Summary
C18 gravestone of Peter the Wild Boy.
Reasons for Designation
The C18 gravestone of Peter the Wild Boy, dated 1785, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: it represents tangible evidence of a historical figure, now known to have suffered from a genetic condition, whose story and behaviour intrigued Georgian England and continues to excite public interest;
* Intactness: it has survived in good condition and the inscription is clearly legible;
* Group value: it has strong group value with St Mary’s Church, particularly as the south wall of the nave contains a brass plaque, erected after Peter’s death, which tells his story.
History
The enigmatic inscription on the gravestone refers to a feral boy who was found in 1724 in the forest of Hertswold near Hanover in Germany by Jurgen Meyer, a smallholder of Hamelin. The boy, who appeared to be in his early teens, was dishevelled, walked on all fours, and did not speak. Meyer took him to Burgermeister Severin who put the boy in the care of St Spiritus Poor House for nine months after which he was transferred to the hospice adjacent to the prison in Celle. He was given the name of Peter because whenever this word was mentioned he appeared to respond, although it was later observed that he responded to other names. During a visit to Celle by George I (who was also Elector of Hanover) the boy was invited to dine with the King who then left him in the care of a gardener. On the King’s return to England, news of Peter the Wild Boy provoked much interest at court and in 1726 the boy was brought to England. Peter was given a tutor but he never learned to read, write or speak and his strange appearance and erratic behaviour caused a sensation. He was the inspiration for satires by Jonathan Swift who wrote 'It Cannot Rain But It Pours; or, London Strewed with Rarities' and Daniel Defoe who wrote 'Mere Nature Delineated'. A wax figure of him was exhibited, and he was included in a painting by William Kent of the Court of George I. Peter was also studied by leading scientists of the day and Carl Linneaus created a new category of human for him called 'Juvenis Hanoveranus' in his Systema Naturae.
Details
MATERIALS: Stone.
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