The Viscount Exmouth | |
|---|---|
 1804 portrait of Exmouth byJames Northcote | |
| Born | (1757-04-19)19 April 1757 Dover, England |
| Died | 23 January 1833(1833-01-23) (aged 75) |
| Allegiance | Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1770–1820 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Mediterranean Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth |
| Battles / wars | American War of Independence French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars Second Barbary War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
| Relations | Israel Pellew(brother) |
AdmiralEdward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth,GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was aRoyal Navy officer and politician. He fought during theAmerican War of Independence, theFrench Revolutionary Wars, and theNapoleonic Wars. His younger brotherIsrael Pellew also pursued a naval career.
Pellew was born atDover, the second son of Samuel Pellew (1712–1764), commander of a Doverpacket,[1] and his wife, Constantia Langford.[2]
The Pellew family wasCornish, descended from a family that came originally fromNormandy, but had for many centuries been settled in the west ofCornwall. Edward's grandfather, Humphrey Pellew (1650–1721), a merchant and ship owner, son of a naval officer, resided at Flushing manor-house in the parish of Mylor. Part of the town ofFlushing was built by Samuel Trefusis, MP forPenryn; the other part was built by Humphrey Pellew, who was buried there. He also had a property and a tobacco plantation inMaryland. Part of the town ofAnnapolis stands on what was, before the American Revolution, the estate of the Pellews.[citation needed]
On the death of Edward's father in 1764 the family removed toPenzance, and Pellew was educated for some years atTruro Grammar School.[1][3] He was a pugnacious youth, which did not endear him to his headmaster. He ran away to sea at the age of 14, but soon deserted because of unfair treatment to another midshipman. Pellew described himself as "pock-marked, ugly, uninteresting and uneducated"; a naval historian adds that he was "tough, brave, skilful, lucky, and unscrupulous".[4]
In 1770, Pellew entered theRoyal Navy on boardHMS Juno[1] with CaptainJohn Stott, and made a voyage to theFalkland Islands. In 1772, he followed Stott toHMS Alarm and in her was in the Mediterranean for three years. In consequence of a high-spirited quarrel with his captain, he was put on shore atMarseille where he found an old friend of his father's in command of a merchant ship. He was able to get a passage toLisbon and so home.
He was later inHMS Blonde, under the command of CaptainPhilemon Pownoll, which took GeneralJohn Burgoyne to America in the spring of 1776. In October, Pellew andmidshipman Brown were detached for service in theCarleton tender onLake Champlain, under LieutenantDacres. During theBattle of Valcour Island on 11 October, Dacres and Brown were both severely wounded, and the command devolved on Pellew. Pellew extricated the vessel from a position of great danger by his personal gallantry. As a reward for his service, he was immediately appointed to command theCarleton. In December, Lord Howe promised him a commission as lieutenant when he could reach New York, and in the following JanuaryLord Sandwich wrote promising to promote him when he came to England. In the summer of 1777, Pellew and a small party of seamen were attached to the army under Burgoyne, and he was present in thefighting at Saratoga,[1] where his youngest brother John was killed. He and the rest of the force were taken prisoner. After the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga, he was repatriated.
He returned to England and was promoted on 9 January 1778 to be lieutenant of thePrincess Amelia guardship atPortsmouth. He wanted to be appointed to a seagoing ship, but Lord Sandwich considered that he was bound by the terms of the surrender at Saratoga not to undertake any active service. Towards the end of the year, he was appointed to theLicorne which went out toNewfoundland in the spring of 1779, returning in the winter, when Pellew was moved into theApollo with his old captain Pownoll. On 15 June 1780, theApolloengaged a large French privateer, theStanislaus, offOstend. Pownoll was killed alongside 5 crewmen but Pellew continued the action and dismasted theStanislaus, driving her on shore where she was protected by the neutrality of the coast. On the 18th, Lord Sandwich wrote to him: "I will not delay informing you that I mean to give you immediate promotion as a reward for your gallant and officer-like conduct."[5] On 1 July, he was accordingly promoted to the command of the sloopHazard, which was employed for the next six months on the east coast ofScotland and was then paid off.
In March 1782 Pellew was appointed to thePelican,[1] a small French prize, so small indeed that he used to say "his servant could dress his hair from the deck while he sat in the cabin."[citation needed] On 28 April while cruising on the coast ofBrittany, he engaged threeprivateers and drove them on shore. In special reward for this service, he was promoted to post rank on 25 May[1] and, ten days later, was appointed to the temporary command of theArtois,[1] in which he captured a large frigate-built privateer on 1 July.
From 1786 to 1789, he commanded the frigateWinchelsea under theCommander-in-Chief, Newfoundland,[1] returning home each winter byCádiz andLisbon. Afterwards, he commanded theSalisbury on the same station as flag-captain to Vice-AdmiralMilbanke. In 1791, he was placed on half-pay and tried his hand at farming on Treverry Farm near Helston, a property owned by his brother who was a senior customs officer of Flushing. This met with indifferent success, during which time he attempted to sell a bull, only to find that it was in the ownership of a neighbouring farmer.
The Russians offered him a command in the Russian navy but Pellew declined the offer. He was still struggling with the difficulties of his farm when the revolutionary government of France declared war on Great Britain on 1 February 1793.
Pellew immediately applied for a ship and was appointed to theNymphe, a 36-gun frigate which he fitted out in a remarkably short time. He had expected a good deal of difficulty in manning her and had enlisted some 80 Cornish miners who were sent round to the ship atSpithead. He put to sea with these and about a dozen seamen, plus officers who were obliged to help in the work aloft. He filled his complement of crew by pressing from the merchant ships in the Channel, but with very few seasoned navy men. On 18 June,Nymphe sailed fromFalmouth on the news that two French frigates had been seen in the Channel.
At theaction of 18 June 1793,Nymphe fell in with theCléopâtre, also of 36 guns and commanded by Captain Jean Mullon, one of the few officers of theancien régime who still remained in the French navy. After a short but very sharp action,Cléopâtre's mizzenmast and wheel were shot away, making the ship unmanageable, and it fell foul of theNymphe. Pellew's crew boarded her in a fierce rush and captured her. Mullon was mortally wounded, and died trying to swallow his commission, which in his dying agony he had mistaken for the code of secret signals. The code thus fell intact into Pellew's hands, and was forwarded to theAdmiralty.Cléopâtre was the first frigate taken in the war and was brought toPortsmouth. TheEarl of Chatham presented Pellew to the king on 29 June, and the king knighted him.[1]
Pellew transferred toHMS Arethusa in December 1793. In 1794,Arethusa was part of the western squadron of frigates based at Falmouth under SirJohn Borlase Warren. On 23 April, the squadronengaged a French squadron to the southwest of Guernsey, the stronger British force quickly overpowering their opponents in an action whereArethusa played the primary role in fighting thePomone, at the time the largest frigate in service.Pomone surrendered after an engagement that lasted less than half an hour. The French had suffered between 80 and 100 casualties;Arethusa had only three dead and five wounded. Warren's squadron went on to destroy one frigate and capture another. They also drove ashore the corvettesAlerte andEspion, both of which had been Royal Navy sloops. Pellew refused to burn either ship, as they contained wounded men, and the French later refloatedEspion. The squadron also captured many vessels from French coastal convoys.
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By 1794, he wascommodore of theWestern Squadron. In 1795, he took command ofHMS Indefatigable, the ship with which he is most closely associated. The squadron also comprised the frigatesHMS Argo,HMS Concord,HMS Révolutionnaire, andHMS Amazon.[6]
He was a good swimmer and noted for saving the lives of several seamen who had fallen overboard. The most striking life-saving event was on 26 January 1796 when theEast IndiamanDutton was carrying more than four hundred troops, together with many women and children, when it ran aground underPlymouth Hoe. Due to the heavy seas, the crew and soldiers aboard were unable to get to shore. Pellew swam out to the wreck with a line and, with help from LieutenantJeremiah Coghlan, helped rig a lifeline that saved almost all aboard. For this feat he was created abaronet on 18 March 1796.[7]
On 13 April 1796, off the coasts of Ireland, his squadron captured the French frigateUnité, and theVirginie nine days later.
His most noted action was theaction of 13 January 1797, cruising in company withHMS Amazon, when the British sighted the French 74-gunship of the lineDroits de l'Homme. Normally, a ship of the line would over-match twofrigates, but theIndefatigable was a razée (built as a 3rd rate 64-gun ship of the line and then cut down), the stormy conditions limited the use of the lower gun deck on the French ship and by skillful sailing in the stormy conditions, the frigates avoided bearing the brunt of the superior firepower of the French. In the early morning of 14 January, the three ships were embayed on a lee shore inAudierne Bay. Both theDroits de l'Homme andAmazon ran aground, butIndefatigable managed to claw her way off thelee shore to safety.[1]
Pellew was also responsible forpressing young violinist and composerJoseph Antonio Emidy, who had been playing in the Lisbon Opera orchestra.[8]
Pellew was promoted to rear admiral in 1804. He was then appointedCommander-in-Chief, East Indies. It took six months to sail out toPenang, so he took up the appointment in 1805.
When in February 1808 Pellew was at sea in his flagship,HMS Culloden, he heard of the outbreak of war between the United Kingdom and Denmark. He immediately sailed to the Danish settlement atTranquebar, taking it by surprise. When AdmiralDrury arrived to replace Pellew as C-in-C, East Indies, and to seize Tranquebar, he found that he was too late. Pellew's seizing the moment gained him some £40,000–50,000 inprize money.[9]
Following his return from the east in 1809, he was appointed to the position ofCommander-in-Chief, North Sea from 1810 to 1811[10] andCommander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, from 1811 to 1814,[1] and again from 1815 to 1816.[11]
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In 1814, he was madeBaron Exmouth of Canonteign. In 1816, he led an Anglo-Dutch fleet against theBarbary states. Victory at theBombardment of Algiers secured the release of the 1,200 Christian slaves in the city.[1] For this action, he was created 1stViscount Exmouth on 10 December 1816.[1] Following his return to England, he becameCommander-in-Chief, Plymouth from 1817 to 1821,[12] when he effectively retired from active service. He continued to attend and speak in theHouse of Lords. In 1832, he was appointedVice-Admiral of the United Kingdom and Admiral of the Red Squadron of His Majesty's Fleet, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, also of the Royal and distinguishedOrder of Charles III of Spain, of theMilitary Order of William of the Netherlands, of theRoyal Sicilian Order of St. Ferdinand and Merit, of theOrder of St Maurice and St Lazarus of Sardinia, Knight of the Most Honourable and Most AncientOrder of the Annunziata of theRoyal House of Savoy, High Steward of Great Yarmouth, and one of the Elder Brethren of the Hon.Corporation of the Trinity House.
He bought Bitton House inTeignmouth in 1812 and it was his home until his death in 1833. He was buried inChristow on the eastern edge of Dartmoor on 30 Jan 1833. A note on the parish burial record states, "No Singing, No Sermon". The museum in Teignmouth has a comprehensive collection of artefacts that belonged to him.[13]
On 28 May 1783, Pellew marriedSusan Frowde.[1] They had four sons and two daughters. These children were:[14]
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TheSir Edward Pellew Group of Islands situated in theGulf of Carpentaria were named after Pellew byMatthew Flinders, who visited them in 1802. Other Australian geographical features includeCape Pellew (adjacent to the islands) andExmouth Gulf.
Point Pellew, Alaska was named after Pellew by CaptainGeorge Vancouver during his expedition in 1794.[16]
Palau (formerly the Pellew or Pelew Islands), east of thePhilippines, is often said to be named for Edward Pellew, but it was called that by Captain Henry Wilson in 1783 which was well before Pellew came to prominence. It appears to be ananglicization of the indigenous name Belau.
There is also a building named after him inHMS Raleigh, where Naval basic training is conducted, that is used as sleeping quarters for new recruits. Additionally, a Sea Cadet Unit in Truro is called T.S.Pellew.
A building atWyvern Barracks in Exeter, Devon is used as a temporary billet and a training facility for the Army Cadet force as well as other units. It was handed over to the army from the navy. However, it retains the name Pellew House in memory of Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth.
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Pellew is featured as the Captain ofIndefatigable in some ofC. S. Forester's fictionalHoratio Hornblower novels. In thetelevision adaptations, he is portrayed byRobert Lindsay and given a more prominent role. He appears as a midshipman in the novelJack Absolute byChris Humphreys. Pellew is the name of a minor character in several ofPatrick O'Brian'sAubrey–Maturin novels, includingThe Reverse of the Medal andThe Surgeon's Mate.
He has a small role as a captain in the American Revolution inRabble in Arms, a historical novel byKenneth Roberts. He appears inAlexander Kent'sAdam Bolitho novelRelentless Pursuit, which partially relates to Pellew's expedition against the Barbary States. He also appears in the twenty-second Thomas Kydd novel,To The Eastern Seas by Julian Stockwin.
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBarnstaple 1802–1804 With:William Devaynes | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station (jointly withThomas Troubridge) 1804–1809 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, North Sea 1810–1811 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet 1811–1814 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet 1815–1816 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth 1817–1821 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1832–1833 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Viscount Exmouth 1816–1833 | Succeeded by |
| Baron Exmouth 1814–1833 | ||
| Baronetage of Great Britain | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Treverry) 1796–1833 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
