Flogging the butcher

On my way to the Globe yesterday, I noticed this plaque.

I thought it warranted some research.

It turns out that a certain Austrian general called Julius Jacob von Haynau was visiting the Barclay & Perkins brewery in Southwark, quite near to this spot in Park Street when he was suddenly set upon by a couple of the brewery’s draymen. They whipped him, unmercifully.

While this seemingly unprovoked attack may seem a bit odd, the draymen can be excused any admonition. Haynau was a bit mean. He had a temper and was quite ruthless in battle. It was generally known that he stooped so low as to flog women in the street, if the fancy took him. The draymen didn’t like this one little bit and decided to show him what it felt like.

Haynau wasn’t just called ‘the butcher’, he also had a few other nicknames. ‘Hyena of Brescia’, ‘Hangman of Arad’ and, by those that admired him, the ‘Habsburg Tiger.’ He doesn’t sound like a very nice chap.

He managed to escape the clutches (and whips) of the draymen and took refuge in a pub (some reports claim he climbed into a dustbin), before being spirited away, across the Thames.

The Austrian ambassador climbed aboard his highest horse (the one called Indignation) and demanded an apology for this outrageous incident. The foreign secretary at the time, Lord Palmerston simply shrugged and said the draymen were exercising their rights to whip someone who had whipped so many others and Haynau should be able to take it if he could give it out.

Queen Victoria was not best pleased and sided with the Austrians but Palmerston was so on the side of the draymen that he resigned rather than favour a scoundrel with anything like an apology.

The Austrians, being a grown up lot, and seeing nothing wrong with a bit of abject brutality, decided, in retaliation, not to attend the funeral of the Duke of Wellington in 1852. I bet that showed the draymen what for.

It would seem that these draymen became heroes. Ballads were sung about them and, I’d like to think, they never had to buy a beer again. Garibaldi, when visiting England, even asked to go to the brewery in order to thank the men who had done the world such a great service.

Interestingly, the year following the flogging of Haynau, marked one of his worst atrocities. While stamping his vile foot on Hungary, murdering anyone who stood in his way, he was finally disowned by his own government. They relieved him of his command because of the international condemnation of his sadistic tendencies.

And yet, the Austrians still didn’t attend The Duke’s funeral. Perhaps they didn’t really think that Haynau was that bad. It makes sense then that, for a leaving present, he was given a massive estate to live out his days. Adding a fair amount of salt, this estate was in Hungary where he was treated like someone with the plague.

I’d like to think he was given a few more whippings by the locals whenever he dared to venture out of his castle.

Here’s the first verse and chorus of a ballad to the draymen:

Good people pay attention pray,
Just now to what I have to say,
Of what was done the other day,
By Barclay & Perkin’s Draymen ;
There was a Chief well known to fame,
General Haynau was his name,
Who a tyrant’s favour sought to gain,
By causing bitter grief and pain,
By blood and slaughter, fire and sword,
He did command his Cossack borde,
Till freedom’s blood like water poured,
Sing Barclay & Perkins’ Draymen.

Hit him, kick him, up and down,
Box him ! knock him round and round !
Out of his hat break the crown,
Cried Barclay & Perkins’ Draymen

The rest can be read here.