Arthur Fleming Morrell
Encyclopedia
Arthur Fleming Morrell (10 November 1788 – 13 September 1880) was British naval
officer, explorer, and colonial administrator of Ascension Island
, who saw service spanning the end of the Napoleonic era
and well into the Victorian era
.
, Devon
, the second son of a Royal Navy lieutenant
, John Morrell. His father had been an able seaman, rising to the warrant officer
's rank of gunner
by the time his sons entered the Royal Navy.
Morrell's brother was John Arthur Morrell, who became a commander
and served aboard HMS Eagle
during an 1806 attack on Naples
, then held by Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte
.
Morrell joined the Royal Navy
at the age of about twelve or thirteen as a first class volunteer. He served first on HMS Doris
, a 38-gun fifth rate ship in the Channel fleet that took several French ships as prizes during the years Morrell served on her.
He then moved to the Caribbean on board HMS Pique, and was by now a Master's mate
. It was aboard Pique, a captured French ship formerly named Pallas, that he would take part in an 1803 blockade at Cape Francois, at what is now Haiti
. A boat from the Pique, commanded by Lieutenant Nesbit Josiah Willoughby, was dispatched to capture the French ship Clorinde as it fled the rebellious Haitians led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines
. Morrell was part of the crew that brought Clorinde under a British flag to Jamaica
.
Pique later took part in an abortive attempt to capture Curaçao
, which in 1804 had been retaken from Britain by a Dutch-French force.
After nine years in the Caribbean, Morrell found himself in the Mediterranean, in a succession of ships including HMS Termagant
, from which he beheld the fall of Genoa
in 1814, one of his last naval actions during the Napoleonic War.
At the end of hostilities, Britain turned to arctic exploration to employ its navy and to attempt to discover a shorter route to the resource rich Pacific.
, in search of the Northwest Passage, in what was one of the earliest voyages of Arctic
discovery. The voyage was unsuccessful, but Morrell would later be awarded the Arctic Medal (1818–1855)
.
Captain
David Buchan
commanded HMS Dorothea, while Morrell served as first lieutenant. The Dorothea was accompanied by HMS Trent
, commanded by John Franklin
.
As first lieutenant, Morrell kept a detailed log book which provided meteorological observations and navigational notes. The expedition eventually failed to penetrate thick pack ice near Svalbard
.
The expedition returned to England without having achieved its goal. It would be nearly 40 years before arctic exploration would be recognized, and in 1856 the Arctic Medal was struck and issued retroactively for various polar voyages starting with 1818, the year of Buchan's expedition.
, William Reid.
Morrell was promoted to the rank of commander
in 1821, but with peace, much of the Royal Navy was on half-pay. In between periods at sea, it seems that Morrell and Elizabeth lived in or near Devonport. But by 1830, the family had moved to Dinan
, in France
, where two of his sons were born, George Truman Morrell
and another Arthur Morrell, both of whom would also serve in the Royal Navy.
Eliabeth later died aged 61 on 29 September 1862, by which time the family had settled in Dartford
, Erith
, Kent
.
They had eight children together, of whom six would survive into adulthood.
Finally, Morrell returned to sea service in 1843, on being given command of HMS Espoir.
, was in 1844 appointed governor of Ascension Island
, an island in the Atlantic that held strategic value to Britain
, due to its proximity to both Africa and South America.
He served as the island's 16th administrator for nearly three years, during which time the Royal Navy continued to engage the slave trade, and would have used the island as a base of operations and victualling stop.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer, explorer, and colonial administrator of Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
, who saw service spanning the end of the Napoleonic era
Napoleonic Era
The Napoleonic Era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislative Assembly, and the third being the Directory...
and well into the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
.
Early naval career
Arthur Morrell was born in 1788 in Stoke DamerelStoke, Plymouth
Stoke, also referred to by its earlier name of Stoke Damerel, is a parish, once part of the historical Devonport, England. Prior to 1914, it was a suburb of Devonport. In 1914, Devonport and Plymouth amalgamated with Stonehouse: the new town took the name of Plymouth...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, the second son of a Royal Navy lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, John Morrell. His father had been an able seaman, rising to the warrant officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
's rank of gunner
Gunner (rank)
Gunner is a rank equivalent to Private in the British Army Royal Artillery and the artillery corps of other Commonwealth armies. The next highest rank is usually Lance-Bombardier, although in the Royal Canadian Artillery it is Bombardier....
by the time his sons entered the Royal Navy.
Morrell's brother was John Arthur Morrell, who became a commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
and served aboard HMS Eagle
HMS Eagle (1804)
HMS Eagle was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 27 February 1804 at Northfleet.In 1830 she was reduced to a 50-gun ship, and became a training ship in 1860. She was renamed HMS Eaglet in 1919, when she was the Royal Naval Reserve training centre for North West...
during an 1806 attack on Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, then held by Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
.
Morrell joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
at the age of about twelve or thirteen as a first class volunteer. He served first on HMS Doris
HMS Doris (1795)
HMS Doris was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, which saw service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Doris was built by Cleveley, of Gravesend and was launched on 31 August 1795. She entered service in November 1795, operating as part of the Channel Fleet during the...
, a 38-gun fifth rate ship in the Channel fleet that took several French ships as prizes during the years Morrell served on her.
He then moved to the Caribbean on board HMS Pique, and was by now a Master's mate
Master's mate
Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the master...
. It was aboard Pique, a captured French ship formerly named Pallas, that he would take part in an 1803 blockade at Cape Francois, at what is now Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. A boat from the Pique, commanded by Lieutenant Nesbit Josiah Willoughby, was dispatched to capture the French ship Clorinde as it fled the rebellious Haitians led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1801 constitution. Initially regarded as Governor-General, Dessalines later named himself Emperor Jacques I of Haiti...
. Morrell was part of the crew that brought Clorinde under a British flag to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
.
Pique later took part in an abortive attempt to capture Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, which in 1804 had been retaken from Britain by a Dutch-French force.
After nine years in the Caribbean, Morrell found himself in the Mediterranean, in a succession of ships including HMS Termagant
HMS Termagant
Seven ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Termagant, after Termagant, a god that Medieval Europeans believed Muslims worshipped, and that later came to be popularised by Shakespeare to mean a bullying person:...
, from which he beheld the fall of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
in 1814, one of his last naval actions during the Napoleonic War.
At the end of hostilities, Britain turned to arctic exploration to employ its navy and to attempt to discover a shorter route to the resource rich Pacific.
Arctic voyage
In 1818, Morrell took part in a "perilous voyage of discovery" to SpitsbergenSpitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
, in search of the Northwest Passage, in what was one of the earliest voyages of Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
discovery. The voyage was unsuccessful, but Morrell would later be awarded the Arctic Medal (1818–1855)
Polar Medal
The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It was instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal and renamed the Polar Medal in 1904.-History:...
.
Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
David Buchan
David Buchan
David Buchan was a Scottish naval officer and Arctic explorer.-Exploration:In 1806, Buchan was appointed as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and from about 1808 to 1817 he operated in and around Newfoundland...
commanded HMS Dorothea, while Morrell served as first lieutenant. The Dorothea was accompanied by HMS Trent
HMS Trent
Five ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Trent, after the River Trent:*HMS Trent was a 28-gun sixth rate frigate launched in 1757 and sold in 1764....
, commanded by John Franklin
John Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
.
As first lieutenant, Morrell kept a detailed log book which provided meteorological observations and navigational notes. The expedition eventually failed to penetrate thick pack ice near Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
.
The expedition returned to England without having achieved its goal. It would be nearly 40 years before arctic exploration would be recognized, and in 1856 the Arctic Medal was struck and issued retroactively for various polar voyages starting with 1818, the year of Buchan's expedition.
Marriage and family
In 1820, Morrell married Elizabeth Reid, daughter of the "first pay clerk of wages" at DevonportDevonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
, William Reid.
Morrell was promoted to the rank of commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in 1821, but with peace, much of the Royal Navy was on half-pay. In between periods at sea, it seems that Morrell and Elizabeth lived in or near Devonport. But by 1830, the family had moved to Dinan
Dinan
Dinan is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.-Geography:Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance...
, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where two of his sons were born, George Truman Morrell
George Truman Morrell
Commander George Truman Morrell RN was a British naval, officer and explorer active during the Victorian era.-Early years:...
and another Arthur Morrell, both of whom would also serve in the Royal Navy.
Eliabeth later died aged 61 on 29 September 1862, by which time the family had settled in Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, Erith
Erith
Erith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames. Erith's town centre has undergone a series of modernisations since 1961.-Pre-medieval:...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
They had eight children together, of whom six would survive into adulthood.
- Anna Harriett Cumberland Pellew Morrell
- Lucy Elizabeth Haynes Morrell, who later married Edward George IrvingEdward George IrvingDr Edward George Irving RN was a Scottish surgeon who served in the Royal Navy. He was also a collector of plants, and the plant family Irvingiaceae, and genus Irvingia are named for him.-Marriage and Family:...
, ScottishScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
surgeon and botanist - Charles Walter Morrell
- Eliza Truman Morrell
- George Truman MorrellGeorge Truman MorrellCommander George Truman Morrell RN was a British naval, officer and explorer active during the Victorian era.-Early years:...
, explorer and later a commanderCommanderCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in the Royal Navy - Arthur Morrell, later a Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy
- Eliza Mary Anne Morrell
- Isabella Cunard Morrell
Finally, Morrell returned to sea service in 1843, on being given command of HMS Espoir.
Governorship
After a brief period commanding HMS Espoir, which included successfully interdicting slave ships off the west coast of Africa, Morrell, now a commanderCommander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, was in 1844 appointed governor of Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
, an island in the Atlantic that held strategic value to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, due to its proximity to both Africa and South America.
He served as the island's 16th administrator for nearly three years, during which time the Royal Navy continued to engage the slave trade, and would have used the island as a base of operations and victualling stop.
Service History
- 1801: entered the Royal Navy as a first class volunteer aboard HMS Doris.
- 1803-1804: served on HMS La Pique, 36
- 1806: Promoted to Master's MateMaster's mateMaster's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the master...
aboard HMS Redbridge, 12
- 1808: Served on board HMS PolyphemusHMS Polyphemus (1782)HMS Polyphemus, a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 27 April 1782 at Sheerness. She was the first ship of the Royal Navy named for Polyphemus the Cyclops.-Baltic service:...
, 64, (Captain William Pryce CumbyWilliam Pryce CumbyCaptain William Pryce Cumby CB RN was an officer in the Royal Navy whose excellent service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was highlighted when he was thrust into the limelight following his service at the battle of Trafalgar...
commanding)
- 1809: Confirmed to the rank of lieutenant.
- 1814: Served on board HMS TermagantHMS TermagantSeven ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Termagant, after Termagant, a god that Medieval Europeans believed Muslims worshipped, and that later came to be popularised by Shakespeare to mean a bullying person:...
, sloopSloopA sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
, (Captain John Lampeu Manley commanding
- 1818: Appointed first lieutenant of HMHS Dorothea, under Commander David BuchanDavid BuchanDavid Buchan was a Scottish naval officer and Arctic explorer.-Exploration:In 1806, Buchan was appointed as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and from about 1808 to 1817 he operated in and around Newfoundland...
- 1821: First lieutenant aboard HMS RevolutionnaireHMS Révolutionnaire (1794)The Révolutionnaire , was a 40-gun Seine-class frigate of the French Navy, launched in May 1794. The British captured her in October 1794 and she went on to serve with the Royal Navy until she was broken up in 1822...
, 46, (Captain the Hon. Fleetwood PellewFleetwood PellewAdmiral Sir Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew CB KCH was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was the son of Captain Edward Pellew, who later became an admiral and first Viscount Exmouth...
- 1823–1841: On half-pay.
- 1843: Commander of HMS EspoirHMS EspoirSeven vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Espoir, after the French word for "hope":* The first HMS Espoir was a sloop sold on 23 March 1784, origin unknown. was a French brig-sloop of fourteen 6-pounder guns that Thalia captured in the Mediterranean. She was sold in September 1804...
, 10
- 1844–1846: Governor of Ascension IslandAscension IslandAscension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
. Although his appointment was to have been permanent, he was superseded and he returned to sea service.
- 1846: Commander of HMS HydraHMS Hydra (1838)HMS Hydra launched in 1838, at Chatham Dockyard, was a wooden steam paddle sloop of the Royal Navy of 818 tons . She was rated at and carried 6 guns.-Service:...
- 1856: Promoted to CaptainCaptain (Royal Navy)Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
and awarded the Arctic Medal (1818–1855) on retirement from the Royal Navy.