Tucked away in a dark corner of Stoke Damerel churchyard, you will find the forgotten headstone for a man called John Boynes.

John had no known notable achievements during his time alive - but his death, over 200 years ago, will always be remembered.

John, a stonemason in the dockyard, was just 35 when records say he drowned in the Sound trying to catch a glimpse of Napoleon Bonaparte, like so many others at the time attempted to do.

Napoleon I was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814, and again in 1815 – before he surrendered to Captain Frederick Maitland of the ship the 'Bellerophon', which brought him to England.

He was detained on board the Bellerophon during the month of July while his fate was decided by the British Government.

But much to the people of Plymouth's amusement, history books say Bonaparte would usually appear on deck at about 6pm for the benefit of the numerous boats loaded with sightseers in the Sound.

Mr Boynes was one such sightseer, and one night, as he was returning from seeing Bonaparte between Drake's Island and Devils Point, he is said to have capsized and drowned in the commotion.

Although the grave has long gone, his head stone remains hidden behind a wall, just off Paradise Road, in Stoke, in the graveyard of St Andrew and St Luke.

Plymouth historian Andrew Jago says we can be "fairly confident" that John drowned on July 31, 1815, however "little other details is added" on the headstone.

The graveyard is just off Paradise Road in Millbridge
The graveyard is just off Paradise Road in Millbridge

He says: "So, how did John Boynes drown on that fateful day? Well, the answer was hidden away in a small paragraph in the long defunct Plymouth Telegraph newspaper and clears up this little mystery; John, his wife and his three children were returning from seeing Napolean, presumably on the evening of Monday, July 31 - apparently 6pm was the best time to catch a glimpse of the 'Little Corporal' - when their boat was rammed, accidentally, by the launch from the nearby HMS Briton. John's wife and children were rescued, but, unfortunately John perished in the incident.

"The Boynes family lived in Cherry Garden Street and on August 11, 1815 the family made their way to Stoke Damerel Church for the burial service of their husband/father."

John Boynes' actual last resting place has been lost to time, but his headstone stands in the churchyard to commemorate not only his life (and death) but this incredible part of Plymouth's history."

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The headstone is engraved with the words: 'To the memory of John Boynes, late stone mason of His Majesty's Dock Yard, who was unfortunately drowned between the Island and Point returning from seeing Bonaparte in the Sound July 13 1815, aged 35 years.'

On the britishempire.co.uk website, it says the people of Plymouth and beyond were so keen to see "the foe that had created so many problems in the flesh" that scenes of disarray usually ensued.

It says: 'The British government considered the options throughout July of 1815 before agreeing to send him to exile to Saint Helena.

'Whilst awaiting this fate, Napoleon became quite the tourist attraction  as people came from miles around to catch a glimpse  of the renowned warrior and would-be Emperor on his own personal prison ship.

'He generally left his cabin to walk around the deck of the ship every evening at 6pm.

Have you ever seen this headstone and wondered who it was for?
Have you ever seen this headstone and wondered who it was for?

'There could be quite a commotion as people paid boatmen to take them out to see him at that time. There is a famous painting in Plymouth Museum which shows the extent of the mayhem.

'It reached such a point of pandemonium that at least one person, John Boynes, was killed in an accident whilst attempting to view the Great Man.'

The church grounds also mark the death of Tobias Furneaux, who was born in North Prospect, then called Swilly. He was the first white man to ever set foot in Tahiti. He was also the first person to ever sail around the world twice in opposite directions.

Napoleon in Plymouth: The facts

From July 26 to August 4, 1815, the 'Fallen Emperor' was held onboard HMS Bellerophon following his defeat at Waterloo.

And while the British Government was deciding his fate, crowds of city residents flocked to the Hoe and out onto the Sound to catch sight of the man they had been fighting for some 22 years.

Napoleon Bonaparte was held in Plymouth onboard HMS Bellerophon  from July 26 to August 4, 1815 following his defeat at Waterloo while the government decided his fate.

Thousands of people from Plymouth and much further afield came to try to catch sight of the 'Fallen Emperor'; a man the British had been fighting for some 22 years. He was sent into exile on the South Atlantic Island of St Helena.

John's death will always be remembered
John's death will always be remembered

Napoleon and the Bellerophon left Plymouth Sound and he was transferred to HMS Northumberland for the long voyage south.

On his departure, the French emperor supposedly called the Breakwater "a grand thing". He died on 5 May 1821, in exile, on St Helena.

The island was uninhabited when discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, and it is one of the most remote islands in the world.

In 2015 a small monument was erected on Madeira Road as a lasting reminder of his 10-day stay.

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The piece of stone came all the way from the South Atlantic Island of St Helena, where Napoleon was imprisoned following his exile.

It was embedded in granite from Dartmoor prison – where thousands French prisoners were held during the Napoleonic wars – and was unveiled by Alain Sibiril, Honorary Consul of France.

The stone bears the inscription 'May our hearts be open to friendship and our arms reach across the sea to unite our two nations is inscribed on the plaque,' written by Mrs Melisande Fitzsimons, a French poet living in Plymouth.