The Duke Lives On
Juliet Barnett
Have you ever considered how much we come across the name ‘Wellington’ and ‘Waterloo’ in our everyday lives? Roads, stations, statues, hotels, hospitals, pubs, food items and clothing — all can be found with these names or with direct reference to the Duke himself.
After Arthur Wellesley’s success in the Napoleonic Wars, he needed to take a title. He found a manor in the small parish of Wellington in Somerset, which was a centre for cloth making. He became the Marquis of Wellington, elevated to Duke status after winning the Battle of Waterloo. Wellington, Somerset has a monument dedicated to the Duke on its outskirts and the cinema in the town is called the ’Wellesley’.
There are many statues and monuments commemorating Wellington. As well as our grand statue at the Wellington Arch, monuments can be found at the Royal Exchange in the City of London, Trim in Ireland (Wellington’s birthplace), Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Aldershot, Manchester, Brecon in Wales, Liverpool and Porto, Portugal and, as previously mentioned, in Wellington, Somerset.
Places other than Somerset, that take Wellington as their name include New
Zealand — perhaps the most well known, Ontario and Nova Scotia in Canada and New South Wales in Australia. Wellington, New Zealand, was named in November 1840 by the original settlers of the New Zealand Company, which the Duke strongly supported.
Closer to home, we have Wellington Street, Waterloo Bridge, the Wellington
Hospital and Waterloo Station as well as the Wellington Barracks in London.
There is Wellington School, seen below, in Somerset and Wellington College in Berkshire.
There are numerous pubs and hotels called the Duke of Wellington/The Wellington throughout the UK . These range from Wareham in Dorset, Whitby
and Wetherby in Yorkshire, Bets Y Coed and Llaneli in Wales, Norwich, Southampton, Great Yarmouth and Newcastle upon Tyne. In London they can be found in Soho, Whitechapel, Woolwich Arsenal and Covent Garden.
Now to two subjects that most of you will have heard of — Beef Wellington and
the Wellington boot. There is some controversy over ‘Beef Wellington’ — a fillet of beef baked in a pastry case. Some say ‘Un filet de boeuf en croute’. A French dish, was renamed Beef Wellington after the Napoleonic Wars. Others say it was already an established dish by the time the Duke became famous. Others say it was created in celebration of Wellington’s victory at Waterloo. Whoever is right, it cannot be disputed that is a well-recognized and popular British dish.
Finally, we come to the humble Wellington boot. Rather than the rubber one we know today, this was originally made out of leather. The Duke instructed his shoemaker — Hoby of St James Street, London to modify the 18 th century hessian boot. The new boot was made in soft calfskin leather and was cut to fit the leg more closely. It was suitably hard wearing for riding yet smart enough for informal evening wear.
In 1856, the Edinburgh based North British Rubber Company started to manufacture the first ‘gum’/rubber boot. These were renamed Wellingtons. They became particularly popular in the 1st World War for soldiers fighting in the trenches as they helped keep out the damp and wet. By 1945, the Wellington boot had become popular amongst all parts of the population and is now a staple for farmers to festival goers. The North British Rubber Company became the Hunter Boot Company, well known today for producing good quality wellingtons.
