and afterwards with his successor in the property of the Ducea di Bronte until his death by suicide in Palermo on 16/6/1816. The result was a complex judicial dispute between the new Duke William and Lenzitti over the suspended accounts, to which Duke Alessandro must probably refer when he speaks of mismanagement.
In practice William Nelson claimed to be a creditor in the current account relationship with Gibbs & Gibbs while Lenzitti considered him a debtor. The matter, linked as it was to all the bank's other business and therefore also to other alleged debtors and creditors, dragged on for a long time.
The Duke, who was more financially exposed than the others, and his general agents were thus forced to use some lawyers in Palermo, among whom the most brilliant and decisive was Rosario Di Martino. The dispute was resolved only in 1820 by Philip Thovez.

Antonio Forcella
Forcella was the second administrator. Appointed in 1802, after Graefer's death, as Gibbs himself tells us (7), he certainly remained in office until December 1816. He belonged to the noble family of the Barons of Castel Forcella, gentlemen at the court of Palermo, and was created marquis with a privilege of 20/6/1815.
The administration was held by the Marquis in Palermo while in Bronte he was represented by Mrs Elisa Graefer, widow of Andrea.
I can say little about this character and his activity despite the long period of his governorship.
He certainly guaranteed annuities even if lower than expected to the Duke and worked at court and at the Ministry of Royal Heritage to protect the rights and interests of the Duke against the Brontese on the age-old question of civic customs in the woods. The Ducea's archives will be able to provide further information.
During its management, and for a long time, he was secretary of the Ducea Gioacchino Spedalieri, son-in-law of Mrs. Elisa. In Palermo, on the other hand, the Marquis was helped by a certain Abbot Don V. Biuso, whose surname immediately leads back to Bronte, but about whom I have not been able to have any other news, starting from the fact that he was not only a priest but also an abbot.
The duo Forcella-Graefer was the object of many complaints of the Brontese towards the Duke, who already suspected a personal interest for some favouritism, in particular towards a certain Don Gregorio Biosa, holder of the emphyteeutic concession of the lands of Maniace and Pirate, of such Mr. Paruto, retired warehouseman of the Forcella and gabelloto for the richest and safest rents and of the same son-in-law of the Graefer Mr. Gioacchino Spitaleri.
These facts and the lack of satisfaction in the perceived annuities must have convinced the Duke of the incorrect management of the property, to the point that at the death of Gibbs and the rise of problems with his bank Gibbs & Gibbs, he decided to operate in the administration of the Ducea a decisive change of course by replacing the men who managed it.

Bryant Barret
New Governor or rather new Agent General, since in 1812 the feudal system had decayed and the state of Bronte could no longer be talked about, Bryant Barret was appointed in early 1817.
The latter, however, died suddenly in 1818, leaving his work of "auditing" and restoring the administration unfinished.
We do not know if he left England or if he was chosen by the Duke among the members of the large English community present in Palermo and under the control of the British Vice Consul Mr. Walsh. Surely he must have been a competent, honest and active person as it appears from the displeasure of Duke Alexander with his (1) "Unfortunately he did not live long".
Among the papers found at the Paper Mill there are two letters that concern B. Barret: the first, dated June 14, 1817, of the 2nd Duke is a sort of letter of instructions but also of approval of the development plan of the property developed by Barret; the second, dated March 6, 1818, was written by a certain Avv. Rosario Di Martino of Palermo and his other colleagues following Barret's death.
In his letter, the Rev. William ordered Barret to pursue the moralization and restoration of the Ducea, freeing it from the old and talked about people who had decided its economic fate up to that point. And so, in particular, he orders him to dismiss Mrs Graefer's son-in-law, Gioacchino Spedalieri, and to hire well-referenced employees, even if very difficult to find in Sicily.
On the subject of Mrs. Graefer's death, the Duke finds words similar to those of his illustrious brother in the news of Andrea Graefer's death: "...Mrs. Grafer death removes a very troublesome person. ..." ...Mrs. Graefer's death takes away a very harassing person...
Two curiosities still to be remembered: the first, the Duke informs Barret that the box of Macaroni sent to him has arrived ("...The box of Macaroni is come to hands."); the second, the Duke is worried about Barret's health and in particular about the consequences of the unhealthy air of Maniace especially in summer and advises him to change his place of residence or to take care of the drainage of the water in order to avoid stagnant waters by having new drainage channels built and ordering the cleaning of the old drains probably obstructed.
After all, according to Rev. William, if the Abbey was built in that place it means that the site was suitable in every aspect, including the healthiness of the air. From the document it is clear how Barret started a great work of improvement of the agriculture of the property increasing the extension of the cultivated land and starting the construction of various farms and houses including the Masseria di Ginestra and the house of the Boschetto.
A team of carpenters and bricklayers was employed for the construction projects full-time throughout the year. The other letter is a testimony to B's value, resourcefulness and honesty. It also serves to date his death in Palermo to March 1, 1818.
Finally, it gives us another piece of news: the appointment as secretary of the Duce of Giuseppe Di Martino.
Now the Di Martino brothers, Rosario and Giuseppe, should be those characters linked to the revolutionary uprisings of 1820, of which the Radice (5) speaks as "Palermo emissaries", who "kept secret practices" in Bronte, where one was "surprised with seditious letters" and who were both arrested.

Martha Barret
Bryant Barret was succeeded by his wife, Mrs. Martha, who, on hearing of her husband's death, went from Bronte to Palermo to proceed with his burial and receive from Vice Consul Walsh the provisions of his will left to her. The succession to the office of governor took place also because her husband, before his last trip to Palermo, had given her a suitable proxy.
She remained in office for about a year until the arrival in 1819 of Philip Thovez and for his removal the Di Martino family did a great deal of work, who remained in continuous correspondence with the Duke as can be seen from some letters also found at the Paper Mill.
The Di Martino family, by providing the Duke with true but interesting news and in any case well stuffed with spicy gossip and slander, helped to create a halo of suspicion and scandal around Martha Barret. Their strong point was the unhidden relationship, "...indecent passion...", of Barret with "her husband's servant" Antonio Pratesi, a young violent and determined adventurer, who totally dominated the woman, so that "...a very weak woman...she has the name of Procuratrice but then the whole of the Ducea...is this one...".
The affair was certainly well known in Bronte and we can imagine how it could have been an inexhaustible source of spicy topics of conversation for our witty and factious fellow citizens of the time. To appreciate the climate of slander it is enough to consider what Rosario Di Martino wrote to the Duke on February 2, 1819, comparing the power of attraction of two English women, whom destiny had brought to Bronte, when evaluating what they had to "pay" for the "affection" of their respective lovers: "...I believe that the personal favours of Mrs. Graeffer could be worthwhile to reward the loving services of Biosa but it seems to me that the character of Mrs. Barret must be supported by great prodigality to satisfy the secret labors of this dissolute young man...".
Should we deduce that Graefer was certainly more beautiful and fascinating than Barret, or that Biosa was much older and less performing than Pratesi?
Surely the Duke should not sleep soundly when he learned that "Last year's travel expenses rose to about 600 ounces; in this year they exceed 450 ounces. The table is rather a gentleman's, the Drudo dresses as a knight because the blind woman must have him at her side and make him respect her as an equal: everything is paid for with profusion; the torment, the luxury, the debauchery are always accompanied by prodigality..." and that Mrs. Barret has "...the shamelessness to keep the Duke as a miser, almost as if he had to leave the Ducea's income to pomp, gluttony and debauchery...".
He is no less than his brother, then also Giuseppe Di Martino, appointed secretary of the Ducea by Bryant Barret but in contrast with Mrs. Barret and Antonio Pratesi also because it seems that the latter, "given to drinking", has made several attempts on his life.
Joseph wrote to the Duke on February 20, 1819: "Your Excellency and I are the only victims of this love intrigue. With regard to myself I can only recommend myself to God. "Your Excellency may send a prudent and honest man to see to every matter and appoint another agent..."
But what scruples could this young and mysterious "son of the Revolution who brings to his glory the frauds and robberies committed by him in the turbulent period during the convulsions of the French government" have in the Di Martino's opinion?
The Di Martino's dream is, evidently, to convince the Duke to remove Barret, and this should not have entailed great difficulty, and to appoint one of them as his General Agent in his place, which was certainly not easy.
The insistence of the Di Martino brothers also following the dismissal of Giuseppe and Mrs. Barret's attempts to discredit them in the Duke's consideration led the Duke in the autumn of 1819 to send Philip Thovez as his representative in Sicily with the task of investigating the behaviour of Mrs. Martha Barret and the state of the Ducea's administration. Thovez was accompanied on his journey by an expert in agriculture, a Mr. Smith.
I found a lot of news about this trip and about the mission entrusted by Rev. William to Thovez on a manuscript, which was part of the old documents found at the paper mill and written by the English lawyers Hutchinson & Hopkinson.
The note highlights all the prudence put in place by the Duke in resolving the Barret question without scandal: his departure from the management of the Ducea already "in pectore", obviously preceded by a final careful investigation to ascertain whether the truth was all and only that told by the Di Martino and the recovery of all the sums in the possession of the woman, had to take place so that the Brontese did not feel the real reason.
The best excuse in the eyes of the Brontese must have been that the task of managing the property in Sicily was so difficult that it was not suitable for a woman. Thus ended, after only a year, the period of Martha Barret's administration.
I have not been able to get any more news of her but it seems possible that she stayed in Sicily rather than returned to England.
It is not even known whether Antonio Pratesi, the "drudo" who brought her to ruin and who was also dismissed without much fuss and with the payment of a severance pay equal to a quarter of her annual salary, remained with her and whether her Brontese friends, Baron Meli, the notary Gatto, Don Gioacchino Spitaleri and Don Salvatore Romano, who were said to have been favoured by her, then continued to advise and help her as before.

Philip Thovez
The new administrator was Philip Thovez. To these the Duke William immediately recalled that, since three years had passed since Bryant Barret had written to him that for three years he should not expect substantial remittances of money and having waited patiently without receiving anything (other than stingy and reluctant to pay taxes, as claimed by Barret!), he expects to receive already since 1820 at least a remittance of 3,000 pounds per year, which he hopes to see then increase otherwise he will have to consider responsible and replace his Agent General.
In his instructions the Duke also asked Thovez to clarify in accordance with the current laws of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and explain "...if any, and what degree of connection subsists between the Duke and the Brontese since the abolition of the feudal system.
Whether, on the one hand, he has any and what rights over them, or whether they owe him any Services, and whether on the other hand they have a right to claim any protection from him" ("...if, and to what extent, there is dependence between the Duke and the Brontese since the abolition of the feudal system. If, on the one hand, he has some rights over them and if they owe him some service and if, on the other hand, they have a right to claim any protection from him).
As a curiosity, it should be added that the DiMartines partly won their battle. Neither of them became General Agent of the Duke but Joseph was hired as secretary of the Ducea and Rosario continued to be its most important lawyer.
A letter from the latter to Philip Thovez dated 28 April 1820, written no longer by Palermo but by Catania, testifies to this. In this regard, is it conceivable that Rosario was in Catania to propagate in the province that ferment of new ideas that then led to the uprisings of July 1820 for which he was then with his brother arrested?
Philip Thovez then became General Agent and Procurator of the Duke of Bronte probably in the autumn of 1819 and remained in office until his death, as indicated by the plaque on his tombstone in the Church of Maniace (Bronte, Catania, Italy), on 22 October 1839.
The epigraph on the tombstone, which until the '70s was protected, as well as that of Rosaria Fragalà, by an artistic fence then we do not know by whom and why removed, reads:

FILIPPO THOVEZ
COMMISSIONER OF THE BRITISH NAVY
GOVERNOR GENERAL OF THE DUCEA DI BRONTE
JOY HERE
WITH THE BELOVED MOTHER MARIANNA NUN
HAD VIRTUES TO HIS SOLE GUIDE
LOVED MEN BENEFICENTLY
OF THE CHILDREN'S SPOUSE WAS VERY TENDER
AFTER LIVING THE YEARS
DESERVED THE PEACE OF THE RIGHTEOUS IN OCTOBER XXII MDCCCXXXIX
WILLIAM HIS SON
DESIROUS OF ETERNALIZING THE MEMORY OF FATHERLY VIRTUES...
HAD THIS MONUMENT ERECTED

It is clear that Philip was William's father, by his own admission, who had the funeral monument erected and presumably dictated the epigraph. It is, therefore, at least imprecise the reference that the V Duke makes in his book (1): "Mr.William Thovez succeeded his uncle Philip...".
William Thovez (1860, signature)It is true instead that William Thovez was the Governor who held the reins of the Ducea for longer than any other and in a period of time full of crucial events for Bronte.
He was probably appointed in 1839, but I found a note dated February 1840, which mentions an Henry Thovez, already present in Bronte at least since 1831 and who immediately replaced Philip for a short period before William.
Franco Thovez
Also in his Bronte story Benedetto Radice (5) also mentions a third Thovez, Franco (photo on the right), recognizing that he was William's brother.
And who were Charlotte, Clara and Sarah Thovez, daughters of Philip too?
It would be interesting to reconstruct the history and family ties of these characters belonging to an English family, who, like the Grisleys, remained in Bronte: we all remember Leo Thovez, for example, who worked for many years at the Bronte Municipal Farm.
An occasion perhaps missed was the Study Day on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Benedetto Radice held in Bronte on 30 October 2004, during which Prof. D. Ventura of the University of Catania presented his research work entitled "English administrators in the land of Sicily: La Ducea di Nelson, Bronte and the Thovez", but the organizers of the cultural event could not take care of the proceedings also because the various speakers did not leave a copy of their work.
We must therefore limit ourselves, not being able to consult the former Archive of the Castle while waiting for it to reach Bronte again on computer support rather than on the uncomfortable and now outdated photographic support, to make only suppositions.
Probably, however, this difficulty stimulates more interest in the investigation.
However, it is already possible to have an idea of how and how much the Thovez family could have influenced the history of Bronte, where they were obviously at the head of the ducal party, just by reading Radice's work (5) for the years from 1820 to the year of the Great Transaction between the Ducea and the Municipality of Bronte in 1861.
It would be enough just to imagine William's frenetic activity to protect the Ducea's assets during the events of 1848 and 1860.

Maniace, tomb of Philip Thovez
Church of Santa Maria di Maniace: The tombs of Filippo Thovez and (on the left) that of Rosaria Fragalà, wife of Gugliemo Thovez who died on 20.9.1856. Below, the memorial plaque in memory of Samuel Grisley

Maniace, gravestones in memory of Samuel Grisley...

With this plaque the Fourth Duke, Alexander Nelson Hood, recalls Samuel Grisley, the administrator appointed after Thovez:

IN MEMORY OF SAMUEL GRISLEY
ADMINISTRATOR, AND FOR 54 YEARS A LOYAL EMPLOYEE
OF THE DUCEA DI BRONTE
born on 29 January 1808_dead on 28 July 1874
BURIED IN BRONTE
THE VISCOUNT BRIDPORT_DUKE OF BRONTE
EVERLASTING
OF GRATITUDE_OF ESTEEM
WEDDINGED
THIS STONE PLACED

I imagine his rye and iron person with lace and black moustache and a hat with wide brims coming down from the carriage with which he had gone to meet Nino Bixio to nail him to the duties, of the General and his people, of gratitude to England and his subjects ... but perhaps this is a scene that I remember from the film by F. Vancini.

Root (5) writes: "The Lady Duchess was in England. And in Bronte to administer the great feud... they were, like their father, Guglielmo and Franco Thovez, English but now so well set that they could be considered notables of the country. And it is to them that we owe the particular rigour that Garibaldi recommended to Bixio for the repression of the Bronte revolt and that Bixio ferociously applied: to the solicitations of the English consul, in turn by the Thovez brothers solicited".

William Thovez was in practice one of the most powerful and wealthy men in the province of Catania for about 35 years, so free in his power that Bridport themselves, who owed him the defence and preservation of their property, were at one point forced to dispose of it.

Says the fifth Duke (1): "My family had let him decide autonomously for too long and he ended up considering himself a real master, not tolerating interference"; and again: "...he was reticent to conform to the wishes of my father, about the management of the property, and was dismissed ...".

Nothing we know of the two wives he had except that the first, Rosaria Fragalà, who died at 48 years of age on September 20, 1856, is buried in the Church of Maniace and that the second was (1) "...an unpleasant English woman who was his daughter's governess..." Monsieur Louis Fabre (1874, signature)

The daughter, if she was only one, must have been Clorinda, who married Mariano Fiorini, who in 1860 was commander of the National Guard in Maletto and then from 23 April 1882 to 19 April 1884 Mayor of Maletto.

Conclusions
I hope that the reading of this article will arouse interest in those who have other news about the characters mentioned and start a collaboration aimed at enriching this topic, which perhaps is not worthy of the "History of Bronte", but certainly is a contribution to the knowledge of the past life of our city.
It will be interesting to extend the investigation in the near future also to the other administrators who have followed W. Thovez and I am referring to Samuel Grisley, Mons. Fabre, Charles Beek, Edwin Hughes, Magg. Forsyth Gray, George Dubois Woods, George Niblett, Dr. Giulio Leone (Colonization Body of the Sicilian Latifondo), Cav. Modica (Allied Military Government), Lawrence Hughes, Frank Edward King.

Mario Carastro
Naples, 16 December 2005


BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] Alexander Nelson-Hood, "The Duchy of Bronte", Liceo Ginnasio Capizzi, Bronte, June 2005.
[2] Mario Carastro, "Chi era Graefer ?", Bronte Insieme, June 2005.

[3] T.J. Pettigrew, "Memoirs of the life of Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson", London 1849.
[4] Charles Knight, "The English Garden of Caserta. An 18th century adventure", Naples 1986.
[5] Benedetto Radice, "Memorie Storiche di Bronte", Ed. Banca Mutua Popolare di Bronte, 1984. pp. 51, 65, 75, 203, 232, 311.
[6] F. Cimbali, L. Putrino, G. Sconzo, A. Petronaci, "Bronte 1943", Ed. Esiodo, Bronte 2003, pg. 40, 49, 88.
[7] N. Nicholas, "The dispatches and letters of Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson", Henry Colburn Publisher, London 1845.

The signatures of the Ducea's administrators are taken from documents in the Nelson Historical Archive.

The directors of Ducea Nelson
1799 - 1802 Mr. Giovanni Andrea Graefer, appointed by Horatio Nelson 1st Duke of Bronte.
1802 - 1816 Marquis Antonio Forcella. The administration was held by the Marquis in Palermo while in Bronte he was represented by Mrs Elisa Graefer, widow of Andrea.
1817 - 1818 Mr. Bryant Barret, who died suddenly in 1818, one year after his appointment. When he died, he was succeeded for a short time by his wife Martha...
1818 - 1819 Mrs. Martha Barret. The English widow who divided the Brontese, as L. Scalisi called her, lasted barely a year.
1819 - 1839 Filippo Thovez administered the Ducea for 20 years until his death.
William Nelson - appointed by the 2nd Duke, brother of Admiral Horatio, and his daughter Charlotte Mary Nelson. He had the privilege of being buried in the church of Santa Maria di Maniace
1839 - 1872 William Thovez administered the Ducea for 33 years, almost as if he were the undisputed master (760 years his fee in 1860; 36 that of a campiere or a forester). He was fired on the spot and also sued for damages in November 1872 for not wanting to hand over the books to his successor. The Fifth Duke wrote that "he was reluctant to comply with my father's wishes, regarding the management of the property, and was fired, with a pension, immediately afterwards".
1872 - 1874 Samuel Grisley. On his death the Fourth Duke, Alexander Nelson Hood, remembered him with a memorial plaque in the Church of Santa Maria di Maniace.
1874 - 1908 Monsieur Louis Fabre, administrator of the Duchy for 34 years one year more than W. Thovez. He too was eventually treated badly and dismissed.
1908 - 1917 Cav. Charles Beek. Alexander Nelson Hood, the Fifth Duke, remembers him in his Memoirs: "our devoted friend Cav. Charles Beek, who gave us the benefit of his advice and assistance. He's buried in the Nelson's little English cemetery.
1917 - 1922 Mr. Edwin Hughes. He's buried in the Nelson's little English cemetery.
1922 - 1928 Major Richard Forsyth Gray. He's buried in the Nelson's little English cemetery.
1928 - 1938 Mr. George Dubois Woods...
1938 - 1940 Mr. George Niblett
1940 Dr. Antonino Baiardi (on behalf of Engeli (Ente di gestione e liquidazione immobiliare) Banco di Sicilia (Gestione beni di proprietà dei nemici).
1940 - 1943 Dott. Giulio Leone (Colonization Body of the Sicilian Latifondo)
1943 - 1945 Cav. Luigi Modica (Allied Military Government)
1945 - 1960 Mr. Charles Lawrence Hughes.
1960 - 1981 Mr. Frank Edward King. On 4 September 1981, on the deeds of the notary Nunzio Isola, he signed the sale of the Castle and the annexed park to the Municipality of Bronte for the sum of one billion and 750 million lire. The church of Santa Maria di Maniace was excluded from the sale as it was already state property.

"The city was divided into two factions: one opposed to Barrett and determined to maintain privileged relations with the group of English merchants excluded in the new management, and another, led by the lawyers Spedalieri, who defended its honour and competence".

The English widow who divided the Brontese
The rise and fall of Martha Barrett, administrator of the Duke di Maniace from 1818 to 1819
by Lina Scalisi
The events that led Horatio Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar, to become Duke of Maniace are well known. It was the prize of the Bourbons to those who had helped them to return to Naples, and it was above all the recognition of a loyalty considered extremely precious for a dynasty invested and overwhelmed by the political consequences of the French Revolution.

Equally well known is the fact that the Duchy was never visited by the Admiral, who died in battle in October 1805; nor by the new Duke, the Reverend William Nelson, who preferred to leave the management of the Duchy to various administrators: from Abraham Gibbs, belonging to an ancient family of merchants whose tragic financial parable ended in suicide, strongly compromising the Duchy's income; to Bryant Barrett, the skilled lawyer who freed the Nelson family from the damage caused by Gibbs.
Less well known is instead the figure of Martha, Barrett's wife and new administrator since the spring of 1818, after the untimely death of her husband. Yet the story of this woman appears in itself singular. Appointed attorney by her husband on his deathbed but opposed by "some inhabitants" of Bronte, who would have preferred Mr. Skurray - British consul in Messina, landowner and skilled businessman, whose Catholic faith and knowledge of the Sicilian dialect reassured the locals - Martha began a close correspondence with the Duke and his trusted assistant, Julius Hutchinson, to obtain the official appointment.
From hers, Barrett had the help of the Di Martino brothers, the lawyers from Palermo who defended the Duke in the long dispute against the Ospedale Grande, the former owner of the territories that formed the Duchy; and the Duke's mistrust of appointing merchants - such he considered Skurray or John Wood, another suitor linked to the sulphur trade - who would not settle in Bronte and who, in addition, would make imprudent agreements with the local notables. Barrett was therefore chosen, but in his letters the Duke was clear and concise: what he demanded from his administrators was integrity, a certain competence in economic matters, firmness, good temperament, knowledge of Sicilian law and belonging to Catholicism to avoid friction with the natives.
The duke's trust was well placed: in a short time Martha was able to pay most of the debts left by Gibbs, to rent all the Duke's fiefdoms, to have a house built in the area of the Grove, to dwell in the summer and closely control the farmers, to innovate the techniques of land management.
But his decision to rent the territories of the Ducea to several people, and not to the exponents of the Brontese ruling class linked to Gibbs, was the cause of a violent campaign against him. Accused of having a relationship with one of her servants and of squandering the Duke's income on the maintenance of three houses in Giarre, Messina and Palermo, Barrett was warned by the Duke's assistant, who called the Brontese population "turbulent and crafty", and divided into two factions: one against her, and determined to maintain privileged relations with the group of English merchants excluded from the new management, and another, led by the lawyers Spedalieri, who intended to defend their honour and competence.
The Duke had, therefore, to decide whether to leave it to the government, whether to sell it to those who in the meantime made him tempting offers, or whether to appoint a new administrator less unwelcome to local actors. It was a painful choice that was made at the expense of Barrett, replaced by Mr. Thovez, who came to Bronte in March 1819 to "inspect" the Duke.
As sadly communicated to her by Hutchinson, the disadvantage of being a woman had led the Duke, reluctantly, to conclude that she would not be allowed to continue her work "in a manner satisfactory to His Grace". The iron logic of the place, with its firm and powerful invisible hand, had thus determined the story of Barrett, who had plunged into a universe dominated by logics of power and efficiency different from those known to her.
Lina Scalisi, La Sicilia 18 December 2005

Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator> (free version)

  Research Notes:

Philip Thovez, aged 20, was an Italian midshipman on the Victory, at the Battle of Trafalgar. He appears on the muster roll website: lineone.net/
aldosliema/rt.htm

The researcher of this family L.Spackman is very interested in finding any descendants, and may be contacted via edward@thekingscandlesticks.com

  Other Records

1. Philip Thovez: His Tomb, 22 Oct 1839, Santa Maria Maniace, Bronte, Catania, Italy.
FILIPPO THOVEZ
COMMISSIONER OF THE BRITISH NAVY
GOVERNOR GENERAL OF THE DUCEA DI BRONTE
JOY HERE
WITH THE BELOVED MOTHER MARIANNA NUN
HAD VIRTUES TO HIS SOLE GUIDE
LOVED MEN BENEFICENTLY
OF THE CHILDREN'S SPOUSE WAS VERY TENDER
AFTER LIVING THE YEARS
DESERVED THE PEACE OF THE RIGHTEOUS IN OCTOBER XXII MDCCCXXXIX
WILLIAM HIS SON
DESIROUS OF ETERNALIZING THE MEMORY OF FATHERLY VIRTUES...
HAD THIS MONUMENT ERECTED

Phillip married Elizabeth PATON [14137] [MRIN: 4728] on 4 Sep 1812 in Gibraltar.