Martin Coles Harman

Martin Coles Harman (1885 – 5 December 1954)[11][12][7][13] was an English businessman who, in 1925, bought the island of Lundy and proclaimed himself King.

Martin Coles Harman
A one Puffin coin of 1929, bearing the portrait of Martin Coles Harman
A one Puffin coin of 1929, bearing the portrait of Martin Coles Harman
King (or Sovereign/Lord)[1][2] of Lundy
Reign1925 – c.November 1933
PredecessorKingdom established
Augustus Langham Christie (as immediate predecessor and private owner[3][note 1]
Sir Vere Hunt, 1st Baronet (as notable predecessor and leader of an Irish colony on Lundy)[5]
SuccessorAlbion Harman[6][2]
Born1885
Steyning, Sussex, United Kingdom
Died5 December 1954(1954-12-05) (aged 68–69)
Oxted, Surrey[7][8]
Spouse
Amy Ruth Bodger
(m. 1913; died 1931)
Children
Regnal name
Sovereign Harman[1]
OccupationBusinessman
Criminal details
Conviction(s)
Criminal penalty
Criminal statusReleased

Born in Steyning in Sussex[13] and educated at Whitgift School in Croydon, Harman had six brothers and five sisters.[14] At the age of 16, he left school to work for Lazard, and became an influential figure in early 20th-century corporate finance in the City of London.[15] In 1913, he married Amy Ruth Harman (née Bodger),[16] and, in June 1919, Mr Harman moved to Chaldon, Surrey,[17] where he lived with his wife and their four children.[9] In 1926, he donated land he owned in the village to the National Trust which was subsequently named "Six Brothers Field" at his request.[14]

Harman bought Lundy island and its supply boat the MV Lerina in 1925 for £25,000[note 2] (equivalent to £1,516,948 in 2021). In 1927, the GPO ended postal services to the island. For the next two years, Harman handled, and covered the costs of all the island's postage himself. On 1 November 1929, Harman introduced his own "Puffin" stamps to offset this cost. One Puffin is equivalent to one English penny, and printing of the stamps continues today covering the cost of shipping to the mainland, and postage in the UK and abroad.[20][21][22] He later issued an independent Lundy currency of half Puffin and one Puffin coins, which were nominally equivalent to the British halfpenny and penny. This resulted in his prosecution by UK authorities for issuing illegal coinage under the Coinage Act of 1870. He was found guilty in 1931,[23] and was fined £5 (equivalent to £361 in 2021) with fifteen guineas (£15 15s) expenses[24] (equivalent to £1,139 in 2021). The coins were withdrawn and have since become collectors' items.[20]

In 1928, Harman established the Lundy pony.[25]

By 1928, Harman controlled a portfolio of companies worth an estimated £12 million. However, in 1931, his wife Amy died of kidney failure aged 47, and one year later Harman was declared bankrupt. As Lundy had been held in trust, Harman was able to keep his ownership of the island despite his bankruptcy. In November 1933, Harman was found guilty on charges of conspiracy to defraud in connection with a Korean syndicate, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.[15][26][13]

Harman's son, John Pennington Harman was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross in Kohima, India in 1944.[27] There is a memorial to him at the "VC Quarry" on the east side of Lundy.[10]

References

  1. "Puffin Into Nuffin". TIME Magazine. Vol. 17, no. 4. 26 January 1931. p. 18 via EBSCOhost via The Wikipedia Library.
  2. "Untidy Little Island". TIME Magazine. Vol. 74, no. 26. 28 December 1959. p. 19 via EBSCOhost via The Wikipedia Library.
  3. Blunt 1986, p. 51.
  4. Harfield 1997, p. 52.
  5. Stables 2021.
  6. Graham 1972, p. XX9.
  7. "Death date index entry". FreeBMD. Transcribed by Stephen Jakeman (jakems). ONS. 1954. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. The New York Times 1954, p. 24.
  9. Best 2017, p. 462.
  10. "Memorial Stone, V C Quarry, Quarries, Lundy". National Trust Heritage Records. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  11. "Birthdate index entry". FreeBMD. Transcribed by Stephen Jakeman (jakems). ONS. 1884. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. "No. 40692". The London Gazette. 24 January 1956. p. 539. "Page 539 | Issue 40692, 24 January 1956 | London Gazette | the Gazette". Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. Tikkanen 2008.
  14. Fookes n.d.
  15. Palmer 2019, pp. 4–5.
  16. "Index entry". FreeBMD. Transcribed by Stephen Jakeman (jakems). ONS. 1913. Retrieved 11 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. "No. 31396". The London Gazette. 10 June 1919. p. 7439. "Page 7439 | Issue 31396, 10 June 1919 | London Gazette | the Gazette". Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. "MR MARTIN COLES HARMAN; Arrested on Fraud Conspricy Charges; LUNDY ISLAND BUYER". The Western Times. Exeter, Devon, England. 3 March 1933. p. 10. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022 via Newspapers.com via The Wikipedia Library.
  19. Brentwood, Coin Monthly (23 April 1970). "Coin Collecting". Burton Observer and Chronicle. Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. p. 10. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022 via Newspapers.com via The Wikipedia Library.
  20. Landmark Trust n.d.
  21. Coutanche n.d.
  22. Joint 2010.
  23. "Coinage Act 1870: Martin Coles Harman v. William Bolt (police superintendent)". The National Archives. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  24. "Summary Of Cases". The Times. No. 45720. Times Newspapers Limited. 14 January 1931. p. 5.
  25. "Sponsor a pony". Landmark Trust. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  26. "TRIAL OF FINANCIERS; TWO OF FOUR IMPRISONED; Fraudulent Company Dealings". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848–1957). No. 27224. 17 November 1933. p. 9. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  27. "LANCE CORPORAL JOHN PENNINGTON HARMAN". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.

Bibliography

Notes

  1. as cited in [4]
  2. the island alone cost £16,000[18][19]


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