The video above is in Irish Sign Language with English voiceover and subtitles. The text below, which is a transcript of those same subtitles.
This video will look at the life of a man named John Moore Napier. Napier was born in 1816 in Weybridge, Surrey. He was the son of William Francis Patrick Napier, and Caroline Fox (William's cousin). They had many children, with John being the couple's only son. I'll sign 'J. M.' to refer to John Moore in this video for short. John was Deaf, and he had at least one Deaf sister, named Henrietta. William Napier, John's father, is an important part of his story. William was a very well-known British Army officer who had fought in the Napoleonic wars and won several victories. He also wrote a famous history of the wars in Spain and Portugal, among other popular works. Although a British Army officer, Napier was an Irishman - born in Celbridge in Kildare, and he was very proud of being Irish. William loved all his children dearly, especially his only son John Moore. He called him 'Johnny' and nicknamed him 'Puck', and was very protective of him. He also dearly loved his Deaf daughter Henrietta - who died aged just 6, and William was heartbroken when she died.
The Napier family lived in various places in England through the years, and John attended at least one Deaf school. It was the West of England Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, in Exeter, where he was a pupil from at least 1833. However, he may have earlier been a pupil in the deaf school in Birmingham. In 1826, a letter from William, written while he was staying in Birmingham, mentioned that John was sick, and William was visiting him regularly, and that a Dr de Lys was taking care of him. A Dr Gabriel Jean Marie de Lys was also involved in the Birmingham Deaf school, and he was a well known figure at the time. So at this point, John Moore was possibly attending the Birmingham school and later on, was enrolled at Exeter. There may also have been another earlier school or teacher in 1821 that taught John Moore for a while. In 1821, when John was just 5, William wrote a letter to John Moore's teacher at the time. Unfortunately we don't know who this teacher was, as of yet, or whether this was a schoolteacher or private tutor. William had heard from others that this teacher had physically assaulted a young pupil, just four years old, dashing their head on the ground. William was shocked and furious with the teacher, and vowed to remove his son from his care. Perhaps based on his experiences and observations relating to John Moore's education, William wrote a paper about Deaf education in general. One notable feature of the essay is William's insistence that physical punishment should never be used with Deaf children.
John Moore was a well educated and highly intelligent boy, and proved this in public as a young man when he was called to court. He was summoned as a witness, and gave his testimony through sign language. In 1833 when John Moore was about 16 or 17 and studying in Exeter, a fellow pupil and friend of his - William Goodridge Moysey - was discovered dead beside his bed on the floor, with no visible explanation or cause of death, despite his going to bed as normal with the other pupils the night before. An inquest was called to investigate the circumstances of death. John Moore was called as a witness to the inquest. He wrote on a slate, but also used an interpreter - a teacher from the Exeter school, George Brothers Bingham. John Moore took the stand and swore he would tell the truth. He was described in the local newspaper as being "a deaf and dumb youth of most intelligent and pleasing appearance". The inquest, after deliberating, found that Moysey had died of a blocked blood vessel in the brain.
In 1836 John Moore was again giving courtroom testimony, now aged about 20 years old. He and a deaf friend of his, named Faulkner, had been fishing in a place near his home called Freshford, near Bath. They had permission from the local farmer, but not the gamekeeper, who rode up to them on horseback, angry and shouting at them, shaking John Moore, and throwing his fishing equipment in the river. On the road home, the two shocked boys met William Napier - and told him what had happened. William was livid. He ran to find the gamekeeper - and gave him a severe beating. After the incident, in 1836, the repercussions were sufficient to bring Napier to court in Taunton in Somerset. Both John Moore and young Faulkner gave evidence about their experience with the gamekeeper. Again, George Bingham interpreted - though at this time he was teaching in Manchester - quite a distance from Somerset. The newspapers described the examination as "most extraordinary, particularly with young Napier, who gave the most ready answers by signs, instantly the question was put to him by Mr Bingham."
John Moore was involved in a third court case in 1838 - in Dublin. John Moore had almost been run over by a speeding horse and carriage while crossing the street near Granby Row in north Dublin City. The driver was spotted, reported, and brought to a police court in Dublin. John Moore gave evidence through an interpreter; we know the interpreter was "a friend", but we don't know who they were. But how did John Moore end up in Dublin? A year previously in 1837, John Moore began working in Dublin Castle. Many British government, military and police departments and offices were based here. It was almost like the British HQ in Ireland, with the whole country being administered from the Castle. John Moore had been given a position in the Quartermaster General's office in Dublin Castle. This Office was in charge of ordering and distribution of army supplies - food, drink, materials, clothing, etc. and was a crucial one for the British Army in Ireland. John Moore had a clerk's position there. It seems it was through his father's influence that he got the position. He moved to Ireland and did very well in the position; he was promoted to "confidential clerk", and then "chief clerk" after 3 years. It turns out that John Moore actually lived ... in Dublin Castle! He lived in two private rooms within the Quartermaster's Office, where he ate and slept. His assistant, a messenger, had another room there. An 1845 government report states that the Quartermaster's Office was in a building in the lower Castle yard. I'm not sure exactly where that is - maybe some of you might do the research on that. John Moore not only rose through the ranks; he also attended dances and social events with other members of Dublin society, with his name among the attendees of social events held by the likes of the Lord Lieutenant (the British representative in Ireland), senior army officers, and others. We know this as lists of attendee names were published in the newspapers of the time, and John Moore's name was often there. In July 1847 he became a married man. Elizabeth (Bessie) Alexander, a hearing woman, became his wife. They married in Guernsey and had at least 4 children.
John Moore's career was progressing well, but his father WIlliam had always been uneasy about whether John Moore's job was secure. What if a new department head decided to let him go? In late 1847, a dispute began that indeed threatened the position and status that John Moore had earned over the years. In 1847, there was a proposed reorganisation of the Quartermaster's Office. It was initially planned that John Moore would become head clerk - the head of a new combined department. But at this point, the British Secretary at War, Lord Panmure, found out that John Moore was Deaf. He stated that he would not accept this, as "Mr. N. was deaf and dumb ... it seemed extraordinary that a man so afflicted could be employed to execute efficiently the duties of a confidential clerk". It was proposed instead that John Moore be downgraded to Second Class Clerk. His salary would be capped, and he would be informed that he could never expect to rise above that subordinate position. John Moore was stunned. Finding out his salary - and career - would be capped, he submitted his resignation. He demanded a pension for his 12 years service, but this was turned down - as his situation did not meet the requirement of the Superannuation Act; 12 years was too short a service for such a pension. He was replaced by a hearing clerk, named Tillbrook, who began work at £260 per annum; John Moore had been on £160 a year in his previous role. John Moore was asked to recall his resignation, but to no avail.
You may be wondering where I found this information. I found a collection of informative letters between William Napier and Lord Panmure (Fox Maule) in an archive in Edinburgh. It appears that many of John Moore's friends and family strongly objected to his treatment, and many of them wrote to Maule to say so. William Napier himself was furious and upset. In his letters to Maule, William clearly stated that there had been no complaint whatsoever about John Moore's work in 12 years. Why then, he wondered, was there any reason to raise the issue of John being Deaf, when his work had been exemplary since 1837? Maule made some allusions to the Quartermaster's Office having to work more slowly with John Moore at its head. William demanded that Maule give a single example of when the department had to work harder to compensate for John Moore. In fact, said William, "my son's vigilance knowledge of his business and quickness did on many occasions prevent and rectify very serious errors of his superiors, and lightened instead of weighting the Office business." He defended the abilities of Deaf people in general: "Are you aware that the Deaf & Dumb, well educated, are generally speaking ... intelligent, methodical, resolute and conscientious in their sense of duty"? He also mentioned the case of several other Deaf people who at that time were working as civil servants across Britain. His anger was very clear in his letters: "Sir, I am neither of a family nor of a nation to whom the right of expressing resentment, when they and their children are wronged by men in power, can be forbidden". These sentiments at the treatment of his only son were very much in the character of William, who was passionate in his feelings, whether in love of family, anger at injustice, or his sense of fun. But it appears his protests came to nothing. John Moore left the employ of the Quartermaster's Office.
A few years later in 1855, the case was mentioned again - in Westminster. An MP, James Graham, mentioned John Moore in the context of a parliamentary discussion about another Deaf clerk, at that time working in the Admiralty office in London. Graham mentioned John Moore and described him as "one of the most distinguished civil servants", a man who "was known to be a most efficient and meritorious public servant". William Napier was still bitter about the experience six years on. Shortly after this debate, he replied in a letter to the newspapers that his son had experienced "foul oppression, which rendered twelve years of his life unavailing, and cast him forth without personal resources upon the world".
After leaving the department, John returned to England with his family. In the 1851 Census of England and Wales he is listed as a 'gentleman farmer' on 8 acres of land. In the 1861 English Census he is living in a large house named Hollybank, in St Leonard's, near Hastings, Sussex. It is unclear if he was working or not - he was listed as 'fundholder', indicating he lived off his investments. It was a large household with four servants, so he was not exactly living in poverty. William Napier died in 1860 in London. John Moore held a vigil for his dying father to the end, and held a mirror to his lips to ensure his father had really passed away. There is a statue of William Napier in St Paul's Cathedral in London.
John Moore himself died not long after - in 1867, at the age of just 50 years old. He died at his home in Holly Bank, St. Leonards, from gout, dyspepsia and a few weeks of 'nervous exhaustion'. John had not left a will, and his wife was given the task of administering his estate, which included effects worth some £14,000. It appears that his wife however did not do this by the time she died in 1888. The administration of a far smaller personal estate - just under £50 - was then given to his daughter Geraldine in 1890. John Moore is buried in Hastings Cemetery and Crematorium in Hastings, Sussex. There is a headstone, but he seems to have been buried alone. I am unsure where his wife is buried. His grave is overgrown in this picture, and I cannot read the inscription on the headstone. I haven't visited it, but a woman named Kirstie in the cemetery very helpfully emailed a map of the graveyard and this photo - contact me if you want to see the map.
Was John Ireland's - or even Britain's - first Deaf civil servant? Is there ever such thing as a first? And how important is it really, anyway? It's often the case that more research turns up others before the 'first', and will prove you wrong. So I don't know if he really was the 'first' Deaf civil servant in Ireland, but it looks like he is the first we have a record of. Maybe others will be found by other researchers out there watching me right now. What interests me in John Moore's story is his father William's love, and his defence of his Deaf son's abilities. Perhaps that was rare at the time. Other parents may have felt shame and swept their Deaf children under the carpet. Or maybe not! Maybe Deaf children's parents did feel that pride and celebrated their achievements against any criticism. It's really hard to say. Maybe it shows that love and pride in one's Deaf children is natural and present right throughout history. One thing I'm sad about is - it's a pity we don't have more from John Moore himself at the moment, any letters or documents of his, stating what he thought of his own situation, not yet anyway. We have plenty from William but not from his son. But the research continues. This summer, I will be visiting the Bodleian Library in Oxford, where the Napier family's papers are held. Hopefully I will come across more detail about this fascinating father and son.
