Everything about John The Painter totally explained
John the Painter (
1752–
1777), also known as
James Aitken or
John Aitkin, was a
Scot who committed acts of
terror in
British naval dockyards in 1776-77.
Early life
Aitken was born in
Edinburgh in 1752, the son of a
whitesmith and the eighth of twelve children. He tried his hand at a variety of low-paying trades before finding that the world of criminal activity offered him more immediate rewards; he admitted in his testament to being a
highwayman,
burglar,
shoplifter,
robber, and (on at least one occasion) a
rapist:
…I made the best of my way through Winchester to Basingstoke, intending to return to London. Going over a down near Basingstoke, I saw a girl watching some sheep, upon whom, with some threats and imprecations, I committed a rape, to my shame it be said.
Career as a terrorist
Fearful that his crimes would soon be detected, Aitken negotiated an indenture in exchange for a voyage to
Jamestown,
Virginia. He, of course, had no real intention of serving the terms of the indenture, and soon escaped to
North Carolina. His next two years in the colonies were spent in such locales as
Philadelphia,
Boston,
New York, and
Perth Amboy. It was during this period that he became exposed to revolutionary rhetoric, and Aitken claimed that he'd been harassed by British troops for being a suspected
Whig. At some point after a 1775 return trip to England he developed his scheme of political arson.
Over the course of several months Aitken attacked facilities in
Portsmouth and
Bristol, creating the impression that a band of terrorists was on the loose in England. The British dockyards, Aitken believed, were vulnerable to attack, and he was convinced that one highly motivated arsonist could cripple the
Royal Navy by destroying ships in the harbours. Aitken claimed to have the tacit approval of American diplomat
Silas Deane in
Paris for the scheme, but never received remuneration beyond a few
pounds that Deane loaned him.
British authorities hanged John the Painter on 10 March 1777 from the
mizzenmast of a vessel in the Portsmouth dockyard, and some 20,000 people reportedly witnessed the execution.
Additional reading
- Aitken, James. The Life of James Aitken, commonly called John the Painter, an incendiary who was tried at the Castle of Winchester... (Second edition). Winton (Winchester), England: J. Wilkes, 1777, 12. 64 p., [1] leaf of plates : port. ; 18 cm. (8vo); Category: CTRG94-B789; Sabin No.: 31836. Fiche: 12,869
- Sharpe, James. "John the Painter: The First Modern Terrorist." Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, Volume 18, Issue 2 June 2007, pages 278 - 281
- Warner, Jessica. John the Painter: Terrorist of the American Revolution. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2004.
Further Information
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