Sir Edward Thornbrough | |
|---|---|
%2c_by_Samuel_Lane.jpg) Admiral Edward Thornborough (Samuel Lane, 1821) | |
| Born | 27 July 1754 |
| Died | 3 April 1834 (aged 79) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1761 to 1818 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | The Downs Cork Station Portsmouth Command |
| Battles / wars |
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| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
AdmiralSir Edward Thornbrough,GCB (27 July 1754 – 3 April 1834) was a senior, long-serving veteran officer of the BritishRoyal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. He saw action in theAmerican Revolutionary War, theFrench Revolutionary Wars and theNapoleonic Wars, being wounded several times and once captured by American forces after a shipwreck. During the wreck, his conduct towards American prisoners aboard his ship was considered so exemplary that the American authorities later released him without parole or exchange.
During the later conflict, Thornbrough won praise for taking his frigate into the thick of the action at theGlorious First of June, towing the shatteredHMSBellerophon to safety after she was isolated by several Frenchships of the line. Later, Thornbrough became a senior admiral in both theChannel Fleet and theMediterranean Fleet underCuthbert Collingwood, who held him in high esteem. He retired in 1818 and settled inDevon with his third wife, dying in 1834.
Thornbrough was born in 1754, the son of Commander Edward and Mary Thornbrough. With a father in the Navy, young Edward's career was destined, especially given his close proximity in his early life to the sea; he was born on Plymouth Dock. Thornbrough joined his father at sea in 1761, as captain's servant onHMSArrogant, and spent two years in theMediterranean becoming used to the sea. Aged nine in 1763, he attended school whilst being on the books ofHMSFirm. He returned to the sea in 1768 aboardHMSTemeraire with his father. The ship was commanded by Edward Le Cras. Thornbrough would later marry two of Le Cras's daughters.[1]
Temeraire wasguardship atPortsmouth, and in the time of peace this was a monotonous duty. Thornbrough therefore moved around several ships to broaden his education, traveling toGibraltar and spending time onHMSAlbion. He moved toHMSCaptain with his father and in 1771 they sailed forBoston. For two more years the ship acted as guardship in the American port and also provided a floating headquarters for AdmiralJohn Montagu. Thornbrough performed a brief independent cruise inHMSCruizer, but the service was otherwise uneventful and he returned to Britain withCaptain in 1774.[1]
In 1775, at the outbreak of theAmerican Revolutionary War, Thornbrough returned to North America in the sloopHMSFalcon as second in command.Falcon participated in the bombardment of rebel positions during theBattle of Bunker Hill, and in August Thornbrough was badly wounded in a failed attempt to seize an American schooner fromCape Ann harbour.[1] Invalided to Britain, Thornbrough recovered in 1776 and joined the frigateHMSRichmond off the Eastern Seaboard. In 1779 he was transferred toHMSGarland and escorted a convoy toNewfoundland. Returning to Europe in 1780, Thornbrough joined the frigateHMSFlora and in her participated in the capture of theFrench frigateNymphe after a long and bloody action.[1]
As consequence of his part in this engagement, Thornbrough was promoted tocommander and took over the hired vessel HMSBritannia escorting a convoy toNew York City. On arrival, Thornbrough was again promoted topost captain and took over captaincy of the frigateHMSBlonde. In 1782,Blonde captured an American brig and attempted to tow her toHalifax, Nova Scotia. During the operation the ship became lost in fog andBlonde was wrecked on a rocky islet whilst the brig continued to Halifax. On the islet, Thornbrough made sure that the American prisoners from the brig were given the same standards of treatment as the British sailors.[1] When the survivors were rescued by two American ships a few days later, the American authorities were so impressed with his behaviour that they conveyed him to New York and released him without conditions as a reward.[1] Returning to Britain, Thornbrough was to be given theship of the lineHMSEgmont, but the end of the war prevented this.[1]
The ten years of peace following the American war resulted in many officers entering semi-retirement onhalf-pay. Thornbrough however was given the prize frigateHMSHebe and hadPrince William Henry on board as a lieutenant. Although the Prince was a notoriously difficult officer to serve alongside, Thornbrough became friends with his subordinate, whose patronage would help him with his future career.[1] Thornbrough married Ann Le Cras in 1784, and Prince William requested that their first son was to be named after him.[1] The son would later become Lieutenant William Henry Thornbrough, but died in 1798 aged 14. The couple would also have another son, Edward Le Cras Thornbrough,[2] who became an admiral and four daughters. Also in 1784, Thornbrough's father died. In 1790 during theSpanish armament, Thornbrough briefly took overHMSScipio.[1]
At the outbreak of theFrench Revolutionary Wars, Thornbrough requested and received command of the frigateHMSLatona. In November 1793, Thornbrough engaged several French ships of the line in a vain attempt to delay them until British warships could arrive to challenge them. In May 1794,Latona was a scout for theChannel Fleet underLord Howe during theAtlantic campaign of May 1794. The campaign resulted in theGlorious First of June, whenLatona was initially used as a repeating ship to relay Howe's signals down the British line. Later in the action however, Thornbrough was called on to take his relatively diminutive ship through the battle lines to rescue the shatteredHMSBellerophon which was being pounded by several large French ships.Latona not only reachedBellerophon, but then drove off the French battleships with her small broadsides and took the dismastedBellerophon in tow to safety, all without suffering a casualty.[1]
Thornbrough then took command of the ship of the lineHMSRobust with the Channel Fleet, participated in the ill-fated 1795 invasion ofQuiberon Bay with French Royalist forces. The operation was a failure andRobust was also engaged in its desperate evacuation. Three years later, Thornbrough participated in another invasion, this time thwarting a French attempt to land troops inIreland. At theBattle of Donegal, SirJohn Borlase Warren's squadron, includingRobust, destroyed a French troops convoy offTory Island to the north of Ireland. As reward, Thornbrough was given the thanks of parliament and took over the 90-gunHMSFormidable, flagship ofSir Charles Cotton.Formidable then entered the Mediterranean and spent several months searching for an elusive enemy fleet.[1]
In 1801, Thornbrough became arear-admiral and commanded the inshore squadron offBrest in his flagshipHMSMars. In 1801 his first wife died and a year later, Thornbrough married Elizabeth Jeynes ofBristol.[1] With the renewal of war in 1803, Thornbrough was given command ofThe Downs underViscount Keith[3] and later was fleet captain toLord Gardner. In 1805 he was inHMSKent on his way to joinNelson's fleet offCadiz when he heard of theBattle of Trafalgar.[1] That year he was promoted to vice-admiral and led the independent blockade ofRochefort and later a squadron in theEnglish Channel fromHMSPrince of Wales.
A period of ill-health required a brief shore leave in 1807, but he was soon back at sea, inHMSRoyal Sovereign. For the next three years he was second in command toLord Collingwood in the Mediterranean but returned to Britain in December 1809 due to ill-health shortly before his commander's death. Both Collingwood andEarl St Vincent admired his spirit, professional skill and bravery, but the latter considered that Thornbrough was too indecisive to make a good fleet commander.[1]
From 1810 until 1813, Thornbrough busied himself in command of theCork Station. In 1813 he again briefly retired as a full admiral and in 1815 was made aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath in recognition of his long service. In 1813 his second wife had died and again he remarried less than a year later, to Frances Le Cras, younger sister of his first wife. Between 1815 and 1818, Thornbrough served asCommander-in-Chief, Portsmouth[4] and he retired for good in 1818 after just under 50 years of service in the Navy, an exceptionally long career.[1]
Thornbrough lived the rest of his life at Bishopsteignton Lodge inDevon. In 1825 he was made a Knight Grand Cross. He was however active in naval circles and becameVice-Admiral of the United Kingdom andLieutenant of the Admiralty in 1833 during his retirement. He died at home in 1834.[1]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, The Downs 1803 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Cork Station 1810–1813 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth 1815–1818 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1833–1834 | Succeeded by |