Samuel Pechell
Encyclopedia
Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel John Brooke Pechell, 3rd Baronet CB
, KCH
, FRS (1 September 1785 – 3 November 1849) was a prominent British Royal Navy
officer of the early nineteenth century. Although he served in several celebrated naval actions of the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
his most important achievements were made while serving as a Lord of the Admiralty, pioneering the science and instruction of rapid and accurate gunnery in the Royal Navy through training facilities and manuals.
In addition to his work at the Admiralty
, Pechell served in the House of Commons for two constituencies and was on good terms with King William IV
, who supported his efforts to improve standards of gunnery and returned him to the Admiralty in 1839 after a five year absence caused by his support for the Whig government. In 1826 he inherited the Pechell Baronetcy from his father, but died childless and the title passed to his brother George
.
and Sir John Clavering
. His uncle was John Borlase Warren
, later to become a senior Royal Navy
officer. His younger brother, George Pechell would also become a prominent naval officer. Aged 11, Pechell joined the Royal Navy under the guidance of his uncle, joining HMS Pomone in 1796 during the French Revolutionary Wars
. The following year he moved to HMS Phoebe
, commanded by Captain Robert Barlow
and there remained for the next four years. Under Barlow, Pechell was involved in two significant frigate actions, when Phoebe captured the French frigate Néréide at the Action of 21 December 1797 and then the Africaine at the Action of 19 February 1801
.
For his actions in these engagements, Pechell was highly praised and promoted, following Barlow into HMS Triumph
in the aftermath of the Africaine action and then moving to HMS Active
during the Peace of Amiens in 1803 as a lieutenant. In January 1806, Pechell joined his uncle's flagship HMS Foudroyant
and was present at the defeat of the French squadron under Admiral Charles Linois
at the Action of 13 March 1806
. In April 1807, Pechell was given his first independent command, in charge of the brig
HMS Ferret
operating from Jamaica
. In June 1808, he was promoted to post captain and took command of the frigate
HMS Cleopatra
, in which he joined the squadron being assembled at Barbados
for operations against the French islands of Martinique
and Guadeloupe
. It was while blockading the latter that he served in his most celebrated battle, the Action of 22 January 1809
. The French frigate Topaze
had been forced to take shelter under a gun battery off Pointe-Noire
, Guadeloupe, but had been spotted by Pechell's blockade force. Despite fire from the shore, Pechell attacked immediately and brought Cleopatra close inshore to engage Topaze from close range. Pechell's dispositions were so good that Topaze was soon unable to respond, and the arrival of two other Royal Navy ships allowed him to bring his prize out of the bay successfully.
The following month, Cleopatra performed a supporting role in the successful invasion of Martinique
and later in the year the ship returned to European waters, Pechell briefly moving to HMS Guerriere
before returning to Cleopatra in 1811, operating in the North Sea
and off Gibraltar
. In 1812, Pechell became captain of Warren's flagship HMS San Domingo
, the flagship of the North America Station during the War of 1812
. Pechell did not see any action and returned to Britain in 1814. The following year the war ended and Pechell entered semi-retirement, being made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1815 for his services during the Napoleonic Wars.
In 1823 he returned to active service aboard the frigate HMS Sibylle
and operated off Algiers
and the Peloponnese
, following the surge in piracy caused by the Greek War of Independence
. In 1826, Sibylle was paid off and Pechell returned home, the death of his father making him a baronet a few months later. He also inherited the additional surname Brooke at his grandmother's request. In 1830 he entered politics, briefly serving as a Whig Member of Parliament
for Helston
and subsequently elected for Windsor
, serving until 1835. In April 1833 he married Julia Maria Petre, daughter of Lord Petre
.
His most notable service during the 1830s was his position as one of the Lords of the Admiralty (as Third Naval Lord
then Fourth Naval Lord
and finally Third Naval Lord again), during which he made determined efforts to impose his enthusiasm and interest in accurate and reliable gunnery training on the rest of the Navy. As a serving captain, Pechell had copied and then adapted the system used by Philip Broke
, writing a pamphlet on the topic entitled "Observations upon the Defective Equipment of Ships' Guns". When he was elevated to a position of authority he determined to spread his ideas in the service. Supported by King William IV
, who had been a serving naval officer and a keen proponent of gunnery training, Pechell worked with Sir Howard Douglas
and Sir William Bowles to establish HMS Excellent, the Royal Navy's first gunnery training ship. He was also involved in the appointment of Sir William Symonds
as Surveyor of the Navy
. For his work in naval administration, Pechell has been described as "one of the architects of the professional navy of the later nineteenth century."
During his time in office, Pechell was promoted to rear-admiral and made a Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order.He died childless at his home in Berkeley Square
, London
in November 1849, and was survived by his wife and younger brother, who became the fourth Pechell Baronet.
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Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, KCH
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
, FRS (1 September 1785 – 3 November 1849) was a prominent British 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...
officer of the early nineteenth century. Although he served in several celebrated naval actions of 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...
his most important achievements were made while serving as a Lord of the Admiralty, pioneering the science and instruction of rapid and accurate gunnery in the Royal Navy through training facilities and manuals.
In addition to his work at 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...
, Pechell served in the House of Commons for two constituencies and was on good terms with King William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
, who supported his efforts to improve standards of gunnery and returned him to the Admiralty in 1839 after a five year absence caused by his support for the Whig government. In 1826 he inherited the Pechell Baronetcy from his father, but died childless and the title passed to his brother George
Sir George Brooke-Pechell, 4th Baronet
Vice-Admiral Sir George Richard Brooke-Pechell, 4th Baronet , born George Richard Pechell, was a British Royal Navy officer and Whig politician...
.
Life
Pechell was born in Ireland in 1785, the son of Sir Thomas Brooke Pechell and his wife Charlotte. Pechell was well connected in military circles: his father was a senior army officer, as were both his grandfathers, Sir Paul PechellSir Paul Pechell, 1st Baronet
Sir Paul Pechell, 1st Baronet , army officer, was a descendant of minor Huguenot nobility of Languedoc...
and Sir John Clavering
John Clavering (British Army officer)
Lieutenant General Sir John Clavering KB was an army officer and diplomat.-Military career:Baptised in Lanchester, County Durham, England in 1722, Clavering was the younger son of Sir James Clavering Bt and Catherine Yorke, and younger brother of Sir Thomas Clavering, 7th Baronet...
. His uncle was John Borlase Warren
John Borlase Warren
Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet , was an English admiral, politician and diplomat. Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, he was the son and heir of John Borlase Warren of Stapleford and Little Marlow...
, later to become a senior 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...
officer. His younger brother, George Pechell would also become a prominent naval officer. Aged 11, Pechell joined the Royal Navy under the guidance of his uncle, joining HMS Pomone in 1796 during the French Revolutionary Wars
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...
. The following year he moved to HMS Phoebe
HMS Phoebe (1795)
HMS Phoebe was a 36-gun fifth rate of the British Royal Navy. She had a career of almost twenty years and fought in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812...
, commanded by Captain Robert Barlow
Robert Barlow (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Sir Robert Barlow GCB was a senior and distinguished officer of the British Royal Navy who saw extensive service in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He made his name in small ship actions, especially fighting French frigates, or which...
and there remained for the next four years. Under Barlow, Pechell was involved in two significant frigate actions, when Phoebe captured the French frigate Néréide at the Action of 21 December 1797 and then the Africaine at the Action of 19 February 1801
Action of 19 February 1801
The Action of 19 February 1801 was a minor naval battle fought off Ceuta in Spanish North Africa in February 1801 between a French Navy frigate and British Royal Navy frigate during the French Revolutionary Wars...
.
For his actions in these engagements, Pechell was highly praised and promoted, following Barlow into HMS Triumph
HMS Triumph (1764)
HMS Triumph was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 March 1764 at Woolwich.In 1797, she took part in the Battle of Camperdown, and in 1805 Triumph was part of Admiral Calder's fleet at the Battle of Cape Finisterre....
in the aftermath of the Africaine action and then moving to HMS Active
HMS Active (1799)
HMS Active was a Royal Navy fifth-rate frigate launched on 14 December 1799 at Chatham Dockyard. Sir John Henslow designed her as an improvement on the Artois-class frigates. She served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, capturing numerous enemy vessels...
during the Peace of Amiens in 1803 as a lieutenant. In January 1806, Pechell joined his uncle's flagship HMS Foudroyant
HMS Foudroyant (1798)
HMS Foudroyant was an 80-gun third rate of the Royal Navy. She was built at Plymouth Dockyard and launched on 31 March 1798.Goodwin gives the launch date for Foudroyant as 31 March, 25 May, and 31 August. The text highlights this discrepancy and attributes the August date to Lyon's Sailing Navy...
and was present at the defeat of the French squadron under Admiral Charles Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won a victory over the British at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and was reasonably successful in a campaign against British trade in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea in...
at the Action of 13 March 1806
Action of 13 March 1806
The Action of 13 March 1806 was a naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought when a British and a French squadron met unexpectedly in the mid-Atlantic. Neither force was aware of the presence of the other prior to the encounter and were participating in separate campaigns...
. In April 1807, Pechell was given his first independent command, in charge of the 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...
HMS Ferret
HMS Ferret (1806)
HMS Ferret was a Royal Navy Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by Benjamin Tanner at Dartmouth and launched in 1806, 19 months late. She served on the Jamaica, Halifax, and Leith stations during which time she took three privateers as prizes before she was wrecked in 1813.-Service:She was commissioned...
operating from 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...
. In June 1808, he was promoted to post captain and took command of the 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"...
HMS Cleopatra
HMS Cleopatra (1779)
HMS Cleopatra was a 32-gun Amazon-class fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had a long career, seeing service during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. During the latter wars she fought two notable engagements with larger French opponents...
, in which he joined the squadron being assembled at Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
for operations against the French islands of Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
and Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
. It was while blockading the latter that he served in his most celebrated battle, the Action of 22 January 1809
Action of 22 January 1809
The Action of 22 January 1809 was a minor naval engagement fought off the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe during the Napoleonic Wars. The action was fought as part of the blockade of Guadeloupe and neighbouring Martinique by a large British Royal Navy squadron, which was seeking to cut the islands...
. The French frigate Topaze
French frigate Topaze (1805)
The Topaze was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy. The British captured her in 1809 and she the served with the Royal Navy under the name Alcmene until she was broken up in 1816.-French service:...
had been forced to take shelter under a gun battery off Pointe-Noire
Pointe-Noire, Guadeloupe
Pointe-Noire is a commune on Guadeloupe, a French overseas department in the Caribbean. It is located on the northwest coast of the island of Basse-Terre.-References:*...
, Guadeloupe, but had been spotted by Pechell's blockade force. Despite fire from the shore, Pechell attacked immediately and brought Cleopatra close inshore to engage Topaze from close range. Pechell's dispositions were so good that Topaze was soon unable to respond, and the arrival of two other Royal Navy ships allowed him to bring his prize out of the bay successfully.
The following month, Cleopatra performed a supporting role in the successful invasion of Martinique
Invasion of Martinique (1809)
The invasion of Martinique of 1809 was a successful British amphibious operation against the French West Indian island of Martinique that took place between 30 January and 24 February 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars...
and later in the year the ship returned to European waters, Pechell briefly moving to HMS Guerriere
HMS Guerriere (1806)
HMS Guerriere was a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, which had previously sailed with the French Navy as the Guerrière. She became famous for her fight against ....
before returning to Cleopatra in 1811, operating in the 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 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...
. In 1812, Pechell became captain of Warren's flagship HMS San Domingo
HMS San Domingo (1809)
HMS San Domingo was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 March 1809 at Woolwich.On 13 April 1813, Sir John Borlase Warren's squadron, consisting of his flagship, San Domingo, and , , , , Mohawk, and pursued four schooners into the Rappahannock...
, the flagship of the North America Station during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Pechell did not see any action and returned to Britain in 1814. The following year the war ended and Pechell entered semi-retirement, being made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1815 for his services during the Napoleonic Wars.
In 1823 he returned to active service aboard the frigate HMS Sibylle
French frigate Sibylle (1792)
The Sibylle was an 38-gun Hébé class frigate of the French Navy. She was launched in 1791 at the dockyards in Toulon and placed in service in 1792...
and operated off Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
and the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
, following the surge in piracy caused by the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
. In 1826, Sibylle was paid off and Pechell returned home, the death of his father making him a baronet a few months later. He also inherited the additional surname Brooke at his grandmother's request. In 1830 he entered politics, briefly serving as a Whig 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 Helston
Helston (UK Parliament constituency)
Helston, sometimes known as Helleston, was a parliamentary borough centred on the small town of Helston in Cornwall.Using the bloc vote system of election, it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and...
and subsequently elected for Windsor
Windsor (UK Parliament constituency)
Windsor is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In its modern form, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, serving until 1835. In April 1833 he married Julia Maria Petre, daughter of Lord Petre
Robert Edward Petre, 9th Baron Petre
Robert Edward Petre, 9th Baron Petre was a British peer.Lord Petre was the son of Robert Petre, 8th Baron Petre , a renowned horticulturist, and Lady Henrietta Anna Mary Barbara Radclyffe , daughter of the 3rd Earl of Derwentwater who was the grandson of Charles II by his mistress Moll Davis.Lord...
.
His most notable service during the 1830s was his position as one of the Lords of the Admiralty (as Third Naval Lord
Third Sea Lord
The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...
then Fourth Naval Lord
Fourth Sea Lord
The Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Supplies was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty which controlled the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.-History:...
and finally Third Naval Lord again), during which he made determined efforts to impose his enthusiasm and interest in accurate and reliable gunnery training on the rest of the Navy. As a serving captain, Pechell had copied and then adapted the system used by Philip Broke
Philip Broke
Rear Admiral Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke, 1st Baronet KCB was a distinguished officer in the British Royal Navy.-Early life:Broke was born at Broke Hall, Nacton, near Ipswich, the eldest son of Philip Bowes Broke...
, writing a pamphlet on the topic entitled "Observations upon the Defective Equipment of Ships' Guns". When he was elevated to a position of authority he determined to spread his ideas in the service. Supported by King William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
, who had been a serving naval officer and a keen proponent of gunnery training, Pechell worked with Sir Howard Douglas
Howard Douglas
General Sir Howard Douglas, 3rd Baronet, GCB, GCMG, FRS was a British military officer born in Gosport, England, the younger son of Admiral Sir Charles Douglas, and a descendant of the Earls of Morton...
and Sir William Bowles to establish HMS Excellent, the Royal Navy's first gunnery training ship. He was also involved in the appointment of Sir William Symonds
William Symonds
Sir William Symonds FRS was "Surveyor of the Navy" in the Royal Navy from 9 June 1832 to October 1847, and took part in the naval reforms instituted by the Whig First Lord of the Admiralty Sir James Robert George Graham in 1832.-Early life:He was the second son...
as Surveyor of the Navy
Surveyor of the Navy
The Surveyor to the Navy was a civilian officer in the Royal Navy. He was a member of the Navy Board from the inauguration of that body in 1546, and held overall responsibility for the design of British warships, although until 1745 the actual design work for warships built at each Royal Dockyard...
. For his work in naval administration, Pechell has been described as "one of the architects of the professional navy of the later nineteenth century."
During his time in office, Pechell was promoted to rear-admiral and made a Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order.He died childless at his home in Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in November 1849, and was survived by his wife and younger brother, who became the fourth Pechell Baronet.
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