Robert Fanshawe (4 January 1740 – 4 February 1823) was a British officer of 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 ...
and a
Member of Parliament.
Family and early life
Robert Fanshawe was born in
British America
British America collectively refers to various British colonization of the Americas, colonies of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and its predecessors states in the Americas prior to the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War in 1 ...
on 4 January 1740, the second son of Rear-Admiral Charles Fanshawe and Elizabeth Rogers, daughter of
Sir John Rogers, 2nd Baronet.
Robert Fanshawe was a member of the Parsloes branch of the Fanshawe family, being a descendant of
William Fanshawe, an M.P. that lived during the early 17th century. He joined the navy in 1753, serving as a
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 ...
aboard the 50-gun . He went to the East Indies during the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
with the squadron commanded by Vice-Admiral
Charles Watson. Fanshawe saw action at the capture of the fortress of Geriah, the recapture of
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
, and the
Battle of Chandannagar
The Battle of Chandannagar was a successful attack on the French Indies Company settlement of Chandernagore by a British force under the command of Robert Clive and Charles Watson on 23 March 1757 during the Seven Years' War. Chandernagore re ...
in 1757. He also took part in the three general actions between Vice-Admiral
George Pocock
Admiral Sir George Pocock, KB (6 March 1706 – 3 April 1792) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the Seven Years' War.
Family
Pocock was born in Thames Ditton in Surrey, the son of Thomas Pocock, a chaplain in the Royal Navy. His grea ...
and
Anne Antoine, Comte d'Aché
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in ...
, in 1758 and 1759; the battles of
Cuddalore
Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is a heavy industries hub and a port city, and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important city and port during the Britis ...
,
Negapatam and
Pondicherry
Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...
.
Fanshawe was commissioned as a
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
on 11 September 1759 and moved into the 60-gun . The ''Tiger'' was later found to be unserviceable, and Fanshawe returned to Britain aboard a merchant-vessel. He was promoted to
Master and Commander on 23 August 1762, and was appointed to command 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 (Naval long gun, long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but ...
. From the ''Carcass'' he moved to take command of the
sloop of war
During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all ...
in June 1763, spending most of the next three years on the American station. Further promotion took place on 26 May 1768, with his advancement 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 dis ...
.
Fanshawe's first command at this rank was the frigate , which he held from April 1769 until autumn 1770. A period without a sea-going command followed, until he took command of the 28-gun in December 1775, during the
American War of Independence
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 ...
.
American War of Independence
Fanshawe returned to North American waters and joined the squadron there under Commodore
William Hotham.
Fanshawe was in action during the
capture of New York in September 1776, and was later employed with the fleet under
Lord Howe. He took command of the 64-gun in 1779, serving under
John Byron
Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, he sa ...
at the
Battle of Grenada
The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. A British fleet led by Admiral John Byron (the grandfath ...
on 6 July 1779 against the
Comte d'Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing (24 November 1729 – 28 April 1794) was a French military officer and writer. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of wa ...
. ''Monmouth'' was heavily engaged in the battle, opposing the French van in order to prevent the capture of several British transports. Her total casualties from the battle amounted to 25 men killed and 28 wounded.
Fanshawe's next command, early in 1780, was the 74-gun . ''Egmont'' was caught in the
Great Hurricane of 1780
The Great Hurricane of 1780 was the deadliest tropical cyclone in the Western Hemisphere. An estimated 22,000 people died throughout the Lesser Antilles when the storm passed through the islands from October 10 to October 16. Specifics on the h ...
, which caused significant destruction to islands and shipping in the West Indies. Fanshawe's ship survived, albeit with the loss of all her masts.
Detailed to escort a fleet back to Britain in 1781, Fanshawe received intelligence of the combined fleets of France and Spain, amounting to forty-nine sail of the line, being at sea in the hope of intercepting his convoy. Fanshawe took them north out of range of the enemy, bringing them to port safely. For this he received the thanks of the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
* Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Tra ...
, and was presented with the
freedom
Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws".
In one definition, something is "free" i ...
of
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 ...
.
''Egmont'' was paid off soon after her arrival, leaving Fanshawe briefly unemployed. He was 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 ...
as
Sir George Brydges Rodney's fleet was preparing to sail. The command of the 90-gun suddenly fell vacant, and Fanshawe was quickly nominated to fill it. He went on to distinguish himself at the
Battle of the Saintes
The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...
on 12 April 1782.
Fanshawe remained in command of ''Namur'' until the end of the war in 1783, and was appointed to command the 74-gun , the Plymouth
guard ship
A guard ship is a warship assigned as a stationary guard in a port or harbour, as opposed to a coastal patrol boat, which serves its protective role at sea.
Royal Navy
In the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century, peacetime guard ships were usual ...
, in 1785.
Parliamentary career
From 1784 to January 1790 Fanshawe sat as
Member of Parliament for Plymouth as a supporter of
William Pitt, the Younger. His only known votes were with Pitt on the Regency and stood down to become Commissioner of
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 ...
. As Commissioner of Plymouth Dockyard he was responsible for the management of the whole dock and the building of ships for the Royal Navy. He served as Commissioner from 1790 until 1815.
Later life and family
Captain Robert Fanshawe died at Stonehall,
Stonehouse, Plymouth
East Stonehouse was one of three towns that were amalgamated into modern-day Plymouth, in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. West Stonehouse was a village that is within the current Mount Edgcumbe Country Park in Cornwall. It was destroy ...
,
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 ...
on 4 February 1823; at which period, had he accepted his flag, he would have been the senior Admiral of the Red.
He was buried at St George's Church,
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 ...
. On 5 December 1769 Fanshawe had married Christiana Gennys,
daughter of John Gennys of Whitleigh Hall, Saint Budeaux,
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 ...
. They had three sons and nine daughters together. His eldest son, also named Robert, followed his father into the navy, rising to the rank of captain. He died at
Antigua
Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...
in 1804 while in command of HMS ''Carysfort'', the ship his father had commanded 30 years earlier.
His second son, Edward, served as an officer in the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
, while his third son,
Arthur
Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur.
A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
, rose to
flag rank
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command.
Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways:
* ...
, as did Robert's grandson,
Edward
Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...
. Of his daughters; Christiana married the Rev. Francis Haggitt, Prebendary and Sub-Dean of Durham; Elizabeth married F. Glanville, Esq.; Susan married Vice-Admiral
William Bedford; Catharine married to
Sir Thomas Byam Martin; Cordelia married Captain, later Vice-Admiral,
John Chambers White; Mary married Vice-Admiral
the Hon. Sir Robert Stopford, and Penelope married Colonel Duckworth, who died at
Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) was a battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French armée du Midi (Army of the South) at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about sou ...
on 16 May 1811.
Two other daughters, Anne and Harriet, were recorded as being unmarried at the time that Fanshawe's biography was published.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanshawe, Robert
1740 births
1823 deaths
Royal Navy captains
Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War
Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War
Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Plymouth
British MPs 1784–1790
Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
Fanshawe family