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 ...

Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin (7 May 1765 – 27 November 1857) was a British naval officer of the 18th and 19th centuries who received the patronage of senior officers such as

Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (12 December 1724 – 27 January 1816) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. As a junior officer he saw action during the War of the Austrian Succession. While in temporary command ...

and

William Cornwallis Admiral Sir William Cornwallis, (20 February 17445 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British commander at the siege of Yorktown. Cornwallis took part in a number of decisive ...

. Gosselin joined 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 1778 and as a junior officer had extensive service in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, including participating in 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 ...

in April 1782. 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 ...

in April 1793, Gosselin took part 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 ...

as commander of HMS ''Kingfisher''. He was 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 dis ...

in July 1795 and took command of a variety of ships including most notably HMS ''Syren'', HMS ''Latona'', and HMS ''Audacious''. Gosselin frequently served on

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...

duties 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 ...

and on convoy duties to and from the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. His final services at sea in 1809 included his assistance in the evacuation from Corunna of the army of Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore. Gosselin refused command of HMS ''Cressy'' in 1810 due to health issues and never served at sea again. He was promoted to

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 ...

in June 1814 and admiral in November 1841. In October 1854 Gosselin became the most senior admiral in the Royal Navy but was never promoted to

admiral of the fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

, either because of the long length of time since his last service at sea or because of his ongoing health issues.

Early life

Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin was born on 7 May 1765 at

Saint Peter Port St. Peter Port () is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. Peter Port is a small tow ...

as the second son of Colonel Joshua Gosselin of the North regiment of the Royal Guernsey Militia, and Martha, daughter of Thomas Le Marchant of

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

.O'Byrne, ''Naval Biographical Dictionary'', p. 415Laughton, ''Gosselin, Thomas Le Marchant'', ODNB His younger brother was General Gerard Gosselin, and he had two other younger brothers who died serving at

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

in 1803.

Naval career

Early career

Gosselin joined the

on 2 August 1778 as a follower of Captain Philip Boteler in the new ship . He later transferred with Captain Boteler to 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 tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...

in June 1779.Marshall, ''Royal Naval Biography'', p. 416 On 16 August ''Ardent'' was captured by a combined Franco-Spanish fleet near

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 ...

. Gosselin spent three months as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

Alençon Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...

. After his release he joined the ship-of-the-line , the

flag ship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, on 11 October 1780. On ''Barfleur'' Gosselin took part in a number of major actions of the

as a part of the fleet of Admiral Sir George Rodney, including the

Battle of Fort Royal The Battle of Fort Royal was a naval battle fought off Fort Royal, Martinique in the West Indies during the Anglo-French War on 29 April 1781, between fleets of the British Royal Navy and the French Navy. After an engagement lasting four hours, ...

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1 ...

, and the

Battle of Saint Kitts The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle fought on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet ...

. After this battle Gosselin transferred to the frigate commanded by Rear-Admiral Hood's brother, Captain Alexander Hood. In ''Champion'' Gosselin then participated in the Battle of Delaware Bay and the

, where the French admiral

François Joseph Paul de Grasse François Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, Marquis of Grasse-Tilly, KM (13 September 1722 – 11 January 1788) was a French Navy officer. He is best known for his crucial victory over the Royal Navy at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 during t ...

surrendered.Marshall, ''Royal Naval Biography'', p. 417 Gosselin was also present at the Battle of the Mona Passage where a squadron under Rear-Admiral Hood captured an escaping French squadron, with ''Champion'' capturing a French

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

. In June 1782 Gosselin transferred with Captain Hood to the frigate HMS ''Aimable'', serving in her until the American Revolution ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.Duncan, ''The History of Guernsey'', p. 650 He returned home on 26 June 1783. After this Gosselin continued as a midshipman, serving on the ship-of-the-line 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 ...

, the sloop HMS ''Nautilus'', and the ship-of-the-line HMS ''Grampus'' off the coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

as flag ship of Commodore Edward Thompson. Gosselin then re-joined the now Vice-Admiral Lord Hood on the ships-of-the-line and then ''Barfleur'' while Vice-Admiral Hood 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 ...

. On 1 December 1787 Gosselin was promoted to

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 ...

, and in September 1788 he was appointed as such to the newly captured sloop in which he sailed to 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 ...

in January 1789 as part of the squadron of Commodore

. Soon after arriving in the East Indies Gosselin was removed by Commodore Cornwallis into his flag ship, the ship-of-the-line HMS ''Crown'', and in November 1791 he followed Commodore Cornwallis into the frigate HMS ''Minerva'' where he served as her

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. On 23 April 1793 Gosselin was promoted to

and given command of the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

HMS ''Dispatch''. On 19 March 1794 he was given command of the sloop HMS ''Kingfisher''. Initially Gosselin commanded her on the Downs Station, but later was attached to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

and

Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...

fleets. As such, Gosselin and ''Kingfisher'' participated in the

on 1 June. While serving in the

under the now Vice-Admiral Cornwallis, Gosselin and ''Kingfisher'' assisted in the capturing of a French convoy carrying wine and naval stores on 7 June 1795.Marshall, ''Royal Naval Biography'', pp. 417–8 In this action Gosselin attacked a French frigate attempting to tow away a large store ship, forcing the frigate to abandon the ship to Gosselin.

Post-captain

On 4 July 1795 Gosselin was sent by Vice-Admiral Cornwallis as acting-captain of the ship-of-the-line HMS ''Brunswick'', and on 23 July he was confirmed in that position and promoted to

.Marshall, ''Royal Naval Biography'', p. 418 He served as captain of ''Brunswick'' until October. Gosselin's next commands were on the

Îles Saint-Marcouf Îles Saint-Marcouf comprise two small uninhabited islands off the coast of Normandy, France. They lie in the Baie de la Seine region of the English Channel and are east of the coast of the Cotentin peninsula at Ravenoville and from the island ...

station, where he commanded the frigate HMS ''Diamond'' from 22 April 1796 until 25 July when he took command of another frigate, HMS ''Syren''. In March 1798 Gosselin and ''Syren'' convoyed a large fleet of merchant ships to the

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

and

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, including Major-General Henry Bowyer and his staff, for which service the masters of the merchant ships presented Gosselin with a valuable sword. Gosselin stayed with ''Syren'' on the Leeward Islands Station and on 20 August 1799 took part in the successful occupation of Surinam by the forces of Vice-Admiral

Lord Hugh Seymour Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour (29 April 1759 – 11 September 1801) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the American Revolutionary War, American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. The fifth son of Francis Seymo ...

and Lieutenant-General

Thomas Trigge General Sir Thomas Trigge ( 1742 – 11 January 1814) was a British army officer who began his career in 1759 during the Seven Years' War, as an ensign in the 12th Regiment of Foot. He remained with the regiment for the next 36 years, and com ...

. After this he escorted another convoy home in ''Syren''. In 1800 Gosselin paid attendance on

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

for three months while the latter holidayed with his family in Weymouth, before in February 1801 escorting another convoy of merchant ships to the

. Having done so Gosselin transferred to command of the frigate HMS ''Melampus'' at Jamaica on 23 October, and in her sailed back to Britain. He

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...

''Melampus'' in June 1802. On 2 February 1804 Gosselin's employment was again assisted by his relationship with the now Admiral Cornwallis, taking command of his flag ship, the ship-of-the-line HMS ''Ville de Paris'' in the Channel Fleet. In early 1804 he also very briefly commanded the frigate HMS ''Argo''.Winfield, ''British Warships 1793-1817'', p. 308 Gosselin served in ''Ville de Paris'' until September when he was given command of the frigate HMS ''Latona'' and the inshore squadron of the Brest blockade. ''Latona''s captures under Gosselin included the 12-gun Spanish

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

''Amphion'' on 22 October 1805.Winfield, ''British Warships 1714-1792'', p. 971 For his service commanding the inshore squadron Gosselin received the thanks of Admiral Cornwallis, Admiral Lord Gardner, and Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Cotton. On 4 February 1806 he assumed command of the ship-of-the-line HMS ''Audacious'' in the squadron of Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Strachan at Plymouth. On 19 May the squadron sailed to pursue a French squadron of six ships-of-the-line commanded by

Jérôme Bonaparte Jérôme Bonaparte (born Girolamo Buonaparte; 15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon, Napoleon I and reigned as Jerome Napoleon I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), Kingdom of Westphalia, King of Westphal ...

to the West Indies, and by 8 August Gosselin and ''Audacious'' were cruising off

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

.O'Byrne, ''Naval Biographical Dictionary'', p. 416Marshall, ''Royal Naval Biography'', p. 419 Less than a week after this ''Audacious'' was sailing to the north of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

when she was totally dismasted in the Great Coastal hurricane of 1806. By 1807 Gosselin had returned ''Audacious'' to the Channel Fleet in which he served until the beginning of 1808 when he moved to the blockade of Ferrol. ''Audacious'' escorted the army of Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore from the Downs to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

to fight in the

Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...

, but disagreements with

Gustav IV Adolf Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was King of Sweden from 1792 until he was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Finland. The occupation of Finland in 180 ...

meant that Gosselin and ''Audacious'' escorted Moore's army back in July. In August Gosselin convoyed a large body of troops to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

with Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Burrard as his personal guest on ''Audacious'', as the general went to supersede Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley. After debarking the soldiers, Gosselin joined Vice-Admiral Cotton off the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

. Gosselin and ''Audacious'' continued there until the retreat of the army of Lieutenant-General Moore to Corunna in January 1809, when he assisted in escorting the transports carrying Moore's army back to Britain. The same month, Gosselin received the thanks of both Houses of

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for his unremitted exertions in doing so. The army dispatches on the

Battle of Corunna The Battle of Corunna (or ''A Coruña'', ''La Corunna'', ''La Coruña'' or ''La Corogne''), in Spain known as Battle of Elviña, took place on 16 January 1809, when a French corps under Marshal of the Empire Jean de Dieu Soult attacked a Briti ...

were written by Lieutenant-General John Hope, Moore having been killed, on board ''Audacious''. Gosselin resigned his command of ''Audacious'' in March 1809 and was subsequently appointed to command the ship-of-the-line HMS ''Cressy'' when she was launched in 1810, but Gosselin declined the command on the grounds of ill health.

Admiral and illness

Gosselin was promoted to

as a

rear-admiral of the blue Rear-Admiral of the Blue was a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, immediately outranked by the rank Rear-Admiral of the White. Royal Navy officers currently holding the ranks of commodore, rear admiral, vice admiral and admira ...

on 4 June 1814. By seniority he became a

vice-admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

on 27 May 1825 and an

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 ...

on 23 November 1841. Gosselin never served at sea as an admiral, instead becoming a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

for

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

. Sir John Knox Laughton described Gosselin as 'a professional officer of real ability' and suggested that he was only not employed further after 1809 because of either his illness or the circumstances of his rich marriage. Upon the death of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin on 21 October 1854 Gosselin was the most senior admiral alive and might have been expected to be promoted in his place as

. For the first time this was not done and the post remained empty and Gosselin un-promoted until his death, when Admiral Sir Charles Ogle became the most senior admiral and was made admiral of the fleet.May, 'Admirals of the Fleet', p. 230 Gosselin was instead described as the 'senior admiral of the red', with it being suggested that his debilitating illness was a mental one which made him unsuitable to be the true senior admiral of the navy.

Death

Gosselin died at his home in

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

on 27 November 1857 as an

admiral of the red Admiral of the Red was a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, immediately outranked by the rank Admiral of the Fleet (see order of precedence below). The rank did not exist prior to 1805, as the admiral commanding the Red squad ...

and was buried at St Leonard's Church, Bengeo, Hertfordshire.

Family

Gosselin married Sarah Hadsley, daughter and heiress of Jeremiah Hadsley of Ware Priory, on 18 March 1809. Together they had one son and three daughters, including: * Emma Gosselin (b. 24 May 1811) * Martin Hadsley Gosselin (5 July 1813–1869) who married Frances Orris Marshall, the daughter of Rear-Admiral

Sir John Marshall Sir John Hubert Marshall (19 March 1876, Chester, England – 17 August 1958, Guildford, England) was an English archaeologist who was Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1902 to 1928. He oversaw the excavations of H ...

Notes and citations

Notes

Citations

References

* * Duncan, Jonathan (1841) ''The History of Guernsey, With Occasional Notices of Jersey, Alderney, and Sark, and Biographical Sketches'' London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. * * * * * * Syrett, David and R.L. DiNardo (1994) ''The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815.'' Aldershot: Scholar Press. . * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gosselin, Thomas Le Marchant 1765 births 1857 deaths Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars