Richard Lestock
Encyclopedia
Richard Lestock was an officer in the Royal Navy
, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral
. He fought in a number of battles, and was a controversial figure, most remembered for his part in the defeat at the Battle of Toulon
, and the subsequent court-martial
.
for Middlesex
, and commander of a number of merchant ships. On 26 December 1690, the father was among those invited by the Admiralty
to volunteer for naval service, which he did. On 6 January 1691 Lestock's father was appointed to command HMS Cambridge
.
Lestock followed his father into the navy. In April 1701 he was appointed third lieutenant to the Cambridge. A number of postings to different ships then followed, to HMS Solebay, HMS Exeter
and then HMS Barfleur
. The Barfleur was at this time the flagship
of Sir Cloudesley Shovell
. Lestock was present with Shovell at the Battle of Vélez-Málaga. Shovell then promoted him to his first command, and in August 1705 Lestock became master and commander
of the fire ship
HMS Vulture. Whilst in command of her, he was active ashore at the relief of Barcelona
and the capture of Alicante
.
in December that year. He was then ordered to join with Sir George Byng
to assist the ground forces in the failed attack on Toulon
in 1707. Lestock and the Fowey were then present at the capture of Minorca
the following year. The Fowey was sailing from Alicante to Lisbon
in April 1709, when on 14 April she was overhauled by two enemy 40-gun frigate
s. A two hour battle ensued, after which the outgunned Fowey was forced to surrender. Lestock was exchanged shortly after and returned to England, where he faced a court-martial for the loss of his ship. He was fully acquitted on 31 August 1709.
His next appointment was to command HMS Weymouth
in the West Indies, which he did from 1710 until 1712. When she was paid off (decommissioned), Lestock went to half pay for five years, before he finally received command of HMS Panther
in the Baltic
in 1717. The fleet he joined was under George Byng, whom he had served with before. Lestock was given command of a seven-ship squadron, and ordered to cruise off Göteborg and in the Skagerrak
, operating against Swedish
privateer
s. Lestock seems to have made a favourable impression, and Byng made him second captain aboard his flagship, the Barfleur, during the Battle of Cape Passaro
in 1718.
. He moved the next year to join HMS Royal Oak
, and served aboard her in the Mediterranean in 1731 under Sir Charles Wager
. He took up his next command, that of HMS Kingston
on 21 February 1732 and received orders on 6 April to wear a red broad pennant and prepare to sail to the West Indies to take up the post of commander-in-chief at Jamaica. Contrary winds however stopped him sailing until 29 April. Three weeks later Sir Chaloner Ogle
was appointed commander-in-chief at Jamaica instead, and a letter was written ordering Lestock to strike his flag and return to Britain. No reason was given. Lestock was dismayed by this snub, writing in a letter from Port Royal
on 21 November:
Further humiliation followed when he was twice passed over for flag-rank in 1733 and again in 1734. During this period five captains of lesser seniority were promoted.
Despite this apparent stalling of his career, Lestock continued in active service. He was appointed captain of HMS Somerset
on 22 February 1734, the Somerset then stationed as guard ship
in the Medway
. He served aboard her until April 1738, then moving to HMS Grafton
, stationed at the Nore
. During his time here he was noted for being occasionally overly zealous in arresting vessels that had no right to wear an official pendant. He was made captain of HMS Boyne
in August 1739, and accompanied Sir Chaloner Ogle to the West Indies the following year.
appointed him commodore
and third in command of the fleet. Lestock regularly attended Vernon's naval councils of war. During the Battle of Cartagena de Indias
he was appointed to command the attack on Fort San Luis on 23 March 1741. The battle ended in defeat and the Boyne was severely damaged. Lestock returned to England in the summer aboard the Princess Carolina. He then took over the command of HMS Neptune
placed in charge of a large contingent of reinforcements sailing to the Mediterranean.
Bad weather contrived to delay the sailing for several weeks, and he was unable to join Vice-Admiral Nicholas Haddock
's fleet until the end of January 1742. By this time, the ships had been badly damaged by the weather, and many of the crew were ill or had died. Nevertheless Lestock was promoted to rear-admiral on 13 March 1742. Haddock was forced to return to England a couple of months later due to ill health, leaving Lestock as acting commander-in-chief. Lestock hoped to have the appointment confirmed from England, but was bitterly disappointed to learn that Vice-Admiral Thomas Mathews
had been dispatched to take over command. Mathews had requested that Lestock be recalled, and Lestock subsequently asked to be given the West Indies command.
was fought on 11 February 1744. The British fleet attempted to engage a Spanish convoy, with Lestock taking command of the Rear division. The battle ended in failure for the British. Lestock was accused of adhering to a restrictive interpretation of the fighting instructions and for a failure to take the initiative, so contributing to the failure. The British had been following the Spanish the previous day, but on the evening of 10 February Lestock halted the rear before it had reached its proper position in line abreast. By morning they had drifted even further out of line, eventually lying some five miles distant of the rest of the fleet. Only then did Lestock attempt to reach the action, but arrived too late.
Mathews had been making signals all morning, and had twice sent a lieutenant in a boat to urge Lestock to bring his ships into the battle. Lestock replied that he was doing all he could, but that some of his ships were slow. He did not however order his faster ones forwards, nor did he follow Mathews' signal to engage, allowing four lagging Spanish ships to slip away from him. After the action Lestock argued that the signal for the line was still flying, which he saw as his primary duty to obey. He would only therefore follow the signal to engage when he could do so from his position in the line. When challenged why he had allowed such a gap to open between the rear and the rest of the fleet the previous night, Lestock claimed that the rules required him to follow the signal to ‘bring to’ the moment it was given, this taking precedence over the signal to move to line abreast. These interpretations were highly dubious, and failed to satisfy Mathews. He suspended Lestock and sent him home. He did not charge him though.
war ensued, but high and low opinion was against him. Lestock did have important political friends though, and they managed to obtain a parliamentary inquiry
into the outcome. This took place in the House of Commons over a number of days between March–April 1745, and sharply divided public opinion. Anti-Mathews speeches were made by Henry Fox
and George Grenville
, whilst Lestock himself impressed the MPs
with his cool, calm demeanour. Mathews' defence in comparison was seen as heated and disorganized, just as how Lestock claimed Mathews had fought the battle.
Mathews was also viewed with suspicion by the naval authorities, who were wary of his ‘out of doors’ popularity. The Admiralty Board
convened a court-martial made up of officers sympathetic to Lestock, who was acquitted of any wrongdoing, while Mathews was cashiered.
Public opinion remained divided, but a song written in the earlier nineteenth century about the heroism of Richard Avery Hornsby
, entitled Brave Captain Hornsby references Lestock, depicting him as betraying his friends:
There is an old proverb I've lately thought on,
When you think of a friend you're sure to find none';
For when that I thought to see Lestock come by,
He was five miles a distance, and would not come nigh;
, but an attack on the French port of Lorient
was decided instead. Despite planning difficulties, the force was landed and nearly succeeded in taking the city. The result was ultimately a failure and was viewed as such by a disappointed public, but Lestock appears to have acquitted himself well. After the success of the operation, he hoped to receive an appointment to command a spring expedition to North America, but his health suddenly declined, and he died of a stomach ailment on 13 December 1746.
during his time on half pay in the early 1720s. They may have had a son, as a boy named Richard Lestock was baptised at Chigwell
on 14 July 1723, but if so he presumably died young as no more is heard about him. The couple also had a daughter, Elizabeth, who survived her father. In addition, Lestock promoted a man named James Peers to the command of the Kingston at Jamaica
on 26 August 1732. Peers was apparently spoken of as Lestock's son-in-law; however he may have been his stepson according to the language of the time, and hence the son from a previous marriage to the widow Sarah Peers.
His wife predeceased him on 12 September 1744. Their daughter married James Peacock, a purser
in the navy. Lestock seems to have been on bad terms with his family, leaving all of his property to an apothecary
, William Monke of London. He also left a bequest to his friend Henry Fox, who had been one of those defending him in the Commons.
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...
, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
. He fought in a number of battles, and was a controversial figure, most remembered for his part in the defeat at the Battle of Toulon
Battle of Toulon (1744)
The naval Battle of Toulon or Battle of Cape Sicié took place on 22 February 1744 in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Toulon, France. A combined Franco-Spanish fleet fought off Britain's Mediterranean fleet...
, and the subsequent court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
.
Family and early years
Lestock is believed to have been born on 22 February 1679, though he may have been born some years previously. He was the second son of Richard Lestock (d. 1713) and his wife, Rebecca (d. 1709). His father had been magistrateMagistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
for Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, and commander of a number of merchant ships. On 26 December 1690, the father was among those invited by 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...
to volunteer for naval service, which he did. On 6 January 1691 Lestock's father was appointed to command HMS Cambridge
HMS Cambridge (1666)
HMS Cambridge was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched in 1666 at Deptford Dockyard.Cambridge was wrecked in 1694....
.
Lestock followed his father into the navy. In April 1701 he was appointed third lieutenant to the Cambridge. A number of postings to different ships then followed, to HMS Solebay, HMS Exeter
HMS Exeter (1697)
HMS Exeter was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard on 26 May 1697.She was involved in repeated actions against the French, in 1702 off Newfoundland, and in 1705 when she captured the frigate Thétis. She was in the Mediterranean in 1711, and at...
and then HMS Barfleur
HMS Barfleur (1697)
HMS Barfleur was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard on 10 August 1697.She was rebuilt according to the 1706 Establishment at Deptford, relaunching on 27 June 1716. Barfleur was hulked in 1764, and eventually broken up in 1783....
. The Barfleur was at this time 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 Sir Cloudesley Shovell
Cloudesley Shovell
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell , 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...
. Lestock was present with Shovell at the Battle of Vélez-Málaga. Shovell then promoted him to his first command, and in August 1705 Lestock became master and 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...
of the fire ship
Fire ship
A fire ship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, deliberately set on fire and steered into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy ships, or to create panic and make the enemy break formation. Ships used as fire ships were usually old and worn out or...
HMS Vulture. Whilst in command of her, he was active ashore at the relief 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...
and the capture of Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
.
Captain of the Fowey and the Panther
Lestock took over the command of the 32-gun HMS Fowey on 29 April 1706, and was sent home in September with the news of the surrender of Alicante. On his return he was among those who helped to destroy a 64-gun French warship off AlmeriaAlmería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
in December that year. He was then ordered to join with Sir George Byng
George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington
Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, KB PC was a British naval officer and statesman of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His career included service as First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of King George II.-Naval career:Byng was born at Wrotham, Kent, England...
to assist the ground forces in the failed attack on 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....
in 1707. Lestock and the Fowey were then present at the capture of Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
the following year. The Fowey was sailing from Alicante to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
in April 1709, when on 14 April she was overhauled by two enemy 40-gun frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s. A two hour battle ensued, after which the outgunned Fowey was forced to surrender. Lestock was exchanged shortly after and returned to England, where he faced a court-martial for the loss of his ship. He was fully acquitted on 31 August 1709.
His next appointment was to command HMS Weymouth
HMS Weymouth (1693)
HMS Weymouth was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1693.She was rebuilt at Woolwich Dockyard according to the 1706 Establishment, relaunching on 26 February 1719. Weymouth continued to serve until 1732, when she was broken up....
in the West Indies, which he did from 1710 until 1712. When she was paid off (decommissioned), Lestock went to half pay for five years, before he finally received command of HMS Panther
HMS Panther (1703)
HMS Panther was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard and launched on 15 March 1703.In 1707, she belonged to Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet...
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...
in 1717. The fleet he joined was under George Byng, whom he had served with before. Lestock was given command of a seven-ship squadron, and ordered to cruise off Göteborg and in the Skagerrak
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
, operating against Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
privateer
Privateer
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...
s. Lestock seems to have made a favourable impression, and Byng made him second captain aboard his flagship, the Barfleur, during the Battle of Cape Passaro
Battle of Cape Passaro
The Battle of Cape Passaro was the defeat of a Spanish fleet under Admirals Antonio de Gaztañeta and Fernando Chacón by a British fleet under Admiral George Byng, near Cape Passero, Sicily, on 11 August 1718, four months before the War of the Quadruple Alliance was formally...
in 1718.
Career stalled
Despite impressing so highly influential an admiral, Lestock remained on half pay for nearly ten years. He returned to active duty only in 1728, commanding HMS Princess AmeliaHMS Humber (1693)
HMS Humber was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Hull on 30 March 1693.She was rebuilt according to the 1706 Establishment at Deptford in 1708. Her guns, previously being mounted on two gundecks, where now mounted on three, though she remained classified as a...
. He moved the next year to join HMS Royal Oak
HMS Royal Oak (1674)
HMS Royal Oak was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Jonas Shish at Deptford and launched in 1674. She was one of only three Royal Navy ships to be equipped with the Rupertinoe naval gun...
, and served aboard her in the Mediterranean in 1731 under Sir Charles Wager
Charles Wager
Sir Charles Wager was a British Admiral and First Lord of the Admiralty between 1733 and 1742.Despite heroic active service and steadfast administration and diplomatic service, Wager's reputation has suffered from a profoundly mistaken idea that the navy was then at a low ebb...
. He took up his next command, that of HMS Kingston
HMS Kingston (1697)
HMS Kingston was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Frame in Hull and launched on 13 March 1697. She had an eventful career, taking part in numerous engagements.-Career:...
on 21 February 1732 and received orders on 6 April to wear a red broad pennant and prepare to sail to the West Indies to take up the post of commander-in-chief at Jamaica. Contrary winds however stopped him sailing until 29 April. Three weeks later Sir Chaloner Ogle
Chaloner Ogle
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Chaloner Ogle was a British naval commander during the War of the Austrian Succession.-Naval career:Born the son of John Ogle, a Newcastle barrister, Ogle came from the Kirkley Hall branch of the prominent Northumbrian Ogle family of Northumberland...
was appointed commander-in-chief at Jamaica instead, and a letter was written ordering Lestock to strike his flag and return to Britain. No reason was given. Lestock was dismayed by this snub, writing in a letter from Port Royal
Port Royal
Port Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century...
on 21 November:
My affair being without precedent I cannot say much, but such a fate as I have met with is far worse than death, many particulars of which I doubt not will be heard from me when I shall be able to present myself to my lords of the admiralty.
Further humiliation followed when he was twice passed over for flag-rank in 1733 and again in 1734. During this period five captains of lesser seniority were promoted.
Despite this apparent stalling of his career, Lestock continued in active service. He was appointed captain of HMS Somerset
HMS Somerset (1698)
HMS Somerset was a three-decker 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Chatham Dockyard on 31 May 1698. She was the first ship to bear the name....
on 22 February 1734, the Somerset then stationed as guard ship
Guard ship
A guard ship is a warship stationed at some port or harbour to act as a guard, and in former times in the Royal Navy to receive the men impressed for service...
in the Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
. He served aboard her until April 1738, then moving to HMS Grafton
HMS Grafton (1709)
HMS Grafton was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was built by Swallow and Fowler, of Limehouse, London to the dimensions of the 1706 Establishment, and was launched on 9 August 1709....
, stationed at the Nore
Nore
The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary, England. It marks the point where the River Thames meets the North Sea, roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point in Kent....
. During his time here he was noted for being occasionally overly zealous in arresting vessels that had no right to wear an official pendant. He was made captain of HMS Boyne
HMS Boyne (1692)
HMS Boyne was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford Dockyard on 21 May 1692.She was rebuilt to the 1706 Establishment at Blackwall Yard, mounting her guns on three instead of her original two gundecks, though she was still classified as a third rate. She was...
in August 1739, and accompanied Sir Chaloner Ogle to the West Indies the following year.
Return to prominence
Whilst in the West Indies, Vice-Admiral Edward VernonEdward Vernon
Edward Vernon was an English naval officer. Vernon was born in Westminster, England and went to Westminster School. He joined the Navy in 1700 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1702 and served on several different ships for the next five years...
appointed him commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
and third in command of the fleet. Lestock regularly attended Vernon's naval councils of war. During the Battle of Cartagena de Indias
Battle of Cartagena de Indias
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias was an amphibious military engagement between the forces of Britain under Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon and those of Spain under Admiral Blas de Lezo. It took place at the city of Cartagena de Indias in March 1741, in present-day Colombia...
he was appointed to command the attack on Fort San Luis on 23 March 1741. The battle ended in defeat and the Boyne was severely damaged. Lestock returned to England in the summer aboard the Princess Carolina. He then took over the command of HMS Neptune
HMS Neptune (1683)
HMS Neptune was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was built under the 1677 "Thirty Great Ships" Programme and launched in 1683 at Deptford Dockyard. She was first commissioned in 1690 under Captain Thomas Gardiner, as the flagship of Vice-Admiral George Rooke...
placed in charge of a large contingent of reinforcements sailing to the Mediterranean.
Bad weather contrived to delay the sailing for several weeks, and he was unable to join Vice-Admiral Nicholas Haddock
Nicholas Haddock
Nicholas Haddock was an admiral in the British Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament .Haddock, the second son of Admiral Sir Richard Haddock, was destined for a naval career from childhood and first distinguished himself at the age of 16 as a midshipman at the Battle of Vigo in 1702...
's fleet until the end of January 1742. By this time, the ships had been badly damaged by the weather, and many of the crew were ill or had died. Nevertheless Lestock was promoted to rear-admiral on 13 March 1742. Haddock was forced to return to England a couple of months later due to ill health, leaving Lestock as acting commander-in-chief. Lestock hoped to have the appointment confirmed from England, but was bitterly disappointed to learn that Vice-Admiral Thomas Mathews
Thomas Mathews
Thomas Mathews was a British officer of the Royal Navy, who rose to the rank of admiral.Mathews joined the navy in 1690 and saw service on a number of ships, including during the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession. He interspersed periods spent commanding ships with time at home...
had been dispatched to take over command. Mathews had requested that Lestock be recalled, and Lestock subsequently asked to be given the West Indies command.
Relations with Mathews
The two men had already worked together. Mathews had been commissioner at Chatham during the period Lestock had been in charge of the guard ships. Mathews arrived and took over command, and began to openly criticise Lestock's performance. He also countermanded his appointments. Mathews was much occupied with the diplomatic duties of his position and relied on Lestock to manage the fleet, but became increasingly resentful of Lestock's inability to do his job owing to his poor health. Despite sending complaints back home, Lestock was promoted to vice-admiral of the white on 29 November 1743 and remained as Mathews' second.The Battle of Toulon
It was whilst the two were on the Mediterranean station that the Battle of ToulonBattle of Toulon (1744)
The naval Battle of Toulon or Battle of Cape Sicié took place on 22 February 1744 in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Toulon, France. A combined Franco-Spanish fleet fought off Britain's Mediterranean fleet...
was fought on 11 February 1744. The British fleet attempted to engage a Spanish convoy, with Lestock taking command of the Rear division. The battle ended in failure for the British. Lestock was accused of adhering to a restrictive interpretation of the fighting instructions and for a failure to take the initiative, so contributing to the failure. The British had been following the Spanish the previous day, but on the evening of 10 February Lestock halted the rear before it had reached its proper position in line abreast. By morning they had drifted even further out of line, eventually lying some five miles distant of the rest of the fleet. Only then did Lestock attempt to reach the action, but arrived too late.
Mathews had been making signals all morning, and had twice sent a lieutenant in a boat to urge Lestock to bring his ships into the battle. Lestock replied that he was doing all he could, but that some of his ships were slow. He did not however order his faster ones forwards, nor did he follow Mathews' signal to engage, allowing four lagging Spanish ships to slip away from him. After the action Lestock argued that the signal for the line was still flying, which he saw as his primary duty to obey. He would only therefore follow the signal to engage when he could do so from his position in the line. When challenged why he had allowed such a gap to open between the rear and the rest of the fleet the previous night, Lestock claimed that the rules required him to follow the signal to ‘bring to’ the moment it was given, this taking precedence over the signal to move to line abreast. These interpretations were highly dubious, and failed to satisfy Mathews. He suspended Lestock and sent him home. He did not charge him though.
The action is debated
On his return, Lestock began to cast blame on Mathews and other captains that had not served in his division. A pamphletPamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
war ensued, but high and low opinion was against him. Lestock did have important political friends though, and they managed to obtain a parliamentary inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
into the outcome. This took place in the House of Commons over a number of days between March–April 1745, and sharply divided public opinion. Anti-Mathews speeches were made by Henry Fox
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, of Foxley, MP, PC was a leading British politician of the 18th century. He identified primarily with the Whig faction...
and George Grenville
George Grenville
George Grenville was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into an influential political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an MP for Buckingham...
, whilst Lestock himself impressed the MPs
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,...
with his cool, calm demeanour. Mathews' defence in comparison was seen as heated and disorganized, just as how Lestock claimed Mathews had fought the battle.
Mathews was also viewed with suspicion by the naval authorities, who were wary of his ‘out of doors’ popularity. The Admiralty Board
Admiralty Board (United Kingdom)
The Admiralty Board is the body established under the Defence Council of the United Kingdom for the administration of the Naval Service of the United Kingdom...
convened a court-martial made up of officers sympathetic to Lestock, who was acquitted of any wrongdoing, while Mathews was cashiered.
Controversy over the judgement
The outcome failed to convince the wider population. A later naval historian wrote in 1758 that:‘the nation could not be persuaded that the vice-admiral ought to be exculpated for not fighting’ and the admiral cashiered for fightingThe evidence of the court-marital was not released and confusion over the true events persisted for some time. Robert Beatson decided that Lestock
‘shewed a zeal and attention which gives a very advantageous idea of his capacity as a seaman and an officer’whilst John Campbell declared in his Lives of the British Admirals that Lestock ‘ought to have been shot’.
Public opinion remained divided, but a song written in the earlier nineteenth century about the heroism of Richard Avery Hornsby
Richard Avery Hornsby
Captain Richard Avery Hornsby is an almost forgotten Sunderland hero from the 18th century. He became famous after taking on a boat full of French pirates almost single-handedly - and winning.-Adventures on the high seas:...
, entitled Brave Captain Hornsby references Lestock, depicting him as betraying his friends:
There is an old proverb I've lately thought on,
When you think of a friend you're sure to find none';
For when that I thought to see Lestock come by,
He was five miles a distance, and would not come nigh;
Return to service and last days
On 3 June 1746, just two days after his acquittal he was promoted admiral of the blue and given command of a large squadron. The original plan called for the launching of an assault on QuebecQuebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, but an attack on the French port of Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
was decided instead. Despite planning difficulties, the force was landed and nearly succeeded in taking the city. The result was ultimately a failure and was viewed as such by a disappointed public, but Lestock appears to have acquitted himself well. After the success of the operation, he hoped to receive an appointment to command a spring expedition to North America, but his health suddenly declined, and he died of a stomach ailment on 13 December 1746.
Family and personal life
Lestock probably married Sarah (d. 1744), of Chigwell Row in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
during his time on half pay in the early 1720s. They may have had a son, as a boy named Richard Lestock was baptised at Chigwell
Chigwell
Chigwell is a civil parish and town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles north east of Charing Cross. It is served by two London Underground stations and has a London area code.-Etymology:According to P. H...
on 14 July 1723, but if so he presumably died young as no more is heard about him. The couple also had a daughter, Elizabeth, who survived her father. In addition, Lestock promoted a man named James Peers to the command of the Kingston 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...
on 26 August 1732. Peers was apparently spoken of as Lestock's son-in-law; however he may have been his stepson according to the language of the time, and hence the son from a previous marriage to the widow Sarah Peers.
His wife predeceased him on 12 September 1744. Their daughter married James Peacock, a 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...
in the navy. Lestock seems to have been on bad terms with his family, leaving all of his property to an apothecary
Apothecary
Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....
, William Monke of London. He also left a bequest to his friend Henry Fox, who had been one of those defending him in the Commons.