Cloudesley Shovell
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir Cloudesley Shovell (c. November 1650 – 22 October or 23 October 1707), was an English
naval officer. Rising through the ranks and fighting in many of the important battles of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, he became a popular British hero, whose celebrated career was brought to an end in a disastrous shipwreck in the Isles of Scilly
. He also served as MP
for Rochester
from 1695 until his death.
of his maternal grandmother Lucy Cloudisley, who was the daughter of Thomas Cloudisley. His father, John Shovel, a gentleman
, was descended from a family who had property and standing in Norwich
and his mother was descended from local gentry. Although not poor, the Shovells were by no means wealthy.
In 1653, when Cloudesley was three, his father died. He left £100 to each of his three sons, Nathaniel, Thomas and Cloudesley. Cloudesley's widowed mother, Anne Jenkinson, remarried John Flaxman. In 1691 Cloudesley Shovell married Elizabeth, Lady Narborough (née Hill), the widow of his former commander, Rear Admiral Sir John Narborough
. Through her, he had two stepsons Sir John Narborough, 1st Baronet, and James Narborough) who both entered naval careers and died, aged 23 and 22, in the sinking of HMS Association
in 1707. Shovell and his wife had two daughters: Elizabeth and Anne. Elizabeth married first the 1st Baron Romney
whilst Anne married John Blackwood. Elizabeth Shovell, the former Lady Narborough, is buried in St Paulinus Church, Crayford
, where there is a memorial to her and her husband. Cloudesley Shovell is also mentioned on the memorial to his Narborough stepsons in Knowlton
Church. Their memorial displays a rendition of the grounding of HMS Association.
in Norfolk
, in 1650. He first went to sea as a cabin boy under the care of a relative on his father’s side, Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs
. Through family connections he joined the Royal Navy
as a cabin boy
in 1664.
_-_nightly_battle_between_cornelis_tromp_and_eward_spragg_(willem_van_de_velde_ii,_1707).jpg)
Early in his career he went on voyages to the West Indies and South America and on 22 January 1672 he became Midshipman
on the HMS Royal Prince
and saw action at the Battle of Sole Bay off the Suffolk coast on 28 May when a combined British and French fleet were surprised and attacked by the Dutch, led by Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
. Later in 1672 Shovell was promoted to Master's Mate
aboard HMS Fairfax
, then later the HMS Harwich
and finally the HMS Henrietta. On 21 August 1673, he again saw action, this time at the Battle of Texel
. A combined British and French fleet attempting to land troops in the Netherlands was repelled by a smaller Dutch force, again led by Admiral de Ruyter.
After Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs
died from wounds received during the Second Dutch War, Shovell’s career continued through the influence of another distant relation, Sir John Narborough
. Shovell set himself to study navigation, and, owing to his able seamanship and brave and open-hearted disposition, became a general favourite and obtained quick promotion. On 25 September 1673 he was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant
aboard the Henrietta and sailed to North Africa. In the Mediterranean he served under Narborough against the Barbary pirates
. In 1675 he transferred to the Harwich and took part in a year long action against the pirate stronghold at Tripoli
. On 14 January 1676, Shovell lead a surprise attack on the pirates sinking a number of their ships. For this action he received the sum of £ 80 from his commanding officer Sir John Narborough. Two months later a second successful raid against the pirates was undertaken, for which Shovell was awarded a gold medal from King Charles II
himself, and in a letter from the Admiralty, Samuel Pepys
recorded the king's satisfaction with Shovell’s actions. This was the beginning of his rise to prominence. On 16 April 1677 Shovell was again promoted to First Lieutenant
aboard HMS Plymouth
and just six months later he received his first command as captain
of HMS Sapphire
. He spent the next nine years in command of various ships in the Mediterranean carrying out operations against the Barbary pirates.
In May 1689 Shovell served in the Nine Years' War under Admiral Herbert
. As captain of HMS Edgar
he was present at the first fight of the Battle of Bantry Bay
when a French fleet was landing troops against King William III
. After the battle, Shovell and his fellow commander John Ashby were knighted
by the king. In October, he patrolled the area between Ireland and the Scilly Islands. In 1690 Sir Cloudesley convoyed William III across St George's Channel
to Ireland
, was promoted Rear Admiral of the Blue and fought in the Battle of Beachy Head
. In 1691 he married Lady Elizabeth Narborough, the widow of his former commanding officer. In 1692 he was appointed Rear Admiral of the Red and took part in the Battle of Cape Barfleur
in May. He joined Admiral Russell
under whom he greatly distinguished himself at La Hougue
, by being the first to break through the enemy's line aboard HMS Prince
. During this action at Barfleur, Shovell was injured in the thigh and suffered from blood poisoning but was able to recuperate back in England. Not long after, when Admiral Russell was superseded, Shovell was put in joint command of the fleet with Admiral Killigrew
and Admiral Delaval
. In 1693 and 1694 he was involved in further actions against the French in the English Channel. In 1696 he was promoted to Admiral of the Blue and in 1702 Admiral of the White by Queen Anne
. Sir Cloudesley was a particular favourite of the Queen.
, Kent
, and in 1695 was elected Member of Parliament
for Rochester
. In Crayford he was responsible for the restoration of the parish church
, St. Paulinus. Shovell served as MP for Rochester until his death. During that time he was a great benefactor to the city, providing at his own expense the fine decorated plaster ceilings in the Guildhall and the market bell, clock and decorated brick facade for the Butchers' Market, (now the Corn Exchange). All these gifts survive, except the clock which, by 1771, had deteriorated so badly that a replacement was installed by Rochester Corporation.
Shovell was also Commissioner of the Sewers, responsible for the upkeep of the embankments of the Thames
between Deptford
and Gravesend
.
after their capture by Admiral Rooke
, and in January 1704 he was named Rear-Admiral of England. Later that year he served under Admiral Rooke in the Mediterranean and cooperated in the taking of Gibraltar
. On 13 January 1705 Shovell became Admiral of the Fleet
and on 1 May the same year he was given joint command with the 3rd Earl of Peterborough of an expeditionary force to the Mediterranean, during which Spanish port of Barcelona
was besieged and captured. In November 1706 his career reached its peak when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British fleets whilst at Lisbon. In summer of 1707 he commanded the naval part of the unsuccessful Battle of Toulon
. During the War of the Spanish Succession
, a combined British, Austrian
and Dutch
force under the command of Prince Eugene besieged and attempted to take the French port of Toulon
. During this campaign, which was fought from 29 July to 21 August, Great Britain
dispatched a fleet to provide naval support. Led by Shovell, the ships sailed to the Mediterranean, attacked Toulon and also managed to inflict damage on the French fleet caught in the siege. The campaign was unsuccessful though and the alliance ultimately defeated by Franco
-Spanish units. The British fleet was subsequently ordered to return home, and set sail from Gibraltar
to Portsmouth
in late October.
When returning with the fleet to England after the campaign to Toulon, Shovell's ship, HMS Association
, at 8 pm on 22 October (November 2, by the modern calendar) 1707, struck on the rocks near the Isles of Scilly
along with several other ships, and was seen by those on board HMS St George
to go down in three or four minutes' time, not a soul being saved of 800 men that were on board. With four large ships (HMS Association, HMS Eagle
, HMS Romney
and HMS Firebrand
) and nearly 2,000 sailors lost that night, the Scilly naval disaster
was one of the greatest maritime
disasters in British history. It was later determined that the main cause of the disaster was the navigator
s' inability to accurately calculate their longitude
.
What exactly happened to Sir Cloudesley Shovell has never been discovered. The most likely outcome, considering that his body was found almost seven miles from where his ship was wrecked, suggests that Shovell left his ship in one of its boats, along with his two
Narborough
stepsons, the captain of the Association, Loades, and a pet dog and that they were drowned while trying to get to shore. Shovell's body, along with the bodies of his two
stepsons and that of Captain Loades, washed up on Porthellick Cove on St Mary's the following day. A small memorial was later erected at this site. Shovell's body was identified by the Purser
of HMS Arundel who knew the admiral well. It was identified by "a black mole under his left ear, also by the first joint of one of his forefingers being broken inwards. He had likewise a shot in his right arm, another in his left thigh". The circumstances under which the his remains were found gave rise to stories (see below). Shovell was temporarily buried on the beach at Porthellick Cove (see image). By order of Queen Anne
the body was later exhumed and brought back aboard HMS Salisbury
to Plymouth
, where it was embalmed by Dr James Yonge. It was later carried in state to London. During the journey from the West Country
, large crowds turned out to pay their respects. On 22 December 1707 he was interred in Westminster Abbey
. His large marble monument in the south choir aisle was sculpted by Grinling Gibbons
. His two stepsons were buried in Old Town
Church on St Mary’s. The Council of the Scilly Isles commemorated the tercentenary of the disaster in 2007.
ring which had been given to him by a close friend, Captain James Lord Dursley
. At that time, the Scillies had a wild and lawless reputation. According to a letter written in 1709 by Edmund Herbert, a young man sent to Scilly by Shovell's family to help locate and recover items belonging to the admiral, Sir Cloudesley's body was first found by two women "stript of his shirt" and " his ring was also lost off his hand, which however left ye impression on his finger". Shovell's widow Elizabeth had offered a large reward for the recovery of any family property. It is claimed that the murder only came to light some thirty years later when the woman, on her deathbed, confessed to a clergyman to having killed the admiral and produced the stolen ring, which was sent back to the 3rd Earl of Berkeley
.
It is also said that a common sailor on his ship tried to warn them that they were off course, either because he was a native of the Scilly Isles and knew a distinct smell of the land or he had been keeping his own log (which is a variant appearing in the late 19th century), but Shovell had him hanged at the yardarm for inciting mutiny. While it is not at all unlikely that a sailor might have debated the vessel's location and feared for its fate (such debates were common upon entering the English Channel as noted by Samuel Pepys
in 1684), there is no evidence that the man was hanged in contemporary documents. Regardless, assuming this sailor did exist and was not hanged, he was equally dead by drowning with the rest of the crew of the Association a few hours later.
in the 2000 television movie Longitude. He is also referred to in Patrick O'Brian's novel "Blue at the Mizzen" in which Mr Woodbine recalls running for the Scillies under full topsails with the wind and hoping not to run on to the reef "like Sir Cloudesley Shovell".
In Robert Goddard
's novel Name to a Face, the recovery of the ring Shovell was wearing when the Association sank is central to the plot.
A Halifax tavern named for Shovell appears in Paul Marlowe
's Knights of the Sea.
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
Sir Cloudesley Shovell (c. November 1650 – 22 October or 23 October 1707), was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
naval officer. Rising through the ranks and fighting in many of the important battles of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, he became a popular British hero, whose celebrated career was brought to an end in a disastrous shipwreck in the Isles of Scilly
Scilly naval disaster of 1707
Scilly naval disaster of 1707 is an umbrella term for the events of 22 October 1707 that led to the sinking of a British naval fleet off the Isles of Scilly. With four large ships and more than 1,400 sailors lost in stormy weather, it was one of the greatest maritime disasters in the history of...
. He also served as MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Rochester
Rochester (UK Parliament constituency)
Rochester was a parliamentary constituency in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
from 1695 until his death.
Origin and family
The unusual Christian name of Cloudesley was the surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
of his maternal grandmother Lucy Cloudisley, who was the daughter of Thomas Cloudisley. His father, John Shovel, a gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
, was descended from a family who had property and standing in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and his mother was descended from local gentry. Although not poor, the Shovells were by no means wealthy.
In 1653, when Cloudesley was three, his father died. He left £100 to each of his three sons, Nathaniel, Thomas and Cloudesley. Cloudesley's widowed mother, Anne Jenkinson, remarried John Flaxman. In 1691 Cloudesley Shovell married Elizabeth, Lady Narborough (née Hill), the widow of his former commander, Rear Admiral Sir John Narborough
John Narborough
Rear-Admiral Sir John Narborough or Narbrough was an English naval commander of the 17th century. He served with distinction during the Anglo-Dutch Wars and against the Barbary Coast pirates.-Early life:...
. Through her, he had two stepsons Sir John Narborough, 1st Baronet, and James Narborough) who both entered naval careers and died, aged 23 and 22, in the sinking of HMS Association
HMS Association
HMS Association was a 90-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1697. She served with distinction at the capture of Gibraltar, and was lost in 1707 by grounding on the Isles of Scilly in the greatest maritime disaster of the age.-Service:Association...
in 1707. Shovell and his wife had two daughters: Elizabeth and Anne. Elizabeth married first the 1st Baron Romney
Earl of Romney
Earl of Romney is a title that has been created twice. It was first created in the Peerage of England in 1694 in favour of the soldier and politician Henry Sydney. He had been made Baron Milton and Viscount Sidney at the same time in 1689. Sydney was the younger son of Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of...
whilst Anne married John Blackwood. Elizabeth Shovell, the former Lady Narborough, is buried in St Paulinus Church, Crayford
Crayford
Crayford is a town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bexley that was an important bridging point in Roman times across the River Cray, a tributary of the River Darent, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-History:...
, where there is a memorial to her and her husband. Cloudesley Shovell is also mentioned on the memorial to his Narborough stepsons in Knowlton
Knowlton, Kent
Knowlton was an eccesiastical and civil parish; the former was abolished in 1940 , the latter in 1935 , and the hamlet is now part of Goodnestone civil parish. It is located about 10 miles north of Dover in Kent, England. Knowlton Hall, set in of parkland, is located here.The Church of St Clement...
Church. Their memorial displays a rendition of the grounding of HMS Association.
Spelling of his name
There are many different versions used for the spelling of both his Christian name and surname. He used the spelling Cloudesley Shovell in his will written on 20 April 1701 when he was fifty. Both his father and his widow also spelt their surname as Shovell in their wills. The Christian name Cloudesley was often indistinctly signed which may have given rise to variety of spellings used by subsequent biographers. Nonetheless, spellings such as Cloudisley and Shovel are occasionally seen in books and articles on him.Early life
Shovell was baptised at CockthorpeCockthorpe, Norfolk
Cockthorpe is a hamlet within the civil parish of Binham, in the English county of Norfolk. It is north-west of Holt, north-west of Norwich and north of London. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham for the Bittern Line which runs between Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich. The nearest...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, in 1650. He first went to sea as a cabin boy under the care of a relative on his father’s side, Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs
Christopher Myngs
Sir Christopher Myngs , English admiral and pirate, came of a Norfolk family and was a relative of another admiral, Sir Cloudesley Shovell. Pepys' story of his humble birth, in explanation of his popularity, is said to be erroneous. His name is often given as Mings.The date of Myngs's birth is...
. Through family connections he 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...
as a cabin boy
Cabin boy
A Cabin boy or ship's boy is a boy who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship, especially running errands for the captain....
in 1664.
Service in the Royal Navy
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
on the HMS Royal Prince
HMS Prince (1670)
HMS Prince was a 100-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett II at Deptford Dockyard and launched in 1670. A contemporary shipyard model and a drawing by Willem van de Velde the Elder give a good impression how she looked...
and saw action at the Battle of Sole Bay off the Suffolk coast on 28 May when a combined British and French fleet were surprised and attacked by the Dutch, led by Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter is the most famous and one of the most skilled admirals in Dutch history. De Ruyter is most famous for his role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century. He fought the English and French and scored several major victories against them, the best known probably...
. Later in 1672 Shovell was promoted to 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...
aboard HMS Fairfax
HMS Fairfax (1653)
HMS Fairfax was a 52-gun third rate frigate, built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England by John Taylor at Chatham and launched in 1653. She retained her name after the Restoration in 1660.Fairfax was wrecked in 1682....
, then later the HMS Harwich
HMS Harwich
Five ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Harwich, after the town of Harwich. A sixth was planned, but renamed before entering service:...
and finally the HMS Henrietta. On 21 August 1673, he again saw action, this time at the Battle of Texel
Battle of Texel
The naval Battle of Texel or Battle of Kijkduin took place on 21 August 1673 between the Dutch and the combined English and French fleets and was the last major battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, which was itself part of the Franco-Dutch War , during which Louis XIV of France invaded the...
. A combined British and French fleet attempting to land troops in the Netherlands was repelled by a smaller Dutch force, again led by Admiral de Ruyter.
After Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs
Christopher Myngs
Sir Christopher Myngs , English admiral and pirate, came of a Norfolk family and was a relative of another admiral, Sir Cloudesley Shovell. Pepys' story of his humble birth, in explanation of his popularity, is said to be erroneous. His name is often given as Mings.The date of Myngs's birth is...
died from wounds received during the Second Dutch War, Shovell’s career continued through the influence of another distant relation, Sir John Narborough
John Narborough
Rear-Admiral Sir John Narborough or Narbrough was an English naval commander of the 17th century. He served with distinction during the Anglo-Dutch Wars and against the Barbary Coast pirates.-Early life:...
. Shovell set himself to study navigation, and, owing to his able seamanship and brave and open-hearted disposition, became a general favourite and obtained quick promotion. On 25 September 1673 he was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
aboard the Henrietta and sailed to North Africa. In the Mediterranean he served under Narborough against the Barbary pirates
Barbary corsairs
The Barbary Corsairs, sometimes called Ottoman Corsairs or Barbary Pirates, were pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers. This area was known in Europe as the Barbary Coast, a term derived from the name of its Berber...
. In 1675 he transferred to the Harwich and took part in a year long action against the pirate stronghold at Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. On 14 January 1676, Shovell lead a surprise attack on the pirates sinking a number of their ships. For this action he received the sum of £ 80 from his commanding officer Sir John Narborough. Two months later a second successful raid against the pirates was undertaken, for which Shovell was awarded a gold medal from King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
himself, and in a letter from the Admiralty, Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
recorded the king's satisfaction with Shovell’s actions. This was the beginning of his rise to prominence. On 16 April 1677 Shovell was again promoted to First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
aboard HMS Plymouth
HMS Plymouth (1653)
HMS Plymouth was a 52-gun third-rate frigate, built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England and launched at Wapping in 1653. By 1677 her armament had been increased to 60 guns....
and just six months later he received his first command as captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
of HMS Sapphire
HMS Sapphire (1675)
HMS Sapphire was a 32-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy. She was designed and built by Sir Anthony Deane at Harwich in 1675, at a cost of £4,175....
. He spent the next nine years in command of various ships in the Mediterranean carrying out operations against the Barbary pirates.
In May 1689 Shovell served in the Nine Years' War under Admiral Herbert
Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington
Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington was a British admiral and politician of the late 17th and early 18th century. Cashiered as a rear-admiral by James II of England in 1688 for refusing to vote to repeal the Test Act, which prevented Catholics from holding offices, he brought the Invitation to...
. As captain of HMS Edgar
HMS Edgar (1668)
HMS Edgar was a 72-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Baylie of Bristol and launched in 1668. By 1685 she was carrying 74 guns....
he was present at the first fight of the Battle of Bantry Bay
Battle of Bantry Bay
The Battle of Bantry Bay was a naval engagement fought on 11 May 1689 during the Nine Years' War. The Allied fleet was commanded by Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington; the French fleet by François Louis de Rousselet, Marquis de Châteaurenault...
when a French fleet was landing troops against King William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
. After the battle, Shovell and his fellow commander John Ashby were knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
by the king. In October, he patrolled the area between Ireland and the Scilly Islands. In 1690 Sir Cloudesley convoyed William III across St George's Channel
St George's Channel
St George's Channel is a sea channel connecting the Irish Sea to the north and the Celtic Sea to the southwest.Historically, the name "St Georges Channel" was used interchangeably with "Irish Sea" or "Irish Channel" to encompass all the waters between Ireland to the west and Great Britain to the...
to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, was promoted Rear Admiral of the Blue and fought in the Battle of Beachy Head
Battle of Beachy Head (1690)
The Battle of Beachy Head was a naval engagement fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. The battle was the greatest French tactical naval victory over their English and Dutch opponents during the war...
. In 1691 he married Lady Elizabeth Narborough, the widow of his former commanding officer. In 1692 he was appointed Rear Admiral of the Red and took part in the Battle of Cape Barfleur
Battle of Barfleur
This article deals in detail with the action on 19 May 1692. For an overview of the battle, its background and aftermath, see Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue...
in May. He joined Admiral Russell
Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford
Admiral of the Fleet Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford, PC was the First Lord of the Admiralty under King William III.-Naval career:...
under whom he greatly distinguished himself at La Hougue
Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue
The related naval battles of Barfleur and La Hogue took place between 29 May and 4 June New Style , 1692 ....
, by being the first to break through the enemy's line aboard HMS Prince
HMS Prince (1670)
HMS Prince was a 100-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett II at Deptford Dockyard and launched in 1670. A contemporary shipyard model and a drawing by Willem van de Velde the Elder give a good impression how she looked...
. During this action at Barfleur, Shovell was injured in the thigh and suffered from blood poisoning but was able to recuperate back in England. Not long after, when Admiral Russell was superseded, Shovell was put in joint command of the fleet with Admiral Killigrew
Henry Killigrew (Royal Navy officer)
Vice Admiral Henry Killigrew was an English Royal Navy officer. He was the son of the playwright Henry Killigrew. He was active in the 1670s and 1680s, and was promoted to vice-admiral in 1689. He was suspected of Jacobite sympathies, and not given a sea command after 1693...
and Admiral Delaval
Ralph Delaval
Admiral Sir Ralph Delaval was an English naval admiral.He was a member of a junior branch of the Delaval family of Seaton Delaval, Northumberland...
. In 1693 and 1694 he was involved in further actions against the French in the English Channel. In 1696 he was promoted to Admiral of the Blue and in 1702 Admiral of the White by Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
. Sir Cloudesley was a particular favourite of the Queen.
Politician and benefactor
In 1694 Shovell set up residence with his wife at May Place in CrayfordCrayford
Crayford is a town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bexley that was an important bridging point in Roman times across the River Cray, a tributary of the River Darent, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-History:...
, 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...
, and in 1695 was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Rochester
Rochester (UK Parliament constituency)
Rochester was a parliamentary constituency in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
. In Crayford he was responsible for the restoration of the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, St. Paulinus. Shovell served as MP for Rochester until his death. During that time he was a great benefactor to the city, providing at his own expense the fine decorated plaster ceilings in the Guildhall and the market bell, clock and decorated brick facade for the Butchers' Market, (now the Corn Exchange). All these gifts survive, except the clock which, by 1771, had deteriorated so badly that a replacement was installed by Rochester Corporation.
Shovell was also Commissioner of the Sewers, responsible for the upkeep of the embankments of the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
between Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
and Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
.
Commander-in-Chief of the British fleets
In 1702 Shovell brought home the spoils of the French and Spanish fleets from VigoVigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
after their capture by Admiral Rooke
George Rooke
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke was an English naval commander. He is known for his service in the wars against France and particularly remembered today for his victory at Vigo Bay and for capturing Gibraltar for the British in 1704.-Early life:Rooke was born at St Lawrence, near Canterbury...
, and in January 1704 he was named Rear-Admiral of England. Later that year he served under Admiral Rooke in the Mediterranean and cooperated in the taking of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. On 13 January 1705 Shovell became Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
and on 1 May the same year he was given joint command with the 3rd Earl of Peterborough of an expeditionary force to the Mediterranean, during which Spanish port of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
was besieged and captured. In November 1706 his career reached its peak when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British fleets whilst at Lisbon. In summer of 1707 he commanded the naval part of the unsuccessful Battle of Toulon
Battle of Toulon (1707)
The Battle of Toulon was fought from July 29 to August 21, 1707 at Toulon, France during the War of the Spanish Succession. During the battle, a French and Spanish force defeated one from Austria, the Dutch Republic, Savoy and Great Britain....
. During the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, a combined British, Austrian
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
and Dutch
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
force under the command of Prince Eugene besieged and attempted to take the French port of Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. During this campaign, which was fought from 29 July to 21 August, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
dispatched a fleet to provide naval support. Led by Shovell, the ships sailed to the Mediterranean, attacked Toulon and also managed to inflict damage on the French fleet caught in the siege. The campaign was unsuccessful though and the alliance ultimately defeated by Franco
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
-Spanish units. The British fleet was subsequently ordered to return home, and set sail from Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
in late October.
Death in the Scilly naval disaster
HMS Association
HMS Association was a 90-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1697. She served with distinction at the capture of Gibraltar, and was lost in 1707 by grounding on the Isles of Scilly in the greatest maritime disaster of the age.-Service:Association...
, at 8 pm on 22 October (November 2, by the modern calendar) 1707, struck on the rocks near the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
along with several other ships, and was seen by those on board HMS St George
HMS Charles (1668)
HMS Charles was 96-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Christopher Pett at Deptford Dockyard until his death in March 1668, then completed by Jonas Shish after being launched in the same month. Her name was formally Charles the Second, but she was known simply as Charles,...
to go down in three or four minutes' time, not a soul being saved of 800 men that were on board. With four large ships (HMS Association, HMS Eagle
HMS Eagle (1679)
HMS Eagle was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1679.She underwent a rebuild at Chatham Dockyard in 1699, retaining her armament of 70 guns....
, HMS Romney
HMS Romney (1694)
HMS Romney was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Blackwall Yard in 1694.Commanded by Captain William Coney, Romney was wrecked on the Scilly Isles on 26 October 1707 when a disastrous navigational error sent Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet through dangerous...
and HMS Firebrand
HMS Firebrand (1694)
HMS Firebrand was a Royal Navy fireship built at Limehouse in 1694, the first Royal Naval vessel to bear the name.-Service:Firebrand served in the Caribbean and Mediterranean...
) and nearly 2,000 sailors lost that night, the Scilly naval disaster
Scilly naval disaster of 1707
Scilly naval disaster of 1707 is an umbrella term for the events of 22 October 1707 that led to the sinking of a British naval fleet off the Isles of Scilly. With four large ships and more than 1,400 sailors lost in stormy weather, it was one of the greatest maritime disasters in the history of...
was one of the greatest maritime
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
disasters in British history. It was later determined that the main cause of the disaster was the navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
s' inability to accurately calculate their longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
.
What exactly happened to Sir Cloudesley Shovell has never been discovered. The most likely outcome, considering that his body was found almost seven miles from where his ship was wrecked, suggests that Shovell left his ship in one of its boats, along with his two
Narborough
John Narborough
Rear-Admiral Sir John Narborough or Narbrough was an English naval commander of the 17th century. He served with distinction during the Anglo-Dutch Wars and against the Barbary Coast pirates.-Early life:...
stepsons, the captain of the Association, Loades, and a pet dog and that they were drowned while trying to get to shore. Shovell's body, along with the bodies of his two
stepsons and that of Captain Loades, washed up on Porthellick Cove on St Mary's the following day. A small memorial was later erected at this site. Shovell's body was identified by the Purser
Purser
The purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
of HMS Arundel who knew the admiral well. It was identified by "a black mole under his left ear, also by the first joint of one of his forefingers being broken inwards. He had likewise a shot in his right arm, another in his left thigh". The circumstances under which the his remains were found gave rise to stories (see below). Shovell was temporarily buried on the beach at Porthellick Cove (see image). By order of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
the body was later exhumed and brought back aboard HMS Salisbury
HMS Salisbury (1707)
HMS Salisbury was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Chatham Dockyard to the dimensions of the 1706 Establishment, and launched on 3 July 1707...
to Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, where it was embalmed by Dr James Yonge. It was later carried in state to London. During the journey from the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
, large crowds turned out to pay their respects. On 22 December 1707 he was interred in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. His large marble monument in the south choir aisle was sculpted by Grinling Gibbons
Grinling Gibbons
Grinling Gibbons was an English sculptor and wood carver known for his work in England, including St Paul's Cathedral, Blenheim Palace and Hampton Court Palace. He was born and educated in Holland where his father was a merchant...
. His two stepsons were buried in Old Town
Old Town, Isles of Scilly
Old Town is a village on St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly located south of Hugh Town. It is thought to be the oldest settlement on the island. There is a church, an Inn 'The Old Town Inn', two cafes, a village store and a day nursery. It is a popular tourist area and is only a short distance from...
Church on St Mary’s. The Council of the Scilly Isles commemorated the tercentenary of the disaster in 2007.
Legends of the disaster
It is said that Shovell was alive, at least barely, when he reached the shore of Scilly at Porthellick Cove, but was murdered by a woman for the sake of his priceless emeraldEmerald
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
ring which had been given to him by a close friend, Captain James Lord Dursley
James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley
Vice-Admiral James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley KG, PC was the son of Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley and the Hon. Elizabeth Noel. He was known by the courtesy title of Viscount Dursley prior to succeeding as Earl of Berkeley in 1710...
. At that time, the Scillies had a wild and lawless reputation. According to a letter written in 1709 by Edmund Herbert, a young man sent to Scilly by Shovell's family to help locate and recover items belonging to the admiral, Sir Cloudesley's body was first found by two women "stript of his shirt" and " his ring was also lost off his hand, which however left ye impression on his finger". Shovell's widow Elizabeth had offered a large reward for the recovery of any family property. It is claimed that the murder only came to light some thirty years later when the woman, on her deathbed, confessed to a clergyman to having killed the admiral and produced the stolen ring, which was sent back to the 3rd Earl of Berkeley
James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley
Vice-Admiral James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley KG, PC was the son of Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley and the Hon. Elizabeth Noel. He was known by the courtesy title of Viscount Dursley prior to succeeding as Earl of Berkeley in 1710...
.
It is also said that a common sailor on his ship tried to warn them that they were off course, either because he was a native of the Scilly Isles and knew a distinct smell of the land or he had been keeping his own log (which is a variant appearing in the late 19th century), but Shovell had him hanged at the yardarm for inciting mutiny. While it is not at all unlikely that a sailor might have debated the vessel's location and feared for its fate (such debates were common upon entering the English Channel as noted by Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
in 1684), there is no evidence that the man was hanged in contemporary documents. Regardless, assuming this sailor did exist and was not hanged, he was equally dead by drowning with the rest of the crew of the Association a few hours later.
In fiction
Shovell was portrayed by English actor Jonathan CoyJonathan Coy
Jonathan Coy is a British actor born in Hammersmith, London on 24 April 1953. He has worked since 1975 largely in television, notably as Henry in the long running legal series Rumpole and as Bracegirdle in the television series Hornblower, adapted from the books by C. S. Forester...
in the 2000 television movie Longitude. He is also referred to in Patrick O'Brian's novel "Blue at the Mizzen" in which Mr Woodbine recalls running for the Scillies under full topsails with the wind and hoping not to run on to the reef "like Sir Cloudesley Shovell".
In Robert Goddard
Robert Goddard (novelist)
Robert Francis Goddard is a British novelist.-Life and career:Goddard was educated at Wallisdean County Junior School and Price's Grammar School in Fareham before going on to study history at the University of Cambridge...
's novel Name to a Face, the recovery of the ring Shovell was wearing when the Association sank is central to the plot.
A Halifax tavern named for Shovell appears in Paul Marlowe
Paul Marlowe
Paul Marlowe is a Canadian author of historical fiction and science fiction. Much of his historical fiction is connected in some way with the Etheric Explorers Club, a Victorian society devoted to investigating unusual or supernatural phenomena.-Radio Plays:...
's Knights of the Sea.
External links
- "A Biographical Memoir of Sir Cloudesly Shovel" — Originally printed in the March 1815 issue of The Naval Chronicle
- 'Shovell, Sir Cloudesley (bap. 1650, d. 1707)' — Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article by John B. Hattendorf (Oxford University Press, 2004)