James Macnamara
Encyclopedia
James Macnamara was an officer of the Royal Navy
who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
.
Born into a naval family, Macnamara served in the East Indies
during the last years of the American War of Independence, seeing action with Hughes at the Battle of Cuddalore
. He received the acting rank of lieutenant during this time, but reverted to midshipman
afterwards. He returned to naval service during the Spanish and Russian armaments, and was serving with Lord Hood
aboard on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. He saw action in the Mediterranean and was eventually promoted to his own commands. He achieved success as a daring frigate captain, serving with Nelson
and making several hard-fought captures. He finished his service in the Mediterranean with action at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, and later served in the West Indies before the Peace of Amiens.
Macnamara found himself in trouble with the law after killing a man in a duel
, but summoned a bevy of naval officers to testify in his defence, and was acquitted. He commanded a number of ships of the line in the following years, in the Baltic
, North Sea
and off of the French coast. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1814, but did not receive a sea-going command. He married in 1818 and died in 1826, having served with prominent naval officers like Hood, Jervis
and Nelson in a long and distinguished career.
, and entered the navy in 1782 aboard the 80-gun . Gibraltar went out that year to the East Indies
, flying the broad pennant
of Commodore
Sir Richard Bickerton. On his arrival he was transferred to the 74-gun , the flagship
of the station commander, Sir Edward Hughes. Macnamara saw action at the Battle of Cuddalore
on 20 June 1783 against M. de Suffren
, in which battle Superb sustained losses of 12 men killed and 41 wounded. He was then given an acting rank of lieutenant aboard the 68-gun and returned to England with her. He then reverted to the rank of midshipman
and served aboard the 50-gun at Jamaica
. Europa was at the time the flagship of Admiral Alexander Innes. After some years in this position, he received his lieutenant's commission on 1 December 1788 and went on to serve during the Spanish armament in 1789 and the Russian armament in 1791. He was first aboard the 74-gun under Captain John Gell
, later following him to the 100-gun , flying the flag of Admiral Lord Hood
.
and was promoted by Hood to the rank of master and commander on 22 October 1793, at about the time of the evacuation of the port. He was appointed acting captain of the 74-gun , followed by the 32-gun . Despite these commands an official mistake meant that his commission as post captain was dated 6 October 1795. Southampton was assigned to a squadron commanded by Commodore Horatio Nelson
, supporting the Austrian army in Genoa
.
. The convoy was protected by two frigates, the Vestale and the Brun. The French finally came out on the evening of the fifteenth day, and were engaged by Southampton, despite the French possessing considerably more firepower. After a sustained engagement Southampton forced Vestale to strike her colours while the Brun escaped with the convoy, leaving Vestale to her fate. But as Southampton prepared to lower her boats to take possession of the French ship, her fore-mast, which had been damaged during the engagement, went by the board. Taking advantage of this, Vestale raised her colours and escaped from the scene.
Macnamara had another chance to distinguish himself, when on 9 June 1796 a French corvette
was sighted entering Hyères
bay, and Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis
, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, summoned Macnamara to his flagship
, HMS Victory. He asked Macnamara to bring out the French ship if he could. Recognising the difficulty and risk that would be involved, he did not make it a formal written order, instead instructing Macnamara 'bring out the enemy's ship if you can; I'll give you no written order; but I direct you to take care of the king's ship under your command.' Macnamara promptly took his ship in under the guns of the batteries, and apparently having been mistaken for a French or neutral frigate, closed to within pistol shot of the French ship, and demanded her captain surrender. The captain replied with a broadside, and Macnamara brought Southampton alongside and sent his first lieutenant, Charles Lydiard
, over in command of the boarders. After subduing fierce resistance Lydiard took possession of the French ship and together he and Macnamara escaped out to sea under heavy fire from the French shore batteries. Macnamara reported his triumph to Jervis
The prize, a 24-gun corvette
named Utile, was taken into service with the Royal Navy as and Lydiard was promoted and given command of her, a commission confirmed on 22 July 1796. Macnamara's later service with Nelson included the capture of Portoferraio, the evacuations of Caprera
and Corsica
, and expeditions against Piombino
and Castiglione
. Macnamara had already developed a reputation for intrepidity bordering on recklessness, and he displayed these qualities again in an attack on the 18-gun Spanish brig
Corso in a strong gale under enemy shore batteries. The first attempt to capture her failed, with only one man, the coxswain
, getting on board. Macnamara tried again, managing to place 30 men aboard the Spanish ship, at which she surrendered. Having done so the weather prevented any further attempt to make contact with the prize. One of Macnamara's last acts in support of the Mediterranean Fleet was to take part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797, in which Southampton formed part of the centre of the line
as a repeating frigate.
Echange, and on 20 October 1799 came across a convoy of Spanish merchantmen escorted by five frigates and two brigs. Despite the enemy's numerical superiority Macnamara attacked and captured one of the frigates, but was forced to abandon his prize after the other Spanish frigates came to her defence. He also captured a merchant ship, and having took her men off, burnt her. Cerberus sustained minor damage during the engagement, and had only four men wounded. The Admiralty
showed their approval of Macnamara's actions by promoting his first lieutenant. Macnamara was then sent out to the West Indies, where he cruised off Jamaica
and San Domingo until the Peace of Amiens. Cerberus was then paid off in February 1803, and Macnamara went ashore.
. While walking his Newfoundland
dog in Hyde Park
on 6 April 1803 he had an altercation with a Colonel Montgomery, when their dogs began fighting. Harsh words were exchanged, and the two parties fought a duel that evening at Chalk Farm
. Both men were wounded, the colonel mortally. Macnamara was arrested on a charge of manslaughter
and put on trial at the Old Bailey
on 22 April. Macnamara defended himself from the charge on the grounds that he had received an affront and that it was necessary for him to challenge it in order to maintain his position as a naval officer. He summoned many of his naval friends, among whom Viscounts Hood and Nelson, Lord Hotham
, Sir Hyde Parker, Sir Thomas Troubridge
, Captains Martin
, Towry, Lydiard, Moore
and Waller
; and General Churchill and Lord Minto
, to testify in his defence. They supported his assertion that he was the 'reverse of quarrelsome' and the jury took ten minutes to acquit him.
. He commanded her for two years on this station before taking command of the 74-gun . Macnamara served with the Baltic Fleet under Sir Richard Goodwin Keats
in the Great Belt
in 1808. During this service he took command of a squadron of gunboat
s and attacked a Danish brig and cutter off Nyborg
. In a fierce attack, in which seven Danes were killed and thirteen wounded to one British officer killed and two seamen wounded; both Danish ships were captured. They were found to be the 18-gun Fama
and the 12-gun Salorman
. Macnamara was then appointed to the 74-gun in 1809. This service took him back to the North Sea and then the coast of France. While commanding a small squadron blockading Cherbourg on 24 March 1811, he chased the French frigate Amazone off Barfleur
, forcing her crew to abandon and burn her.
, Bristol
, on 15 January 1826 at the age of 57.
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...
who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Born into a naval family, Macnamara served in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
during the last years of the American War of Independence, seeing action with Hughes at the Battle of Cuddalore
Battle of Cuddalore (1783)
The Battle of Cuddalore was a battle between a British fleet under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes and a slightly smaller French fleet under the Bailli de Suffren off the coast of India near Cuddalore during the American Revolutionary War, which in 1780 had sparked the Second Mysore War in India...
. He received the acting rank of lieutenant during this time, but reverted to midshipman
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...
afterwards. He returned to naval service during the Spanish and Russian armaments, and was serving with Lord Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was a British Admiral known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars...
aboard on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. He saw action in the Mediterranean and was eventually promoted to his own commands. He achieved success as a daring frigate captain, serving with Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
and making several hard-fought captures. He finished his service in the Mediterranean with action at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, and later served in the West Indies before the Peace of Amiens.
Macnamara found himself in trouble with the law after killing a man in a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
, but summoned a bevy of naval officers to testify in his defence, and was acquitted. He commanded a number of ships of the line in the following years, in the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and off of the French coast. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1814, but did not receive a sea-going command. He married in 1818 and died in 1826, having served with prominent naval officers like Hood, Jervis
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
and Nelson in a long and distinguished career.
Family and early life
Macnamara was born into a naval family in 1768 in County ClareCounty Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, and entered the navy in 1782 aboard the 80-gun . Gibraltar went out that year to the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
, flying the broad pennant
Broad pennant
A broad pennant is a swallow-tailed tapering flag flown from the masthead of a ship to indicate the presence of a commodore on board. It is so called because its dimensions are roughly 2:3....
of Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
Sir Richard Bickerton. On his arrival he was transferred to the 74-gun , the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the station commander, Sir Edward Hughes. Macnamara saw action at the Battle of Cuddalore
Battle of Cuddalore (1783)
The Battle of Cuddalore was a battle between a British fleet under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes and a slightly smaller French fleet under the Bailli de Suffren off the coast of India near Cuddalore during the American Revolutionary War, which in 1780 had sparked the Second Mysore War in India...
on 20 June 1783 against M. de Suffren
Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez
Admiral comte Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, bailli de Suffren , French admiral, was the third son of the marquis de Saint Tropez, head of a family of nobles of Provence which claimed to have emigrated from Lucca in the 14th century...
, in which battle Superb sustained losses of 12 men killed and 41 wounded. He was then given an acting rank of lieutenant aboard the 68-gun and returned to England with her. He then reverted to the rank of midshipman
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...
and served aboard the 50-gun at 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...
. Europa was at the time the flagship of Admiral Alexander Innes. After some years in this position, he received his lieutenant's commission on 1 December 1788 and went on to serve during the Spanish armament in 1789 and the Russian armament in 1791. He was first aboard the 74-gun under Captain John Gell
John Gell (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral John Gell was from the Gell and Eyre families of Hopton Hall in Derbyshire. He served with the Royal Navy, fighting in India and taking part in the occupation of Toulon.Gell was a commander in the Royal Navy for over...
, later following him to the 100-gun , flying the flag of Admiral Lord Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was a British Admiral known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars...
.
French Revolutionary Wars
Macnamara continued to serve with Hood aboard Victory after the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France in 1793. He took part in the occupation of ToulonSiege of Toulon
The Siege of Toulon was an early Republican victory over a Royalist rebellion in the Southern French city of Toulon. It is also often known as the Fall of Toulon.-Context:...
and was promoted by Hood to the rank of master and commander on 22 October 1793, at about the time of the evacuation of the port. He was appointed acting captain of the 74-gun , followed by the 32-gun . Despite these commands an official mistake meant that his commission as post captain was dated 6 October 1795. Southampton was assigned to a squadron commanded by Commodore Horatio Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
, supporting the Austrian army in Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
.
Command of Southampton
Macnamara they spent 15 days in September 1795 blockading a French grain convoy in the port of GenoaGenoa
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....
. The convoy was protected by two frigates, the Vestale and the Brun. The French finally came out on the evening of the fifteenth day, and were engaged by Southampton, despite the French possessing considerably more firepower. After a sustained engagement Southampton forced Vestale to strike her colours while the Brun escaped with the convoy, leaving Vestale to her fate. But as Southampton prepared to lower her boats to take possession of the French ship, her fore-mast, which had been damaged during the engagement, went by the board. Taking advantage of this, Vestale raised her colours and escaped from the scene.
Macnamara had another chance to distinguish himself, when on 9 June 1796 a French corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
was sighted entering Hyères
Hyères
Hyères , Provençal Occitan: Ieras in classical norm or Iero in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France....
bay, and Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, summoned Macnamara to his flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
, HMS Victory. He asked Macnamara to bring out the French ship if he could. Recognising the difficulty and risk that would be involved, he did not make it a formal written order, instead instructing Macnamara 'bring out the enemy's ship if you can; I'll give you no written order; but I direct you to take care of the king's ship under your command.' Macnamara promptly took his ship in under the guns of the batteries, and apparently having been mistaken for a French or neutral frigate, closed to within pistol shot of the French ship, and demanded her captain surrender. The captain replied with a broadside, and Macnamara brought Southampton alongside and sent his first lieutenant, Charles Lydiard
Charles Lydiard
Charles Lydiard was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
, over in command of the boarders. After subduing fierce resistance Lydiard took possession of the French ship and together he and Macnamara escaped out to sea under heavy fire from the French shore batteries. Macnamara reported his triumph to Jervis
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
named Utile, was taken into service with the Royal Navy as and Lydiard was promoted and given command of her, a commission confirmed on 22 July 1796. Macnamara's later service with Nelson included the capture of Portoferraio, the evacuations of Caprera
Caprera
Caprera is a small island off the coast of Sardinia, Italy, located in the Maddalena archipelago.In the area of La Maddalena island in the Strait of Bonifacio, it is a tourist destination and is famous as the place to which Giuseppe Garibaldi retired .This island has been declared a natural reserve...
and Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, and expeditions against Piombino
Piombino
Piombino is an Italian town and comune of circa 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno . It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma.-Overview:...
and Castiglione
Castiglione Chiavarese
Castiglione Chiavarese is a comune in the Province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about 50 km southeast of Genoa....
. Macnamara had already developed a reputation for intrepidity bordering on recklessness, and he displayed these qualities again in an attack on the 18-gun Spanish brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Corso in a strong gale under enemy shore batteries. The first attempt to capture her failed, with only one man, the coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
, getting on board. Macnamara tried again, managing to place 30 men aboard the Spanish ship, at which she surrendered. Having done so the weather prevented any further attempt to make contact with the prize. One of Macnamara's last acts in support of the Mediterranean Fleet was to take part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797, in which Southampton formed part of the centre of the line
Line of battle
In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line end to end. A primitive form had been used by the Portuguese under Vasco Da Gama in 1502 near Malabar against a Muslim fleet.,Maarten Tromp used it in the Action of 18 September 1639 while its first use in...
as a repeating frigate.
Captain of Cerberus
Southampton returned to Britain within a few months of the battle, and Macnamara was appointed to command the 32-gun , initially on the Irish station. During his time there he captured the 10-gun French privateerPrivateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Echange, and on 20 October 1799 came across a convoy of Spanish merchantmen escorted by five frigates and two brigs. Despite the enemy's numerical superiority Macnamara attacked and captured one of the frigates, but was forced to abandon his prize after the other Spanish frigates came to her defence. He also captured a merchant ship, and having took her men off, burnt her. Cerberus sustained minor damage during the engagement, and had only four men wounded. The Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
showed their approval of Macnamara's actions by promoting his first lieutenant. Macnamara was then sent out to the West Indies, where he cruised off 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...
and San Domingo until the Peace of Amiens. Cerberus was then paid off in February 1803, and Macnamara went ashore.
Duel
While ashore during the peace Macnamara contrived to become embroiled in a duelDuel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
. While walking his Newfoundland
Newfoundland (dog)
The Newfoundland is a breed of large dog. Newfoundlands can be black, brown, gray, or black and white. They were originally bred and used as a working dog for fishermen in the Dominion of Newfoundland, now part of Canada. They are known for their giant size, tremendous strength, calm dispositions,...
dog in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
on 6 April 1803 he had an altercation with a Colonel Montgomery, when their dogs began fighting. Harsh words were exchanged, and the two parties fought a duel that evening at Chalk Farm
Chalk Farm
Chalk Farm is an area of north London, England. It lies directly to the north of Camden Town and its underground station is the closest tube station to the nearby, upmarket neighbourhood of Primrose Hill....
. Both men were wounded, the colonel mortally. Macnamara was arrested on a charge of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and put on trial at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
on 22 April. Macnamara defended himself from the charge on the grounds that he had received an affront and that it was necessary for him to challenge it in order to maintain his position as a naval officer. He summoned many of his naval friends, among whom Viscounts Hood and Nelson, Lord Hotham
William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham
Admiral William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the son of Sir Beaumont Hotham , a lineal descendant of Sir John Hotham....
, Sir Hyde Parker, Sir Thomas Troubridge
Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet was a British naval commander and politician.Troubridge was educated at St Paul's School, London. He entered the Royal Navy in 1773 and, together with Nelson, served in the East Indies in the frigate Seahorse. In 1785 he returned to England in the Sultan as...
, Captains Martin
George Martin (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Martin GCB, GCMG was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
, Towry, Lydiard, Moore
Graham Moore
Admiral Sir Graham Moore, GCB, GCMG was a British sailor and a career officer in the Royal Navy. He was the younger brother of General Sir John Moore.-Naval career:...
and Waller
Robert Otway
Admiral Sir Robert Waller Otway, 1st Baronet, GCB was a senior Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who served extensively as a sea captain during the Napoleonic War and later supported the Brazilian cause during the Brazilian War of Independence...
; and General Churchill and Lord Minto
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto PC , known as Sir Gilbert Elliott between 1777 and 1797 and as The Lord Minto between 1797 and 1813, was a Scottish politician diplomat....
, to testify in his defence. They supported his assertion that he was the 'reverse of quarrelsome' and the jury took ten minutes to acquit him.
Napoleonic Wars
Macnamara returned to service with the resumption of the wars with France and took command of the 64-gun in June 1805 for service in the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. He commanded her for two years on this station before taking command of the 74-gun . Macnamara served with the Baltic Fleet under Sir Richard Goodwin Keats
Richard Goodwin Keats
Admiral Sir Richard Goodwin Keats was a British naval officer who fought throughout the American Revolution, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic War. He retired in 1812 due to ill health and was made Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland from 1813 to 1816. In 1821 he was made Governor of...
in the Great Belt
Great Belt
The Great Belt is a strait between the main Danish islands of Zealand and Funen . Effectively dividing Denmark in two, the Belt was served by the Great Belt ferries from the late 19th century until the islands were connected by the Great Belt Fixed Link in 1997–98.-Geography:The Great Belt is the...
in 1808. During this service he took command of a squadron of gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s and attacked a Danish brig and cutter off Nyborg
Nyborg
Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg Municipality on the island of Funen and with a population of 16,492 . Nyborg is one of the 14 large municipalities created on 1 January 2007...
. In a fierce attack, in which seven Danes were killed and thirteen wounded to one British officer killed and two seamen wounded; both Danish ships were captured. They were found to be the 18-gun Fama
HMS Fama (1808)
HMS Fama was the Danish brig Fama, of fourteen guns, built in 1802, which the British captured in 1808. She was wrecked in 1809.-Danish origins:Fama was built in Copenhagen to a design by F.C.H. Hohlenberg...
and the 12-gun Salorman
HMS Salorman (1808)
HMS Salorman was the Danish cutter Søormen, of twelve guns, built in 1789, which the British captured in 1808. In British records her name also appears as Sacormen and Salomen. She was wrecked in 1809.-Danish origins:...
. Macnamara was then appointed to the 74-gun in 1809. This service took him back to the North Sea and then the coast of France. While commanding a small squadron blockading Cherbourg on 24 March 1811, he chased the French frigate Amazone off Barfleur
Barfleur
Barfleur is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France.-Middle Ages:In the Middle Ages Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England....
, forcing her crew to abandon and burn her.
Flag rank and later life
Macnamara was promoted to rear-admiral on 4 June 1814, but never had an active command. He married Henrietta, the widow of Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. George Carleton, on 26 January 1818. Rear-Admiral James Macnamara died at CliftonClifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, on 15 January 1826 at the age of 57.