Pierre Henri Joseph Baume (1797–1875) was a French

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

, active in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Life

Baume was born at

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

. When he was still young, his father moved to

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and the boy was placed in a military college there. In his eighteenth year, he became private secretary to King Ferdinand. He left Italy and came to England about 1825, where he associated with the advocates of social change. In 1832, he took out letters of naturalisation. He was, in succession, a preacher of the doctrine of 'reforming optimism,’ a theatrical manager, the curator and proprietor of some 'model experimental gardens' near

Holloway A hollow way is a sunken lane. Holloway may refer to: People *Holloway (surname) *Holloway Halstead Frost (1889–1935), American World War I Navy officer Place names ;United Kingdom *Holloway, London, inner-city district in the London Borough of ...

, and a promoter in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

of public-houses without intoxicating drinks. For many years, Baume's mind was bent upon the establishment of a major educational institute, on a communistic basis. To carry out this project, he denied himself. He acquired a large estate, valued at £40,000, at

Colney Hatch Colney Hatch () is the historical name for a small district within the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Colney Hatch refers to a loosely defined area centred on the northern end of Colney Hatch Lane (B550), which connects Friern ...

, and another in

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, estimated to be worth £4,000. Obstacles presented themselves and he gave up his plan. During the Owenite socialist agitation his oratory, and power of devising astonishing placards and proclamations, made him a notable man. A boy whom he had adopted was publicly 'named' by Owen. He was believed to have amassed a fortune as a foreign spy, and his mysterious ways added to his reputation. For several years, Baume resided in Manchester, where he organised Sunday lectures, but, in 1857, he paid a visit to the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and was so pleased with the place that he took up his residence there in a house in the Archway, Douglas. His rooms were crowded with books and he slept in a hammock swung from the roof of the room. Only those who possessed the secret of a peculiar knock were admitted. He lived for years in this way, but, in 1874, was induced to take up his abode in more comfortable quarters. His 'experimental gardens', as he called them, were almost opposite the present Pentonville Prison, and were known as the Frenchman's Island', about which he used to wander in the night-time with a pistol, to frighten off unwelcome visitors.

Death and legacy

He was abstemious in diet, living chiefly on

pea The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

s, which he carried in his pocket: he said he wished to leave as much as possible for charitable uses. On his death, at Duke Street,

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

, on 28 October 1875, all his property, including about £10,000, in addition to the value of the estates, was left in trust for

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

purposes in the

. This disposition was accompanied by some curious provisions. He was buried on 2 November at St. George's, Douglas. A posthumous bust of him was executed by Emanuel Edward Geflowski.

References

External links

''Pierre Henri Josef Baume, 1797-1875''. Based on a talk given by Roger Sims, Archivist of Manx National Library.
;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Baume, Pierre Henri Joseph 1797 births 1875 deaths French socialists 19th-century Neapolitan people French emigrants to Italy Italian emigrants to the United Kingdom