Edward Thornbrough
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
Sir Edward Thornbrough, GCB (27 July 1754 – 3 April 1834) was a senior, long-serving veteran officer of the British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. He saw action in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
and the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, 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 the
Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was fought on 1 June 1794 between the British and French navies during the War of the First Coalition. It was the first and largest fleet a ...
, towing the shattered HMS ''Bellerophon'' to safety after she was isolated by several French
ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...
. Later, Thornbrough became a senior admiral in both 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 th ...
and the Mediterranean Fleet under
Cuthbert Collingwood Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood (26 September 1748 – 7 March 1810) was an admiral of the Royal Navy. Collingwood was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and later lived in Morpeth, Northumberland. He entered the Royal Navy at ...
, who held him in high esteem. He retired in 1818 and settled in
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
with his third wife, dying in 1834.


Early career

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 on HMS ''Arrogant'', and spent two years in the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
becoming used to the sea. Aged nine in 1763, he attended school whilst being on the books of HMS ''Firm''. He returned to the sea in 1768 aboard HMS ''Temeraire'' with his father. The ship was commanded by Edward Le Cras. Thornbrough would later marry two of Le Cras's daughters. ''Temeraire'' was guardship at
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, and in the time of peace this was a monotonous duty. Thornbrough therefore moved around several ships to broaden his education, traveling to
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
and spending time on HMS ''Albion''. He moved to HMS ''Captain'' with his father and in 1771 they sailed for
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. For two more years the ship acted as guardship in the American port and also provided a floating headquarters for Admiral John Montagu. Thornbrough performed a brief independent cruise in HMS ''Cruizer'', but the service was otherwise uneventful and he returned to Britain with ''Captain'' in 1774.


American Revolutionary War

In 1775, at the outbreak of the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, Thornbrough returned to North America in the sloop HMS ''Falcon'' as second in command. ''Falcon'' participated in the bombardment of rebel positions during the
Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Boston, Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peri ...
, and in August Thornbrough was badly wounded in a failed attempt to seize an American schooner from
Cape Ann Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. It is about northeast of Boston and marks the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester and the towns of Essex, Man ...
harbour. Invalided to Britain, Thornbrough recovered in 1776 and joined the frigate HMS ''Richmond'' off the Eastern Seaboard. In 1779 he was transferred to HMS ''Garland'' and escorted a convoy to
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
. Returning to Europe in 1780, Thornbrough joined the frigate HMS ''Flora'' and in her participated in the capture of the French frigate ''Nymphe'' after a long and bloody action. As consequence of his part in this engagement, Thornbrough was promoted to
commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
and took over the hired vessel HMS ''Britannia'' escorting a convoy to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. On arrival, Thornbrough was again promoted to
post captain Post-captain or post captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term "post-captain" was descriptive only; it was never used as a title in the form "Post-Captain John Smith". The term served to di ...
and took over captaincy of the frigate HMS ''Blonde''. In 1782, ''Blonde'' captured an American brig and attempted to tow her to
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
. During the operation the ship became lost in fog and ''Blonde'' 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. 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. Returning to Britain, Thornbrough was to be given the
ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...
HMS ''Egmont'', but the end of the war prevented this.


French Revolutionary Wars

The ten years of peace following the American war resulted in many officers entering semi-retirement on half-pay. Thornbrough however was given the prize frigate HMS ''Hebe'' and had Prince 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. Thornbrough married Ann Le Cras in 1784, and Prince William requested that their first son was to be named after him. 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, who became an admiral and four daughters. Also in 1784, Thornbrough's father died. In 1790 during the
Spanish armament The Nootka Crisis, also known as the Spanish Armament, was an international incident and political dispute between Spain and Great Britain triggered by a series of events revolving around sovereignty claims and rights of navigation and trade. It ...
, Thornbrough briefly took over HMS ''Scipio''. At the outbreak of the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
, Thornbrough requested and received command of the frigate HMS ''Latona''. 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 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 th ...
under Lord Howe during the
Atlantic campaign of May 1794 The Atlantic campaign of May 1794 was a series of operations conducted by the British Royal Navy's Channel Fleet against the French Navy's Atlantic Fleet, with the aim of preventing the passage of a strategically important French grain convoy ...
. The campaign resulted in the
Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was fought on 1 June 1794 between the British and French navies during the War of the First Coalition. It was the first and largest fleet a ...
, when ''Latona'' 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 shattered HMS ''Bellerophon'' which was being pounded by several large French ships. ''Latona'' not only reached ''Bellerophon'', but then drove off the French battleships with her small broadsides and took the dismasted ''Bellerophon'' in tow to safety, all without suffering a casualty. Thornbrough then took command of the ship of the line HMS ''Robust'' with the Channel Fleet, participated in the ill-fated 1795 invasion of
Quiberon Bay Quiberon Bay (, ; ) is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département. Geography The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the ...
with French Royalist forces. The operation was a failure and ''Robust'' was also engaged in its desperate evacuation. Three years later, Thornbrough participated in another invasion, this time thwarting a French attempt to land troops in
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. At the Battle of Donegal, Sir
John Borlase Warren Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet (2 September 1753 – 27 February 1822) was a Royal Navy officer, diplomat and politician who sat in the British House of Commons between 1774 and 1807. Early life Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshir ...
's squadron, including ''Robust'', destroyed a French troops convoy off
Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory, is an island 14.5 kilometres (7+3⁄4 nautical miles) off the north-west coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. It is officially known by its Iris ...
to the north of Ireland. As reward, Thornbrough was given the thanks of parliament and took over the 90-gun HMS ''Formidable'', flagship of Sir Charles Cotton. ''Formidable'' then entered the Mediterranean and spent several months searching for an elusive enemy fleet.


Napoleonic Wars

In 1801, Thornbrough became a
rear-admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
and commanded the inshore squadron off Brest in his flagship HMS ''Mars''. In 1801 his first wife died and a year later, Thornbrough married Elizabeth Jeynes of
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
. With the renewal of war in 1803, Thornbrough was given command of The Downs under
Viscount Keith Baron Keith was a title that was created three times in British history, with all three creations in favour of the same person, Admiral the Honourable George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, Sir George Keith Elphinstone. In 1814 Lord Keith was f ...
and later was fleet captain to Lord Gardner. In 1805 he was in HMS ''Kent'' on his way to join Nelson's fleet off Cadiz when he heard of the
Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...
. That year he was promoted to vice-admiral and led the independent blockade of
Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the G ...
and later a squadron in the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
from HMS ''Prince of Wales''. A period of ill-health required a brief shore leave in 1807, but he was soon back at sea, in HMS ''Royal Sovereign''. For the next three years he was second in command to Lord Collingwood in the Mediterranean but returned to Britain in December 1809 due to ill-health shortly before his commander's death. Both Collingwood and
Earl St Vincent Viscount St Vincent, of Meaford in the County of Stafford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 27 April 1801 for the noted naval commander John Jervis, Earl of St Vincent, with remainder to his nephews William H ...
admired his spirit, professional skill and bravery, but the latter considered that Thornbrough was too indecisive to make a good fleet commander.


Retirement

From 1810 until 1813, Thornbrough busied himself in command of the Cork Station. In 1813 he again briefly retired as a full admiral and in 1815 was made a
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
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 as
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Thomas Williams (Royal Navy officer), Si ...
History in Portsmouth
and he retired for good in 1818 after just under 50 years of service in the Navy, an exceptionally long career. Thornbrough lived the rest of his life at Bishopsteignton Lodge in
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
. In 1825 he was made a Knight Grand Cross. He was however active in naval circles and became
Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom is an honorary office generally held by a senior Royal Navy admiral. The title holder is the official deputy to the Lord High Admiral, an honorary (although once operational) office which was vested in the S ...
and
Lieutenant of the Admiralty The Lieutenant of the Admiralty is a now honorary office generally held by a senior retired Royal Navy admiral. He is the official deputy to the Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom. He is appointed by the Sovereign on the nomination of the First ...
in 1833 during his retirement. He died at home in 1834.Thornbrough, Sir Edward
''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
'', C. H. H. Owen, Retrieved 25 January 2008


See also

*


Notes


References

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Thornbrough, Edward 1754 births 1834 deaths Royal Navy admirals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars