Robert Drury (born 1687; died between 1743 and 1750) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sailorA sailor or mariner is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
on the
Degrave who was shipwrecked at the age of 17 on the island of
MadagascarMadagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to...
. He would be trapped there for fifteen years. Upon returning to England a book allegedly recounting his memoirs would be published in his name in 1729. Though it was an instant success, the credibility of the details in the book would be put into question by later historians.
Robert Drury (born 1687; died between 1743 and 1750) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sailorA sailor or mariner is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
on the
Degrave who was shipwrecked at the age of 17 on the island of
MadagascarMadagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to...
. He would be trapped there for fifteen years. Upon returning to England a book allegedly recounting his memoirs would be published in his name in 1729. Though it was an instant success, the credibility of the details in the book would be put into question by later historians. Modern scholars have proven though that many details in the book are authentic and that the story itself is one of the oldest written historical accounts of life in southern Madagascar during the 18th century.
Early life
Robert was born at
Crutched FriarsThe Crutched Friars or Crossed Friars were a Roman Catholic religious order of mendicant friars who went to England in the 13th century from Italy, where they existed for some time, and where they were called Fratres Cruciferi.-History:...
in the Tower Hamlets area of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and later moved to the
Old JewryOld Jewry is the name of a street in the City of London, in Coleman Street Ward, linking Gresham Street with The Poultry.According to Rev. Moses Margoliouth "Old Jewry" was a ghetto. William the Conqueror brought Jews from Rouen to England in 1066. A mikveh was discovered nearby under the State...
near
CheapsideCheapside is a street in Cheap ward of the City of London that links Newgate Street with the junction of Queen Victoria Street, Cornhill, Threadneedle Street, Princes Street, Lombard Street and King William Street...
where his father ran an Inn called
The King's Head. At the age of thirteen his father secured passage for him on the
Degrave headed for
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
.
The Degrave
The
Degrave left port in February, 1701 reaching India safely four months later. On the return voyage it ran aground near
MauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands...
and the crew was forced to abandon ship in
MadagascarMadagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to...
on the southern most tip of the island having not reached the
Cape of Good HopeThe Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of South Africa. There is a very common misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa and the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, but in fact the southernmost point is Cape Agulhas, about...
. The local
AntandroyAndroy is a region in Madagascar.*Capital: Ambovombe-Androy*Chief: Andrien Hatrifenjanahary Androy is the most southern region of Madagascar. It is bordered by Atsimo-Andrefana and Anosy ....
king Andriankirindra gave the sailors a fine welcome but intended on keeping them captive in order to increase his standing among the other Antandroy kings.
Adventures With the Antandroy
The now captive sailors attempted to escape Anriankririndra to the east where Abraham Samuells, a black native of
MartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . It is an overseas department of France. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is also one of the twenty-six regions of...
, reigned over the Antanosy tribes near what is now
Fort-DauphinTôlanaro or Tolagnaro is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital of the Anosy region, of the Tôlanaro district, and is in the former Toliara Province. It has a port of local importance, and currently a new port is being built in Ehoala...
. This failed attempt saw most of the surviving crew cut to pieces and only a couple of youths, Drury included, spared. He was then given to the king Andriamivaro as his slave.
A reluctant slave at first, Robert eventually moved his way up from agricultural work to become a cow herd and eventually the royal butcher. He stayed there for what seems to have been 10 years. In the following years war broke out with the neighboring ethnicity to the west, the Mahafaly. This was followed by a fratricidal civil war between Andriamivaro, and his uncles and cousins which included the
High KingA high king is a king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings, without the title of Emperor; compare King of Kings.Rulers who have been termed "high king" include:...
of the
AndroyAndroy is a region in Madagascar.*Capital: Ambovombe-Androy*Chief: Andrien Hatrifenjanahary Androy is the most southern region of Madagascar. It is bordered by Atsimo-Andrefana and Anosy ....
. An emissary from the
SakalavaThe Sakalava is a traditional name for a group of people of Madagascar numbering approximately 700,000 in population. They occupy the Western edge of the island from Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north...
king of Fiherenana (part of the
MenabeMenabe is a region in western Madagascar. It is named for the 18th century Sakalava kingdom of Menabe. The capital is Morondava.-History:Menabe is the southern part of the Sakalava territory. Tradition holds that it was founded by Adriamandazoala . Its territory was increased under the legendary...
kingdom) broke the civil war by proposing a joint attack against the Mahafaly. This emissary also spoke to Drury convincing him that if he fled to Fiherenana they would help him on to the first British ship they found.
Robert then escaped and found refuge with Andrianafarana, a rival Antandroy king. He then fled from this master as well and, traveling north through
BaraBâra is a commune in Neamţ County, Romania....
country he found the
OnilahyOnilahy is a town and commune in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Manakara, which is a part of Vatovavy-Fitovinany Region in Fianarantsoa Province. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 5,000 in 2001 commune census....
river and followed it to St.Augustine bay now the city of
ToliaraToliara is a city in Madagascar.It is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region and the Toliara province....
and the capital of the Fiherenana.
Surviving on the West Coast
Upon reaching the west coast, Robert was able to meet and socialize with a community of stowaways both black and white. After further warring between his new masters, the Antandroy allies and their Mahafaly enemies Drury was forced to find refuge further north this time in the court of the legendary Andriamanetriarivo, king of
MenabeMenabe is a region in western Madagascar. It is named for the 18th century Sakalava kingdom of Menabe. The capital is Morondava.-History:Menabe is the southern part of the Sakalava territory. Tradition holds that it was founded by Adriamandazoala . Its territory was increased under the legendary...
, brother of the great king Andriamandisoarivo of the
BoinaBoina may refer to:* It is the Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan word for beret.* Boina is a fumarole field located in Djibouti* Boina, a former kingdom in Madagascar.* * Taxonomic synonym for Boinae, a subfamily of boid snakes....
. These two brothers built kingdoms which would dominate most of the island from the west coast well into the interior.
Eventually, through his new European friends, news would return to his father who asked a certain Captain Mackett to go to the coast to have him returned to England on his ship, the
Masselage. This ship's primary goal though was to buy slaves from the
BoinaBoina may refer to:* It is the Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan word for beret.* Boina is a fumarole field located in Djibouti* Boina, a former kingdom in Madagascar.* * Taxonomic synonym for Boinae, a subfamily of boid snakes....
kingdom.
Later life and Journal
Robert arrived in England finally on 9 September, 1717 after sixteen years. Unfortunately his parents were already dead. He then returned to Madagascar to become a slave trader. He may have even eventually also become a pirate for some time. In the end though he was known to be a common porter at
India HouseIndia House was an informal Indian nationalist organization based in London between 1905 and 1910. With the patronage of Shyamji Krishna Varma, its home in a student residence in Highgate, North London was launched to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Britain...
. He was said also to hang out at Old Tom's Coffee House in Birchin Lane telling tales of his adventures in Madagascar.
Drury published his memoirs under the title
Madagascar, or Robert Drury's Journal in 1729. It was highly praised at the time and went through seven editions until 1890. But suspicion began to rise concerning its authenticity due to its paraphrasing of many parts of the book on the History of Madagascar by
Etienne de FlacourtEtienne de Flacourt was a French governor of Madagascar, born at Orléans in 1607. He was named governor of Madagascar by the French East India Company in 1648....
in 1658. Also, Drury had the same publisher as
Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain, and is even referred to by some as one...
and notably the same literary style. The Journal may be in fact a fiction by Defoe based on information from Flacourt's book. Many authorities who know the
AndroyAndroy is a region in Madagascar.*Capital: Ambovombe-Androy*Chief: Andrien Hatrifenjanahary Androy is the most southern region of Madagascar. It is bordered by Atsimo-Andrefana and Anosy ....
and Mahafaly regions well are convinced though that the story proves its creator had a very intimate knowledge of the region. These include :
-
- Dr Lotte Schomerus-Gernbock (1970, an ethnologist who lived a number of years in the Mahafaly region.
- Raymond K. Kent, Professor of History
History is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns...
, University of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. The oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley offers some 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines...
.
- Mike Parker Pearson (1996), archaeologist at Sheffield University. He has argued for the authenticity of Drury's Journal.
Among the most important works was that of Mike P Pearson who found archaeological evidence of many parts of Drury's account. These discoveries are described in his book "In search of the red slave".
Robert Drury died sometime between the third (1743) and fourth (1750) editions of his journal.
External links
Further reading
- a detailed resume of Drury's adventures are found in pages 55–71 of this book. - Archaeological proof on the existence of many places and events depicted in Drury's Journal.