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John Cinnamon is the orphaned son of Malcolm Stubbs and a Native American woman. Upon his father's departure to England, and with his mother dead of the smallpox, the boy was purchased from his grandmother by Lord John Grey, who gave him the name John Cinnamon.

Personal History[]

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Lord John Series[]

The Custom of the Army[]

John Cinnamon is an infant in 1759 when Lord John Grey discovers his existence. The baby has dark eyes like his Indian mother, but curly hair that can leave his paternity in no doubt. Malcolm Stubbs, who is married to Lord John's cousin Olivia, took up with the Indian woman and had a child with her.

Stubbs is seriously injured during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and is shipped home to England. Meanwhile, his mother dies of smallpox, and his grandmother sells him to Lord John Grey for "two golden guineas, a brightly colored blanket, a pound of sugar, and a small keg of rum."[2] Lord John leaves him in the care of Father LeCarré at a French mission in Quebec City, bestowing on him the name John Cinnamon, for the color of his hair. Lord John also arranges for the priest to send him word of the boy's welfare each year, with a lock of the boy's hair, and in return he, Lord John, will send five pounds for the boy's maintenance.

Outlander Series[]

An Echo in the Bone[]

John Cinnamon is described in passing, though not named explicitly, in a letter from William Ransom to Lord John Grey. William describes a man of "mixed blood" who has "a most remarkable Head of Hair, thick and curly as Sheep's Wool and the color of Cinnamon Bark".[3]

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone[]

The following contains spoilers from an unpublished work – read at your own risk.

John Cinnamon meets William Ransom at Mount Josiah plantation, and accompanies William on his search for Lord John.[4][5][6] The two remain together until the former receives a letter from his father requesting him to come to London. Malcolm Stubbs informs him that his mother named him Michel.

Personality[]

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Physical Appearance[]

Described as being a couple inches shorter than William but also a couple inches broader being large and very muscular having exuberant curls, when allowed to be more than a few inches long, with a distinctive deep reddish-brown color which his last name had been derived from.[4]

Name[]

  • John is the English form of Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name Ιωαννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan) meaning "YAHWEH is gracious".[7]
  • Cinnamon is simply from the English word cinnamon for the spice. It derives from Latin cinnamum, cinnamomum "cinnamon", which was used as a term of endearment.[8]

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. Age as of the end of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.
  2. "The Custom of the Army"
  3. Chapter 24, An Echo in the Bone
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Mount Josiah" – excerpt from Book Nine via DianaGabaldon.com
  5. "Carpe Diem" – excerpt from Book Nine via DianaGabaldon.com
  6. "Inquiries" – excerpt from Book Nine via Diana Gabaldon's Facebook page
  7. Behind the Name: John – accessed 19 June 2014
  8. Behind the Name: Cinnamon - accessed 30 June 2016
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