Defiance
Wood Location
Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway SCOTLAND
Ship Information
Ship Commander - Capt Philip Charles Durham
Guns - 74
Constructed at - Rotherhithe
Killed in the battle - 17
Injured in the battle - 53
Wood Information
Size - 10 acres
Owner - Buccleuch Estates Ltd
To be planted - October/November 2005
Scotland has a strong maritime past and her people made a significant contribution to the Battle of Trafalgar:
- Five of the 27 Captains of the Fleet were Scottish;
- Almost 30% of the 18,000 strong crew were from Scottish towns and fishing villages;
- The youngest crew member in the Battle of Trafalgar was a cabin boy aged 10 years old from Leith;
- Nelson’s own doctor, and the woman who embalmed his body when he died, were also Scottish;
Scotland’s industry also contributed to this historical event, by producing and supplying sails for the ships from the jute mills of Dundee, iron for the canons from the Carron Works in Falkirk, charcoal from the forests of Northern Argyll which was used to fire the canons and timber products from Scotland’s woods which were used to construct the fleet of Trafalgar ships.
This woodland is named after the HMS Defiance, which was captained by a Scotsman from Fife. The Earl of Dalkeith and his father, the Duke of Buccleuch have a long-standing admiration for Naval history and woodlands. The Duke served on the HMS Affleck during WW2 and it is understood that Affleck hailed from Southwest Scotland and was a ship Commander from the same era as Nelson.
Defiance Wood is predominantly oak with have ash, birch, rowan, gean, hazel and hawthorn. The site is visible from the main road and there is a public footpath linking the site with the village of Thornhill (one of the bigger settlements in the area). The shape will primarily follow the boundary lines and it will link with an existing woodland/hedge (what used to be a hedge but is now a strip of woodland - probably about 200+ years old).
The Estate regularly encourages local school children and the community to become more involved in tree planting and conservation initiatives. The Buccleuch Estates has a long tradition of woodland planting and conservation work in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders. This project enables the Estate to once again demonstrate its commitment to conserving native woodland and to demonstrate its desire to give something back to the people of Dumfries and Galloway.
Events in Defiance Wood
On the 31st October - 2nd November, over 200 school children from Wallace Hall Academy, Primary and Penpont Primary schools took part in a unique and imaginative tree planting event at the site. They planted a staggering 1,200 trees at the site!
On 22nd November, the Earl of Dalkeith and the Duke of Buccleuch invited members of the local community, many of whom served in the Navy or armed services, to plant a tree at the site. This was followed by a small reception - the teas, coffees and hot chocolates were very welcome as the day was immersed in a freezing fog! Nonetheless, this community planting completed the Defiance Wood.
More information
Philip Charles Durham
Third son of James Durham of Largo Fifeshire by Ann, daughter and heiress of Thomas Calderwood, of Polton, Lasswade, Midlothian; he was brother of General James Durham, of Largo, to which property he succeeded in 1840. Born in 1763, he entered the service in 1777. Captain of the Defiance in Calder's action off Finisterre, 1805, and in the battle of Trafalgar 1805 – slightly wounded; gold medal, thanks of Parliament, and sword of honour from the Patriotic Fund. Bore Nelson's banner as a KB at his funeral, 1806. Assumed additional surnames of Henderson in 1817, and Calderwood in 1840. Died in Naples in 1845. His portrait is in the Painted Hall, Greenwich.
HMS Defiance
HMS Defiance was built by Randall and Co., at Rotherhithe on the River Thames, and saw extensive action before the Battle of Trafalgar. She served in Nelson’s fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen 1801, where she fought gallantly against the Holsteen and the shore based batteries of the Trekroner. And in July 1805 before Trafalgar had taken part in Admiral Calder’s fight with a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Portugal.
Captain Durham claimed that she was the fastest 74 gun ship in the British fleet. Nonetheless Defiance was placed at the rear of Admiral Collingwood’s line, and the battle was well advanced before she fired her first broadside. After exchanging fire with the Spanish Principe de Asturias (112 guns) Defiance engaged the French L’Aigle, already badly damaged by HMS Bellerophon. After silencing her, Defiance drifted away, and her Master’s Mate James Spratt offered to lead a boarding party which would have to swim across because all the boats had been destroyed. Spratt was well known on Defiance as an excellent swimmer, who had saved two men from drowning, and a fighter of some reputation, who had been appointed by Captain Durham to lead any boarding party and swimming across to L’Aigle. Armed only with a cutlass, Spratt climbed the rudder chain, entered through the stern ports, and was engaged in cutting down the French ensign on the stern before the crew of L’Aigle realised who he was. There was a short sharp fight but Defiance managed to draw alongside and L’Aigle surrendered, though not before Spratt was severely wounded in one leg. A full prize crew was now put aboard, but in the storm that followed on the 22nd October L’Aigle drifted away from her captor, who had not been able to take her in tow, and the French crew regained control and managed to take her into Cadiz.
The Defiance lost 17 killed and 53 wounded in the battle. In 1813 she was hulked at Chatham, and was broken up in 1817.
Many thanks to Alan Aberg at the Society for Nautical Research for providing us with information on the ships and their commanders.
