John the Painter

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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. Over the course of several months he attacked facilities in Portsmouth and Bristol, creating the impression that a band of terrorists was on the loose in England. He 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.

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. ^[1]

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 at some point after a 1775 return trip to England he developed his scheme of political arson.

[edit] Additional reading

Warner, Jessica. John the Painter: Terrorist of the American Revolution New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2004.

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