'Taboo': The Real History of the Nootka Sound, James Delaney's Contested Land

If you watched the premiere of Tom Hardy’s new miniseries “Taboo” on FX, you might be wondering what that piece of land that everyone’s fighting over is. It’s called Nootka Sound, and it’s an actual place you can visit near Vancouver.

Nootka Sound is a small inlet of land on the western coast of Vancouver Island. It was known as “Mowichat” by the Nuu-chah-luuth, the tribe that has called it home for centuries. The mother of Tom Hardy’s character, James Delaney, on “Taboo” was a member of that tribe. Delaney’s recently deceased father held a land claim on Nootka Sound because of that union, leaving it to Delaney in his will.

Also Read: 16 'Taboo' Main Characters, Ranked by How Dirty They Are (Photos)

While the East India Trading Company’s fight with Delaney for the land on “Taboo” is entirely fictional, there was also a real-life conflict over Nootka Sound back in the 18th century, a few decades before the time in which “Taboo” is set.

In 1790. tensions rose between Britain and Spain as they fought for control of the Pacific Northwest. Nootka Sound was a major point of interest for the same reason East India Trading wanted it on “Taboo.” As a sound, it allowed ships to dock in a safe area of water protected from the open ocean, making it the perfect spot for a coastal trading post that allowed easy access to China.

Having long held a claim on the entire Pacific Northwest, Spain established its first settlement on Vancouver Island, Santa Cruz d Nuca, in 1789. The Spanish settlers, led by Esteban Jose Martinez, began fending off and seizing British ships that entered the area attempting to trade with the locals. The British took exception to Spain’s blanket claim to all that unsettled land and sent warships to Vancouver Island, creating a standoff known as the Nootka Crisis. Britain and Spain nearly started a war over control of the inlet, with Britain calling in Holland for aid. In return, Spain turned to France for help, and King Louis XVI was eager to oblige.

Also Read: 'Taboo': Did Any of That Stuff With the Cornwallis and the East India Company Really Happen?

Unfortunately for him, the French National Assembly challenged his ability to declare war unchecked and began to resent his authority, meaning Nootka Sound, way over on the West Coast of North America, played a role in the run-up to the French Revolution. A few years later, Louis XVI lost his head, and that Revolution began.

Without France’s support, Spain decided against war and in late 1790 negotiated a truce with England called the Nootka Convention, which allowed both countries to settle the Pacific Northwest. The Nootka Convention would be revised twice in the next half-decade to settle further disputes between Britain and Spain.

After the War of 1812 between the Americans and British, Spain abandoned its claim to the Pacific Northwest and handed it over to the U.S. This ended up leading to a dispute with Britain because America wanted sole ownership of the Pacific Northwest — the British cited the Nootka Convention as a counter.

Also Read: All 48 'Game of Thrones' Main Characters, Ranked Worst to Best (Photos)

This conflict didn’t come to much, however, and came two a close in 1846 when the present boundary between the U.S. and Canada was established by the Oregon Treaty.

We get the feeling that James Delaney’s fight over Nootka Sound on “Taboo” won’t end nearly as cleanly as the Nootka Crisis did. This is a dirty, grimy show designed as the antithesis of “Downton Abbey,” “The Young Victoria,” and all those Anglophile nostalgia tales. This is Victorian England at its darkest, and there’s a good chance things won’t end well for James.

16 'Taboo' Main Characters, Ranked by How Dirty They Are (Photos)

"Taboo" is an extremely dirty show. Like, not just in the "trashy subject matter" kind of way but in the "the Prince Regent of England looks like a toad and Tom Hardy bites people's throats out" kind of way. And also in the "these are not good people" kind of way. So we're rating the characters of "Taboo" by dirtiness in all the various kinds of ways, from least to most dirty. (Warning: mild spoilers ahead).
FX
16. George Chichester (Lucian Msamati)
The double whammy of apparently being a legitimately good, upstanding person (the only one on the show, among the adults at least), and also being kempt at all times. Good work, George.
FX
15. Lorna Bow (Jessie Buckley)
She seems generally good, but being an actor who performs on stage in front of the literal unwashed masses gives her a barely visible sheen of grime.
FX
14. Godfrey (Edward Hogg)
Godfrey is the main secretary for the East India Company, so he has to wear relatively clean clothes and probably is expected to not smell like manure most of the time. And then at night he layers on makeup and wears a dress. I can't help but assume this combination of things requires a ton of bathing since he pretty much looks impeccable at all times.
FX
13. Zilpha (Oona Chaplin)
She seems like she takes a bath every single episode, which I imagine makes her physically the cleanest character on the whole show by default. But her demonic sex sessions with her dear half-brother James seems like it could be hygienically and/or spiritually problematic.
FX
12. Zilpha's husband (Jefferson Hall)
He's an angry drunk! He beats his wife! He falls on the ground a lot! Is extremely insecure! Wants to move to Australia! All of this is problematic, but at least he's not usually all that physically dirty. In the grand scheme of this show he's kind of a mundane level of metaphorically dirty.
FX
11. Stuart Strange
Strange doesn't appear to ever go outside, he's extremely rich and I haven't noticed any dirt on his face yet. He's very dirty on the inside, though, since he's the CEO of a globe-spanning corporation in an era without much in the way of regulations.
FX
10. Brace (David Hayman)
We never see him bathe or anything, but he's a housekeeper. That's gotta count for something even if he is also a murderer.
FX
9. Solomon Coop (Jason Watkins)
Ole Solomon is the kind of guy who tells other people to do the torture while he watches instead of doing it himself because he's the only who has to report back to the Prince Regent and for some reason that requires he be physically clean. But he ain't clean. Not on the inside. Now you know the metaphor of this show.
FX
8. Robert (Tom Taylor)
This is a child who makes gunpowder. Meaning he's not clean. But he's also just trying to get by with no vile ulterior motives or whatever, making him the extreme average of this group.
FX
7. Winter (Ruby-May Martinwood)
Is a child who lives in a dirty brothel. We don't presently have words for that kind of dirty.
FX
6. Helga (Franka Potente)
This madame runs the sort of brothel where everybody being dirty is a selling point.
FX
5. Dumbarton (Michael Kelly)
An American doing espionage in London, Dumbarton stages fake cholera outbreaks to hide wherever he's living. Gets muck all over him and he just leaves it there. Wallows in it, really. Though his dirtiness may be strategic in his capacity as a spy, dirt is dirt.
FX
4. Chomondley (Tom Hollander)
I was gonna say something like "he's clean enough to be allowed into classy society parties," but they also let ole Demon Delaney into those. Given that he's a chemist who is constantly hitting on women I'm just going to assume the worst about him.
FX
3. Atticus (Stephen Graham)
The first time we met this guy he was covered in blood and didn't even try to wipe it off his face. He enjoys doing murders, but his complete lack of any moral pretension helps him a little bit.
FX
2. Prince Regent (Mark Gatiss)
He's so physically disgusting it's hard to imagine this character wasn't designed as some kind of metaphor by "Taboo" creator Steven Knight. But when he's onscreen, I'm far too distracted by how gross he is to figure out what the metaphor is supposed to mean.
FX
1. James Delaney (Tom Hardy)
His hygiene is aided by his jaunts into the river, but he's the dirtiest character overall on the show even so because said accidental baths can't cleanse his blackened heart and soul. Also, we can't forget about those demonic sex powers he has.
FX

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Most people in the Tom Hardy FX drama are filthy — either physically, metaphorically, or both

"Taboo" is an extremely dirty show. Like, not just in the "trashy subject matter" kind of way but in the "the Prince Regent of England looks like a toad and Tom Hardy bites people's throats out" kind of way. And also in the "these are not good people" kind of way. So we're rating the characters of "Taboo" by dirtiness in all the various kinds of ways, from least to most dirty. (Warning: mild spoilers ahead).

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16 'Taboo' Main Characters, Ranked by How Dirty They Are (Photos)

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