J. D. P. Hodge the Italian revolutionary

[Old Mr Lobster]

Hello, I’m looking for information on a nineteenth century man named J. D. P. Hodge. (Possibly).

I’m working on an article on the ‘Orsini Affair’ an assignation attempt in 1858. This involved an Italian refugee ¬– Felice Orsini – and several accomplices throwing grenades at the French Emperor Louis Napoleon. (He’s not the famous Napoleon Bonaprte ¬– he’s his nephew.)

Orsini was aided by a cabal of British radicals: George Jacob Holyoake wrote about his part in some detail; Simon Bernard, a French expatriate and former military surgeon, Thomas Allsop a businessman and the radical MP for Newcastle, Joseph Cowen. I’ve got all these covered but there was a fifth conspirator named Hodge who I’m trying to find out more about. He acted as a smuggler, taking items from England where the weapons were constructed to the continent. In the aftermath of the assignation he fled to Sardinia where there was a diplomatic spat between Britain, Piedmont and the French over extradition. He was able to avoid prosecution and return to England to general condemnation but also victory parade in his home town of Glastonbury. In 1866

What I know:

He was from Glastonbury.
He was financially wealthy.
He was politically radical and a supporter of the free Italy movement.
His Father (unless I’m mistaken) was a surgeon in Sidmouth named Thomas Stoke Hodge (but this doesn’t account for the family wealth. He was able to donate £1,000 to the Garibaldi Volunteers in 1860, a considerable sum.)

Holyoake talks of ‘a rich young Englishman named J.D.P. Hodge’ who came from Glastonbury. He’s was ‘‘of respectable connections and in easy circumstances’ who also ‘dreamt of a republican Italy’ according to Reynold’s Newspaper. The North Wales Chronicle mentions a ‘J. Darrel Hodge’ but the Morning Chronicle carries an appeal for donations to Garibaldi from a T. (Not J.) D. P. Hodge and Charterhouse School records talk about a “Thomas Durell Powell Hodge, 1851-53 b. 1835.’ Who ‘Joined Garibaldi’s Army’ so I think this must be him. To further complicate things however there’s a book called A BIOGRAPHICAL HAND-LIST MEMBERS OF THE VARIOUS INNS OF COURT which talks of a Thomas Durrell BLAKE Hodge, son of a surgeon in Sidmouth being admitted to the bar on June 6, 1866. Also John Gough Nichols in The Herald and Geneologist, Volume 4, p. 188.records

Thomas Durell Powell Hodge^ of Lincoln's Inn, gentleman, only son and heir of Thomas Stoke Hodge, late of Sidmouth, surgeon, by Anne Durell his wife, eldest dau. of John Blake late of Belmont, co. Galway, gent, to take the name of Blake only, instead of Hodge, and bear the arms of Blake.

I’m not sure what this means. Taking the ‘arms of Blake’ suggests aristocracy which would account for the money and there was a stately home in Galway owned by the Blake family I think, but don’t know for sure what ‘taking the arms’ actually consists of.

Well that’s all I know.

[geneius]

Searching via google produced this snippett
Charterhouse register 1769-1872: with appendix of non-Foundationers ...
R. L. Arrowsmith - 1974
. HODGE, Thomas Durell Powell. b. 8 Nov. 1835, o.s. of Thomas Stoke Hodge, surgeon, of Sidmouth. Verites, Jun. 1851-Dec. 1853. Joined Garibaldi's Army. 'Nearly hanged for inventing and supplying Orsini bombs for the murder of the ...

With regard to the name change from HODGE to BLAKE I think you will find that you need to research TDP's mother's BLAKE line.
I suspect that there was a an estate and title that may have been lost if TDP hadn't changed his name

https://www.ebooksread.com/authors-en...me-4-hci.shtml
Thomas Durell Powell Hodge^ of Lincoln's Inn, gentleman, only son and
heir of Thomas Stoke Hodge, late of Sidmouth, surgeon, by Anne Durell
his wife, eldest dau. of John Blake late of Belmont, co. Galway, gent, to take
the name of Blake only, instead of Hodge, and bear the arms of Blake.


further reading about the connection
https://kippeeb.blogspot.co.uk/2013/0...gentleman.html

It is late I now know a bit about the Orsini affair.

[marymog]

Maybe if you look through these lists you will find answers to the coats of arms.

https://books.google.nl/books?id=Y11...page&q&f=false