The Wild Boy
The town of Hamelin in Hanover, Germany, is often linked with the legend of the Pied Piper. But another legendary man is also connected with the area. While there is still debate over whether the Pied Piper was a real person, there’s absolutely no doubt that Peter the Wild Boy existed. In fact, a painting of him hangs on the walls of Kensington Palace in England.
In 1725, Peter was found in the woods near Hamelin by a group of hunters led by George I of England. The hunting group was intrigued by the boy as they believed the boy had been living his life in the wild. Details about his discovery, included in the church register in Hertfordshire in England say: “ … Peter was believed to be then about twelve years old, and had lived in those woods and eaten the bark of trees, leaves, berries for probably a long time. How long he had continued in that wild state is uncertain; but definitely he had been under the care of some person, which was evident from the remains of a shirt collar around his neck.”
King George’s daughter-in-law, Caroline, arranged for Peter to be transported to Great Britain in 1726. When he arrived in London, he became something of a “human pet” at court. There had been stories of wild children before, but according to Lucy Worsley, curator of Historic Royal Palaces, Peter caused particular interest. People began asking a lot of philosophical questions, such as what makes us different from animals. However, despite public interest, the king and his courtiers soon got bored of Peter. Teaching him to speak had failed, and the king’s servants struggled to force him to wear clothes every day as Peter preferred to be naked. His table manners were also shocking, and rather than sleep in a bed, he opted to sleep in a corner of his room.
Finally, Princess Caroline took over his care and sent him to live on a farm in Hertfordshire. James Fenn, a local farmer, was paid £35 a year to care for Peter. While Peter seemed to be happy there, he used to walk far away from the farm. In 1751, he went missing, so notices were placed in all the newspapers. Through a description of him in the London Chronicle, Peter was identified in Norwich and he was returned to the farm. After that incident, the farmers made him a collar to wear around his neck for identification if he went away again.
Peter happily worked on the farm but he needed constant control. The church register also spoke about his love of music and his gentle nature. “All those stories which have been published about his climbing up trees like a squirrel, running like a wild beast are untrue. He was extremely shy and gentle in his nature,” says curator Lucy Worsley. Peter lived well into old age. Apart from saying his own name, he couldn’t really talk, but seemed to understand what was said to him and could hum a few songs. The locals were so fond of Peter that, when he died in 1785, they paid for his grave, and even today fresh flowers can be found there.
There have been many wild children discovered throughout the ages. In the case of Peter, it was suspected that he suffered from autism, but Mrs Worsley didn’t believe it. She asked Professor Phillip Beales from the Institute of Child Health to check a database of conditions to see if he could find a match. He did: Pitt-Hopkins syndrome. The syndrome is characterized by learning difficulties, developmental difficulties and the inability to develop speech. This list certainly matches the descriptions of Peter. This new medical discovery suggests that Peter might have been left by his parents due to his extreme learning difficulties and behavioural problems.
Lucy Worsley’s findings are included in her book Courtiers, published in 2010. She also spoke about it to the BBC. Her investigation into Peter’s life had been prompted by a fascination she held for a painting on the king’s staircase at Kensington Palace, painted by William Kent in the 1720s. “It’s hugely satisfying to dig another secret out of the painting, which I’ve been obsessed with for some years now,” she said.