Charles Warren

In 1867, Warren was recruited by the Palestine Exploration Fund to conduct Biblical archaeology "reconnaissance" with a view of further research and excavation to be undertaken later in Ottoman Syria, but more specifically the Holy Land or Biblical Palestine. During the PEF Survey of Palestine he conducted one of the first major excavations at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, thereby ushering in a new age of Biblical archaeology. His most significant discovery was a water shaft, now known as Warren's Shaft, and a series of tunnels underneath the Temple Mount.^[3][4]

Warren and his team also improved the topographic map of Jerusalem^[5] and made the first excavations of Tell es-Sultan, site of biblical city of Jericho.^[6] Some of the sites listed on Warren's topographic map, particularly that of Acra (where he places it in the Upper City,^[7] contrary to Josephus who places it in the Lower City), have since been corrected and updated.^[8]

In 1870, Warren returned to Britain, where he began writing a book about archaeology.^[9] His findings from the expedition would be published later as "The survey of Western Palestine-Jerusalem" (1884), written with C.R. Conder.^[10] Other books by Warren about the area include "The Recovery of Jerusalem" (1871), "Underground Jerusalem" (1876) and "The Land of Promise" (1875).^[11]

Warren's most significant contribution is his exploration of a subterranean shaft in Jerusalem and which is now named after him, viz., Warren's Shaft. A 2013 publication, The Walls of the Temple Mount, provided more specifics about Warren's work, as summarised in a book review.^[12]

"... he concentrated on excavating shafts down beneath the ground to the level of the lower parts of the external Temple Mount walls, recording the different types of stonework he encountered at different levels and other features, such as Robinson’s Arch on the western side and the Herodian street below it. ... in 1884 the PEF published a large portfolio of 50 of Warren’s maps, plans and drawings titled Plans, Elevations, Sections, etc., Shewing the Results of the Excavations at Jerusalem, 1867–70 (now known as the 'Warren Atlas')."

South Africa

He served briefly at

Palmer expedition investigation

In 1880, Warren returned to England to become Chief Instructor in Surveying at the School of Military Engineering. He held this post until 1884, but it was interrupted in 1882, when the

In December 1884, by now a

Commissioner of Police

In 1885, Warren stood for election to Parliament as an independent Liberal candidate in the Sheffield Hallam constituency with a radical manifesto. He lost by 690 votes and was appointed commander at Suakin in 1886. A few weeks after he arrived, however, he was appointed Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis following Sir Edmund Henderson's resignation.

The exact rationale for the selection of Warren for the post is still unknown. Up to that time, and for some time into the 20th century, the heads of Scotland Yard were selected from the ranks of the military. In Warren's case, he may have been selected in part by his involvement in discovering the fate of Professor Palmer's expedition into the Sinai in 1883. If so there may have been a serious error regarding his "police work" in that case, as it was a military investigation and not a civil style police operation.

The

To make matters worse, Colonel Warren, a

In 1888, Warren introduced five

Colonel Warren's biggest difficulty was the Jack the Ripper case. In his book, Abberline: The Man Who Hunted Jack the Ripper, author Peter Thurgood indicates that Warren was criticised during the investigation. He was blamed for failing to track down the killer, accused of failing to offer a reward for information (although that plan was actually rejected by the Home Office), accused of assigning an inadequate number of investigators (patently untrue) and favouring uniformed constables instead of detectives (probably untrue). In response, Warren wrote an article outlining his views and the facts for Murray's Magazine; the article also indicated that he favoured vigilante activity in finding the Ripper. He was censured by the Home Office for revealing the workings of the police department and for writing an article without permission. ^[14]

As recently as 2015, a book about the Ripper case by Bruce Robinson castigated Warren as a "lousy cop" and suggested that a "huge establishment cover-up" and a Masonic conspiracy had been involved. In its book review, The Guardian stated that "most historians put the police's failure to catch the Ripper down to incompetence" but did not specifically name Warren in this context.^[15]

Warren finally had enough of criticism and resigned – coincidentally right before the murder of Mary Jane Kelly on 9 November 1888. But he agreed to stay on until his successor was in place and continued in post until 1 December. He then returned to his army career. Nearly every superintendent on the force visited him at home to express their regret over his resignation. One attendee praised Warren for his thoughtfulness and his caring for the men in his command.^[16] He returned to military duties.

He was appointed a

Later military career and Boer War

In 1889, Warren was sent to command the garrison in Singapore and promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1893 remaining in Singapore until 1895. After returning to England, he commanded the Thames District from 1895 to 1898, when he was promoted to lieutenant general in 1897 and was moved to the Reserve List.^[17]

Royal Engineer Yacht Club

Watermanship being one of the many skills required of the Sapper led to the formation of a sailing club at the School of Military Engineering in 1812 and later to the development of cutter rowing teams. Construction of a canal linking the Thames and Medway rivers in 1824 gave the Royal Engineers an inland waterway to practice these skills, with the officer responsible for the canal drawn from the Corps of Royal Engineers. In 1899 as General Officer Commanding the Thames and Medway Canal, General Sir Charles Warren presented a challenge shield for a championship cutter race on the River Medway against the Royal Navy. The Sapper teams were drawn from members of the Submarine Mining School, but when the service was disbanded in 1905, the tradition of cutter rowing was continued by the fieldwork squads. The REYC continues to compete against the Royal Navy Sailing Association annually to this day. The club developed and became the Royal Engineer Yacht Club in 1846, making it one of the most senior yacht clubs in the United Kingdom. The REYC continues to this day, operating three club yachts and competing on behalf of the Corps at races around the world. The club is one of the oldest sports clubs in the British Army.

Second Boer War

On the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, he returned to the colours to command the 5th Division of the South African Field Force. The decision to give command to Warren was surprising. By then, Warren was 59 years old, was said to have a "disagreeable temper", had little recent experience leading troops in battle and did not get along with his superior, General Sir Redvers Buller.^[17]

In January 1900, Warren bungled the second attempted relief of Ladysmith, which was a west flanking movement over the Tugela River. At the Battle of Spion Kop, on 23–24 January 1900, he had operational command, and his failures of judgment, delay and indecision despite his superior forces culminated in the disaster. Farwell highlighted Warren's fixation with the army's oxen and his view that Hlangwane Hill was the key to Colenso.^[18] Farwell suggested Warren was "perhaps the worst" of the British generals in the Boer War and certainly the most "preposterous".^[19] He was described by Redvers Buller in a letter to his wife as "a duffer", responsible for losing him "a great chance".

Warren was recalled to Britain in August 1900 and never again commanded troops in the field. He was, however, appointed

From 1908, Warren became involved with Baden-Powell in the creation of the Boy Scout movement.^[22] He was also involved with another group, the Church Lads' Brigade ^[23] and 1st St Lawrence Scout Group, then called 1st Ramsgate – Sir Charles Warren's Own Scouts ^[24]

He had previously authored several books on Biblical archaeology, particularly Jerusalem, and also wrote "On Veldt in the Seventies", and "The Ancient Cubit and Our Weights and Measures". He died of pneumonia, brought on by a bout of influenza, at his home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, was given a military funeral in Canterbury, and was buried in the churchyard at Westbere, Kent, next to his wife.

Fictional portrayals

Warren was played by

• Warren, Charles; Wilson, Charles William; Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn (1871). Morrison, Walter (ed.). The recovery of Jerusalem: a narrative of exploration and discovery in the city and the Holy Land. New York: D. Appleton.
• Underground Jerusalem (1876)
• The Temple or the Tomb (1880)
• Warren, Sir Charles; Conder, Claude Reignier (1884). The survey of Western Palestine-Jerusalem. London: Palestine Exploration Fund.
• Plans, elevations, sections, &c., shewing the results of the excavations at Jerusalem (1884)
• On the Veldt in the Seventies (1902)
• The Ancient Cubit and Our Weights and Measures (1903)
• The Early Weights and Measures of Mankind (1914)

Works on Charles Warren

• Defender (1902). Sir Charles Warren and Spion Kop: A Vindication. London: Smith, Elder.

References

Sources

• Austin, Ron. The Australian Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Zulu and Boer Wars, Slouch Hat Publication, McCrae, 1999.
  ISBN 0-9585296-3-9
• Bloomfield, Jeffrey, The Making of the Commissioner: 1886, R.W. Stone, Q.P.M. (ed.), The Criminologist, Vol. 12, No. b3, p. 139–155; reprinted, Paul Begg (Exec. ed.), The Ripperologist, No. 47, July 2003, pp. 6–15.
• Coetzer, Owen. The Anglo-Boer War: The Road to Infamy, 1899–1900, Arms and Armour, 1996.
  ISBN 1-85409-366-5
• ISBN 0-7139-0820-3
• Fido, Martin and Keith Skinner, The Official Encyclopedia of Scotland Yard (Virgin Books, London: 1999)
• Grena, G.M. (2004). LMLK – A Mystery Belonging to the King vol. 1. Redondo Beach, CA: 4000 Years of Writing History.
  ISBN 0-9748786-0-X
  .
• Kruger, Rayne. Goodbye Dolly Gray: The Story of the Boer War, 1959
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Pakenham, T. The Boer War (1979)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles Warren (1840-1927).

• Palestine Exploration Fund page on Warren
• Jack the Ripper Casebook article on Warren
• Large excellent photograph of Warren Archived 21 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
• Works by or about Charles Warren at Internet Archive
• Portraits of Warren in the National Portrait Gallery

Police appointments
Preceded by Sir Edmund Henderson	Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis 1886–1888	Succeeded by James Monro