Edward Ellicott (29 May 1768 – 24 January 1847)
was an English naval officer who attained the rank of
rear admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...
and was active in the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Pruss ...
and
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
Career
Ellicott entered the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
in 1781 as first-class volunteer, serving on board the ''Mackworth'' in the
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915.
History
Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...
. He became a
midshipman
A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Af ...
in 1783, serving on a number of ships, and was promoted to
acting lieutenant in 1793. In that year he commanded the cutter ''Penelope'' and in the following he was promoted to lieutenant in the ''
Eurydice
Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music.
Etymology
Several meanings for the name ...
'' under Captain Francis Cole.
[ He accompanied Cole into the frigate '' Révolutionnaire'' as first lieutenant and participated in the capture of the French frigate '' Unité'' on 13 April 1796. Under instruction from Sir Edward Pellew, Ellicott commanded the captured vessel to England. Cole cited him "for his very particular attention in keeping sight of the chase, and for his steady and manly conduct when close engaged."
In February 1797, under Lord Bridport, Ellicott assisted at the victory off Cape St. Vincent, Portugal.] He was lauded for his intrepid conduct during the mutiny in the Channel Fleet that same year. In June he assumed the rank of commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...
.[ While on board the ''Perseus'' he was severely wounded in an engagement.][ In 1801 he served under ]Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
in the latter's failed attempt to destroy a French flotilla in the port of Boulogne.[ Ellicott was continually in service under leading admirals, including John MacBride, ]Sir Richard Strachan
Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB (27 October 1760 – 3 February 1828) was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of admiral. Sir Dicky, as his friends ...
and George Palmer.[
In 1804, Ellicott was posted to the ]North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
, taking charge of the bomb vessel
A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannons (long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but mortars moun ...
''Explosion''.[ On 10 September 1807, while under his command, the ''Explosion'' was wrecked off the coast of ]Heligoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...
.[ A ]court-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of mem ...
found the loss of the ship to have been caused by the ignorance of the pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
, acquitting Ellicott but recommending that he not "place such unlimited confidence in the abilities of his pilots in future." Immediately afterwards he was appointed to command the frigate '' Hebe'',[ assisting at the bombardment of Copenhagen,][ finding himself in a hurricane while in port at ]Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coas ...
, and protecting convoys between Orkney and Sweden.[ For his eminent services in the Baltic, the King of Sweden decorated him with the order of the Knight of the Sword of Sweden.][ He obtained his post-captaincy in 1812][ during his command of the ''Hebe'', and in 1846 was promoted to the rank of retired rear admiral.][ Upon retirement, he drew a pension from the Navy as a Greenwich out-pensioner.
Ellicott lived for many years in Alcombe, Somerset,] and died there in 1847 shortly after retiring.[ He was buried in the churchyard of the ]Priory Church of St George, Dunster
The Priory Church of St George in Dunster, Somerset, England, is predominantly 15th-century with evidence of 12th- and 13th-century work. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
History
The church was started by William de Moyon d ...
.
Family
Edward Ellicott was baptised in Cullompton
Cullompton () is a town and civil parish in the district of Mid Devon and the county of Devon, England. It is north-east of Exeter and lies on the River Culm. In 2011 the parish as a whole had a population of 8,499 while the built-up area of th ...
, Devon, the son of Robert Ellicott.[Cullompton - Baptisms (July 1754 - December 1777). Devon Record Office 2404A/PR4 and 2404A/PR5.] At the age of 53, he married the London-born Ann Prudence Starey (1788–1865) in Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extens ...
on 1 August 1821. They had an only daughter, Elizabeth (1822–1888), who after her father's death wrote the manuscript ''Some Events in the life of the late Rear Adml Ellicott'', as well as writing ''An illustrated history of the county of Somerset''.[ His sister Lucy Ellicott (c. 1785–1807) was married to ]George Caunter
George Caunter (c. June 1758 – 25 December 1811) was a British administrator who governed Prince of Wales Island (Penang Island) as Acting Superintendent from 1797 to 1798 and again from 1798 to 1800. As First Assistant under Lieutenant-Gov ...
, a one-time lieutenant in the Royal Marines
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
who became acting superintendent of Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Ma ...
.[London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: P69/AND1/A/01/Ms 4504/2][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellicott, Edward
Royal Navy rear admirals
1768 births
1847 deaths