Napoleon at Saint Helena
HMS Northumberland reaches Saint Helena with Napoleon aboard
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Original prompt & settings (JSON) ↗The ship anchored at noon and Napoleon stayed aboard: the island's own chronology puts his landing at half past seven in the evening, two days later.
Anchored, not landed
HMS Northumberland completed its passage from Britain and anchored off Saint Helena with Napoleon aboard on 15 October 1815 — at noon, according to a Saint Helena chronology.
Napoleon remained aboard rather than stepping ashore that day.
The scholarly account puts the passage at 67 days.
Cockburn makes the arrangements
Rear-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, who held responsibility for Napoleon's custody, began arranging temporary accommodation in Jamestown and inspecting Longwood as a permanent residence.
The island chronology dates Napoleon's landing at Jamestown to 7:30 p.m. on 17 October. After one night in Porteous's house he stayed at the Briars, and moved to Longwood only on 10 December.
Sir Hudson Lowe was not yet his jailer: Cockburn kept custodial responsibility until Lowe reached the island in April 1816.
Elba was the mistake not to repeat
The end of the voyage placed Napoleon inside a specially planned island security regime, designed to prevent a repetition of his escape from Elba.
"Begins his exile" is a loose label for the date, since British detention and the decision to send him to Saint Helena both preceded 15 October; the day is best described as his arrival offshore.
The article filed under this date is about a 1929 German silent film and gives no account of Northumberland's arrival at all.
Sources
Researched 24 Aug 2026 5 sources not yet audited
How this was checked
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What the sources leave uncertain
- The 15 October date securely marks Northumberland's arrival and anchoring, not necessarily the moment Napoleon set foot on the island.
- Sources disagree over whether members of the French party disembarked on 16 October and over shorthand descriptions of Napoleon's own landing. The detailed Saint Helena chronology dates Napoleon's landing to 17 October at 7:30 p.m.
- “Begins his exile” is imprecise: British detention and the decision to send him to Saint Helena predated 15 October. This date is best described as his arrival offshore.