John Toup Nicolas
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Rear Admiral John Toup Nicolas RN CB KH (1788–1851) was a
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 ...
officer. Nicolas was born in East Looe,
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
. He entered the Royal Navy in 1797 and later served on various ships, including HMS ''Edgar'', HMS ''Malta'', and HMS ''Queen''. As a lieutenant, he participated in the 3rd Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1805. Nicolas commanded several successful attacks while in charge of HMS ''Pilot'', earning praise from the British press. He was promoted to Captain in 1815 and later commanded HMS ''Egeria'', HMS ''Hercules'', HMS ''Belleisle'', and HMS ''Vindictive''. Nicolas was appointed Superintendent of the Victualling Yard at Plymouth in 1847 and retired as Rear Admiral in 1850. He died in Plymouth and is buried in St Martin's Church there.


Life

He was the eldest son of Lieutenant (Commander) John Harris Nicolas R.N. (1758–1844) and his wife, Margaret Blake. He was born on 22 February 1788 at East Looe in
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
. He was the brother of antiquarian
Nicholas Harris Nicolas Sir (Nicholas) Harris Nicolas (10 March 1799 – 3 August 1848) was an English antiquary. Life The fourth son of Commander John Harris Nicolas RN (1758–1844) and Margaret (née Blake), he was born at Dartmouth. He was the brother of Rear ...
; 1st Lt
Paul Harris Nicolas Paul Harris Nicolas (1 March 1790 – 1 May 1860) was a nineteenth-century British historian, an accomplished, if little known, water colourist, a Royal Marines officer, and a veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar. Nicolas was the author of the two ...
RM; and Lt Keigwin Nicolas RN (died 17 June 1815). His wider family nearly all had military or naval connections. He entered the
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 ...
in 1797 as a boy (first class volunteer) but was not allowed at sea until he was older (11 in February 1799) then serving as on a gunboat
HMS Attack Three ships and a shore establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Attack'': Ships * was a 12-gun launched in 1794 and sold in 1802. * was an launched in 1804 and captured by Danish gunboats off Anholt in 1812. * was an launche ...
serving at the Dartmouth station. In September 1799 he was promoted to
midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...
and transferred to the 74-gun HMS Edgar under Captain Edward Butler serving 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 ...
. He and Captain Butler left the ship together (indicating that Nicolas was perhaps his valet) and together moved to HMS Achille. After a brief spell apart on HMS Naiad he rejoined Captain Butler on the 80-gun HMS Malta in March 1803. He was created Lieutenant on HMS Malta on 1 May 1805. Soon after, on 22 July 1805, he took part in his first major sea-battle: the 3rd Battle of Cape Finisterre off the north-west coast of
Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
. They then sailed to 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 ...
and spent two years patrolling. In February 1807, the ship took place in the blockade of Cadiz. In June 1807 he was created flag-lieutenant on the 98-gun HMS Queen and in October 1807 was created flag-lieutenant on the 80-gun HMS Canopus under Rear Admiral George Martin.


Commander

On 12 October 1809 he was given command of HMS Lapwing, his first command, and in April 1810 moved to command the 18 gun brig, HMS Pilot. Although relatively small, the Pilot was well-armed for her size, and very manoeuvrable. Consequently, Lt Nicolas used Pilot in several successful attacks: *24 June 1810 - With the schooner Ortenzia near
San Lucido San Lucido ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Geography The municipality borders with Falconara Albanese, Marano Marchesato, Marano Principato, Paola, Rende and San Fi ...
on the Calabrian coast attacked a convoy of 51 vessels including 16 armed vessels at the loss of only 3 British killed. *25 July 1810 - With
HMS Thames Eight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Thames'', after the River Thames: * was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1758 and broken up in 1803. She was in French hands between 1793 and 1796, when she was known as ''Tamise''. * was a ...
under
Granville George Waldegrave Granville may refer to: People and fictional characters *Granville (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Earl Granville, a title in the Peerage of Great Britain and of the UK * Baron Granville, a title in the P ...
and
HMS Weazle Eleven ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Weazel'' or HMS ''Weazle'', archaic spellings of weasel, while another was planned: * was a 10-gun sloop launched in 1704 and sold in 1712. * was an 8-gun sloop launched in 1721 and sol ...
attacked an enemy Neapolitan convoy off
Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
consisting of 32 transport ships and 7 gunboats and four other armed vessels, all under command of Giovanni Caracciolo. This successful attack was at the British loss of only one killed and six wounded. *26 May 1811 - HMS Pilot in a solo attacked vessels on a beach between Neto and Lipuda on the Calabrian coast, capturing three vessels at the loss of only one British wounded. *6 September 1811 - As a solo action Pilot burnt a
ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch f ...
under the walls of
Castella is a type of Japanese sponge cake and is known for its sweet, moist brioche-style flavour and texture. It is based on cakes introduced to Japan by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. It was then popularized in the city of Nagasaki, where ...
*16 April 1812 - Pilot in a solo action captured nine vessels on a beach near
Policastro Bussentino Policastro Bussentino (or simply Policastro) is an Italian town and hamlet (''frazione'') of the municipality of Santa Marina (of which it is its seat) in the province of Salerno, Campania region. It is a former bishopric, now titular see, and ...
in
Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...
*14 May 1812 - With
HMS Thames Eight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Thames'', after the River Thames: * was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1758 and broken up in 1803. She was in French hands between 1793 and 1796, when she was known as ''Tamise''. * was a ...
under Captain Charles Napier attacked a battery at
Sapri Sapri is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is one of the southernmost towns of the region of Cilento and its population is 6,783. History The town of Sapri has ancient origins an ...
with a group of marines led by Rofer Langlands caused the battery to surrender and captured 28 barges containing oil. *June 1812 - With HMS Cephalus and HMS Euryalus attacked a large convoy being protected by three batteries off Dino. An unsuccessful attack with heavy damage to the Pilot *17 June 1815 - In a solo attack against the French ship La Legere under Nicolas Tuffet off Cape Corso. This action was inclusive, in that despite causing much loss of life on the French ship, the Pilot was so damaged that it could not pursue. The Pilot lost only one: Nicolas's own brother, Lt William Keigwin Nicolas, who was buried at sea.


Promotion

On 4 June 1815 he was awarded a
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 ...
by
the Prince Regent George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...
. As a result of the previous years' success, which received much praise in the British press, Nicolas was promoted to Captain on 26 August 1815, but retained notional charge of HMS ''Pilot'', which had been returned to
Plymouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roya ...
for major repairs in July 1815. He was given a period of extended shore leave before being given command of 20-gun HMS Egeria and her crew of 121 men on 5 January 1820 in place of Captain Henry Shiffner. In 1834 he was awarded a
Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order The Royal Guelphic Order (), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Kingdom of Hanover, Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name from the House ...
by King
William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...
. In August 1837 he was made Captain and Commander of the 74-gun HMS Hercules, one of the many huge ships commissioned during 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 ...
and ending as largely redundant when a prolonged peace was achieved. (see
Pax Britannica ''Pax Britannica'' (Latin for , modelled after '' Pax Romana'') refers to the relative peace between the great powers in the time period roughly bounded by the Napoleonic Wars and World War I. During this time, the British Empire became the ...
). In April 1839 he took over the 74-gun HMS Belleisle and in September 1841 moved to HMS Vindictive which had had its armament reduced from 74 to 50 guns. On the latter he served in the
East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...
. On 1 September 1847 he was appointed Superintendent of the Victualling Yard at
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
: a desk job. He never returned to sea. He was retired at the rank of Rear Admiral on New Year's Eve 1850. He died in Plymouth on 1 April 1851. He is buried in St Martin's Church in Plymouth.


Family

On 1 August 1818 he married Frances Anna Were (1799 - c. 1877), daughter of Nicholas Were of Landcox near
Wellington, Somerset Wellington is a market town in Somerset, England. It is situated south west of Taunton, near the border with Devon, which runs along the Blackdown Hills National Landscape, Blackdown Hills to the south of the town. The town had a population o ...
. They had a son: Granville Toup Nicolas. He also joined the Royal Navy, reaching the rank of Captain and died in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
in 1894. Their daughter, Frances Anna Nicolas (1827-1838), did not survive to adulthood.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolas, John Toup 1788 births 1851 deaths Royal Navy rear admirals