A research seminar presented at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth on the 14th of May 2014 by Lorna M. Campbell and Heather Noel Smith

1. “…faithful and attached companions…”
Sir Edward Pellew and the young gentlemen of
HMS Indefatigable
By
Heather Noel-Smith
and
Lorna M. Campbell
National Museum of the Royal Navy Seminar Series, 14th May 2014

2. The Action between H.M. Frigates Indefatigable and Amazon and the French Droits de L'Homme off
Ushant, 13th January 1797 by Derek G. M. Gardner, CC BY lorna.m.campbell@ilcoud.com.

3. “We then much to
our astonishment
saw her to be a line
of battle which of
course surprised us
but as we had begun
then we must go
through with it.”
-Nicholas Pateshall
Nicholas Lechmere Pateshall,
circle of Domenico Pellegrini, ©
Sotheby’s.

4. “We then went at
her again like bull
dogs ...”
-Nicholas Pateshall
Nicholas Lechmere Pateshall,
circle of Domenico Pellegrini, ©
Sotheby’s.

5. “...every creature was too
earnestly and too hardily at
work to attend exactly to
the run of the ship…the
sea was high, the people on
the main deck were up to
their middles in water, some
guns broke their breechings
four times …all our masts
were much wounded, and
the maintop mast
completely unrigg'd, and
saved only by uncommon
alacrity.”
- Edward Pellew
Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth,
by James Northcote, © National
Portrait Gallery.

6. “…the men fought
half way up their
legs in water,
cheering and
inspiring courage to
all around by their
own animated
gallant example.”
- Robert Carthew
Reynolds
Robert Carthew Reynolds by John
Buncombe © Christie’s.

7. “…wherever a
man fell, ten
sprang up to take
his place.”
- Jean Baptiste
Raymond de
Lacrosse
Jean Baptiste Raymond de Lacrosse
by Antoine Maurin. Public
domain image.

8. Destruction of the Droits de L’Homme by Ebenezer Colls, © National Maritime Museum.

9. The Droits de L’Homme by James Lynn, © Bonhams .

10. “... the enemy, who
had so bravely
defended herself,
lying on her
broadside, and a
tremendous surf
beating over her.”
- Edward Pellew
Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth,
by James Northcote, © National
Portrait Gallery.

11. Le Vaisseau Le Droits de L’Homme, from La France Maritime by Amedee Grehan.

12. “... a gale of wind – a
dead lee shore, and an
enemy’s at that – a
crippled ship – an
exhausted crew and the
Penmark Rocks, that
dread of seamen, to be
weathered – these were
the difficulties which
presented themselves to
Pellew as the day
dawned.”
- Edward Hawke Locker
Edward Hawke Locker by Henry
Wyndham Philips © Royal
Museums Greenwich.

13. Destruction of Le Droits de L’Homme by I Brydon, © Royal Museums Greenwich.

14. “... at eleven A.M.
we made the
breakers, and, by the
blessing of
God, weather’d the
Penmark Rocks
about half a mile.”
- Edward Pellew
Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth,
by James Northcote, © National
Portrait Gallery.

15. Vaisseau Droits de l’Homme by Leopold le Guen, public domain image.

16. London Standard, 1848
Lloyds Weekly London
Newspaper
5 November, 1854

17. Pellew Papers, Devon Archives, CC BY lorna.m.campbell@icloud.com.

18. Sir Edward Pellew, private collection.
Captain Sir
Edward Pellew,
later, Admiral Lord
Exmouth.

19. HMS Indefatigable Joining the Western Squadron by J.T. Serres, 1800, © Christies.

20. George John, 2nd
Earl Spencer.
First Lord of the
Admiralty,
1794 - 1801
George John, 2nd Earl Spencer,
by John Singleton Copely,
© National Portrait Gallery.

21. Pellew to Spencer, 28 February 1799, © The National Archives.

22. “Is it fair then to presume Sir EP has no
sensibility, no attachment, no feeling, that his
heart must be adamant, that he can part from
faithful, and attached Companions, grown
from boys to manhood under him, without a
sorrowful Countenance, or a Moistened Eye.
He grants it may be thought so. But he begs
to assert the Contrary”
- Sir Edward Pellew to Lord Spencer

23. The Droits de L’Homme Engagement
Muster table of His Majesty’s Ship the Indefatigable between 1st January and 28th February 1797, CC
BY lorna.m.campbell@icloud.com.

24. Age in 1797

25. Fleetwood
Pellew
Fleetwood Pellew, by George Chinnery,
© Royal Museums Greenwich.

26. First ships
Nymphe
1793 - 1794
Arethusa
1794 - 1795
Indefatigable
1795 - 1799
George Chace Thomas Groube James Bray
Philip Frowd William Kempthorne Richard Broughton
John Gaze John McKerlie George Cadogan
Pownoll Pellew John Thomson Jeremiah Coghlan
Robert Reynolds George Tippett John Harry
William Warden Henry Hart
Alex McVicar
Nicholas Pateshall
Fleetwood Pellew

27. Place of
birth

29. The Western Squadron leaving Falmouth by Derek G M Gardner, © Bonhams.

30. Friends & Patrons
• Richard Broughton
• George Cadogan
• William Kempthorne
• Robert Reynolds
• John Thomson
• William Warden
Family
• Philip Frowd
• Pownoll Pellew
• Fleetwood Pellew
Silhouette of Captain Pellew, later
Viscount Exmouth, by William
Wellings,

31. Background and family circumstances
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
aristocracy mercantile craftsmen professional packet captain country gentry royal or
merchant
marine

32. “Mr Pateshall”
Mr Pateshall, © Herefordshire Archives.

33. Admiral Sir
Edward
Pellew
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount
Exmouth, by William Owen, © Royal
Museums Greenwich.

34. Annotations to Osler’s Life of Admiral Lord Exmouth, private collection.
“Capt Bell and Capt Thomas Groube were
both taken from a West Indiaman. Capts
Gaze and McVicar the same (merchant
vessels).”
- Fleetwood Pellew

35. A British Vessel Taking a Prize, by E.B. Eagles, 1805 © Royal Museums Greenwich.

37. Naval General Servic
Naval General
Service Medal
role, © The
National
Archives.

38. Broughton
court martial
Broughton Court Martial, © The National
Archives.

39. Kempthorne
court martial
Kempthorne Court Martial, © The National
Archives.

40. “The navy has lost its brightest jewel,
you and your family the best of
husbands and fathers, a wide circle of us
a matchless friend and the country a stay
and defender.”
- William Kempthorne to Fleetwood Pellew

41. George, 3rd Earl Cadogan by Sir Francis
Grant, © Haggerston Press.
The Honorable
George
Cadogan

42. George, 3rd Earl
Cadogan
Admiral Cadogan, courtesy of Paul
Frecker, http://www.paulfrecker.com/

43. Robert
Carthew
Reynolds
From Picturesque Views of Diamond
Rock by Joseph Constantine
Stadler, © Royal Museums
Greenwich

45. Kingston and Port Royal from Windsor Farm by James Hakewill, © The British Library.

46. A new map of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland &c. from the latest authorities, 1807, by John Cary, © David
Rumsey Map Collection.

47. South Park Road Cemetery, © Madhu, http://theurgetowander.com/

48. The Battle of Trafalgar by C. F. Stanfield, public domain image.

49. The Bombardment of Algiers, by George Chambers, 1836, © Royal Museums Greenwich.

50. Sheerness Yard from the window of the Fountain Inn by Henry Moses, 1824, © Royal Museums Greenwich.

51. Nicholas
Lechmere
Pateshall
Nicholas Lechmere Pateshall,
circle of Domenico Pellegrini, ©
Sotheby’s.

52. Muskat Harbour from the Fisher-mens Rock, by Lt R. Temple, 1813 , © Royal Museums Greenwich.

53. The Charts and Plans Referred to in the Report from the Committee Appointed to Examine into Mr
Telford’s Report and Survey, 15th June 1809.

54. HMS Vernon in a trail of sailing with the Experimental Squadron, unknown artist, © Royal Museums
Greenwich.

55. The Repertory of Patent Inventions, Vol XIII, January – June 1849. London.

57. Leith Pier and Harbour by J Waddell, © Peter Stubbs, www.edinphoto.org.uk, used with permission.

58. Houses of Parliament Westminster, Thomas Rowlandson, 1808, public domain image.

59. The Anti-Corn-Law Bazaar, Theatre Royal Manchester, 1842, © West Sussex County Council.

60. Marine Society Trading Card, 1818, © British Museum.

61. Yard of Probationary House of the London Female Mission, © NMRC, English Heritage.

62. The Antiquarian Society by George Cruikshank, 1812, © The British Museum.

63. Nelson’s Column under construction by W.H.F. Talbot, © National Media Museum.

64. Captain Sir Edward Pellew, later 1st
Viscount Exmouth by Thomas
Lawrence, © Royal Museums
Greenwich.
Captain Sir
Edward
Pellew.

65. “My dear Fleetwood the will of God be done.
You have lost the best of Father’s and I the most
generous and kindest of friends that ever
lived…..I will mourn in solemn silence the man
who has ever been most dear to my heart….. He
will find his reward in heaven whither his great
spirit is flown. I never saw his equal not can I
expect ever to look on his like again.”
- Jeremiah Coghlan to Fleetwood Pellew

66. “While I had life my heart was deeply
impressed by your multiple kindnesses.”
- William Kempthorne

67. Captain Jeremiah
Coghlan,
“Intrepid Jerry”
Captain Jeremiah Coghlan by John Miers and
John Field, © Royal Museums Greenwich.

68. The Wreck of the East Indiaman Dutton in Plymouth Sound, 26 January 1796 by Thomas Luny © Royal
Museums Greenwich.

69. Admiral Sir
John Jervis,
Earl St Vincent
Admiral John Jervis (1735–1823), Earl
St Vincent by William Beechy ©
City of London Corporation.

70. Sword inscription © Peter Finer.

71. © Peter Finer.
Sabre presented to
the Intrepid
Coughlan.
Acting-Lieutenant
Jeremiah Coghlan of
HMS Viper by Admiral
The Earl St Vincent.

72. Blockade of Toulon, 1810-1814: Pellew's action, 5 November 1813 by Thomas Luny, © Royal Museums
Greenwich.

73. Panorama in 360º of Rio de Janeiro, looking North-east, 1826 by William John Burchell © Collection
Museum Africa, Johannesburg.

74. PCC Wills PROB 11: 2910, Will of Jeremiah Coghlan

75. The Hampshire Advertiser, Saturday, March 30, 1844.

77. Further Information
• Indefatigable1797.wordpress.com
– http://indefatigable1797.wordpress.com
• Heather Noel-Smith
– Heather.noel-smith@sky.com
• Lorna M. Campbell
– Lorna.m.campbell@icloud.com