John Charnock
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John Charnock (28 November 1756 – 16 May 1807) was a Royal Navy volunteer and author. He wrote a book on the history of marine architecture, a book on
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...
, and ''Biographia Navalis'' about leading figures in Britain's
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 ...
. Charnock studied at
Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...
. He volunteered with the Royal Navy and researched historical and contemporary naval affairs. He was able to hear stories and obtain letters from his friends in the Royal Navy, especially Captain William Locker. Charnock's six-volume ''Biographia Navalis'' was published from 1794 to 1798. In common with
William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...
,
William Richard O'Byrne William Richard O'Byrne (1823 – 7 July 1896) was an Irish biographer and politician, author of the ''A Naval Biographical Dictionary'' (1849). Life He was elder son of Robert O'Byrne and his wife Martha Trougher, daughter of Joseph Clark. He w ...
and others who attempted to make a career writing about the Royal Navy, he then encountered financial difficulty.


Life

He was the son of a barrister, John Charnock of Stanford-on-Soar,
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, and his wife Frances Boothby. He studied at
Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...
and at
Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...
, where he matriculated on 15 December 1774. In his student days, Charnock wrote political essays for periodicals. Then he fell out with his father over his chosen lifestyle, with his marriage as a possible further grounds for the rupture. Turning to naval interests, Charnock joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer. He became friends with Captain Locker, Nelson's correspondent and lieutenant-governor of Greenwich Hospital. Locker shared his recollections and became an important source of information for Charnock's research. After inheriting a fortune, Charnock left the navy, but had soon spent all his inheritance and turned to writing to make a living. After ''Biographia Navalis'', Charnock wrote ''History of Marine Architecture'' in a 3 volume set published from 1801 to 1802. He then published a ''Life of Lord Nelson'' in 1806. Locker's letters which Charnock had paraphrased for the book were later published in Sir Harris Nicolas's book, in original form: Charnock's versions had used more genteel language, uncharacteristic of Nelson. Charnock fell into poverty. Unable to pay his debts, he died on 16 May 1807, at the King's Bench Prison, and has a slab in the old churchyard at Lee. He left behind a widow, Mary, the daughter of Peregrine Jones of
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, but no children. It was said of Mary that she showed "exemplary conduct in the vicissitudes of her husband's fortune". She died on 26 May 1836 and is buried with Charnock.


Bibliography

Charnock's major works were: *''Biographia Navalis, Or, Impartial Memoirs of the Lives and Characters of Officers of the Navy of Great Britain, from the Year 1660 to the Present Time; Drawn from the Most Authentic Sources, and Disposed in a Chronological Arrangement'' (6 vols., 1794–8, ) Reprinted by Cambridge University Press in 2011 *''An History of Marine Architecture: Including an Enlarged and Progressive View of the Nautical Regulations and Naval History, Both Civil and Military, of All Nations, Especially of Great Britain'' (3 vols., 1801–2). This illustrated book on marine architecture was published in three volumes from 1800 to 1802. According to Cambridge University Press it "stands as the first serious study of naval architecture in Britain in particular, while also noting major developments in Europe and beyond." Volume 1 covers the origins of marine architecture in commerce and war from the ancient Chinese and Egyptians through the Greeks and Romans up until the death of Richard III.Cambridge University Press book description *''Biographical Memoirs of Lord Viscount Nelson - With Observations, Critical and Explanatory'' (1806) Charnock also authored ''The Rights of a Free People'' 1792, ''A Letter on Finance and on National Defence'', 1798, and many smaller pieces.
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
has reissued some of his books as part of the Cambridge Library Collection.


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charnock, John 1756 births 1807 deaths 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers People from Rushcliffe (district) Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford People educated at Winchester College