Sir Michael Seymour, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Michael Seymour, 1st Baronet KCB
(8 November 1768 – 9 July 1834) was an officer of the Royal Navy
. He served during the French Revolutionary
and the Napoleonic Wars
, eventually rising to the rank of Rear-Admiral
.
on 8 November 1768, the second son of Reverend John Seymour and his wife Griselda. He joined the navy at the age of 12, serving as a midshipman
aboard the sloop-of-war
, in the English Channel
, under Captain James Luttrell. Seymour moved with Luttrell to in 1781. The Portland was then serving as the flagship
of Rear-Admiral Richard Edwards, then the commander-in-chief at Newfoundland
. Edwards was replaced by Vice-Admiral John Campbell in 1782, and both Luttrell and Seymour moved aboard . The Mediator then returned to Britain to cruise off the French coast.
On 12 December 1782 the Mediator pursued five French frigates in the Bay of Biscay
. The French formed a line of battle, confident in their superior numbers, but Luttrell engaged them, breaking their line. He overhauled one and captured her, the 24-gun Alexander, with 120 crew aboard. The remainder then fled, pursued by Luttrell. They then split up, forcing Luttrell to choose to remain with the largest. He eventually caught up with her and brought her to battle. The enemy, the 34-gun Menegere with 212 men aboard, was forced to surrender. Luttrell began the return voyage to England with his prizes, having to deal with an attempted uprising amongst his French prisoners part way through the voyage on 14 December. Despite having only 190 men to deal with 340 prisoners, the rising was quashed without bloodshed. Seymour remained aboard the Mediator until 1783, when he moved to . He eventually served on a number of different ships, before receiving his commission as a lieutenant
in 1790. He joined that year, but left when she was paid off in 1791.
in 1793, serving aboard under George Cranfield-Berkeley
. The Marlborough formed part of the fleet under Lord Howe
, and Seymour was thus present at the Glorious First of June
, on 1 June 1794. During the battle, the Marlborough came under attack from three French warships, the 78-gun Impétueux
, the 74-gun Mucius
and the 120-gun Montagne
. The Marlborough was heavily damaged but was able to defend herself and resist French attempts to capture her. During the battle Seymour had his left arm shot off.
Seymour recovered from his wound, and was promoted to commander. He received his first command in mid 1796, that of the sloop . He spent the next several years cruising in the Channel, and off the French coast, before being promoted to Post-Captain
on 11 August 1800, after making representations to the First Lord of the Admiralty
George Spencer
. During his time in home waters he was able to capture a number of small French ships and privateer
s. He moved to take command of in 1801, at the instigation of Admiral William Cornwallis
, but the Peace of Amiens later that year left him without a ship. The resumption of hostilities led to Seymour returning to sea, spending time as acting-captain of a number of ships, before finally being offered command of the 36-gun fifth rate in 1806. On 10 November 1808 he came across the 40-gun French frigate Thetis, and after a hard fought battle
, captured her. In recognition of this act Seymour received a medal from King George III
, a 100 guinea
piece of plate
from the Lloyd's
Patriotic Fund, and the Freedom of the Cities of Cork
and Limerick
. On 6 April 1809 he engaged, and captured
the 44-gun frigate Niemen. For this he was created a baronet
the following month.
, and on its conclusion, was appointed to command his prize, , which had subsequently been taken into the navy. He then command the 74-gun third rate , and on 26 May 1814 he captured the 44-gun Sultane. He was nominated a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in January 1815 and moved aboard the Royal Yacht
several years later. He became Commissioner of Portsmouth Dockyard
, but after the post was abolished, was promoted to Rear-Admiral, and appointed to command the South American Station
. He received a pension of £300 for the loss of his arm.
on 9 July 1834. He was buried at Cemiterio Dos Ingleses Gamboa on 15 July in a large funeral attended by English, French, American and Spanish officers, and other civilian officials. As a gesture of respect, the national flags on the ships in the harbour were flown at half-mast, and salutes were fired. A memorial was later erected in his memory at St Anns Church, Portsmouth.
on 13 March 1806. Michael Seymour married Jane in 1797, and the couple had five sons and three daughters. His eldest son, John, inherited the baronetcy on his father's death. His third and fourth sons, Michael and Edward, followed their father into the navy. Michael had a distinguished career, rising to the rank of Admiral. Edward served briefly as flag lieutenant under his father, but died relatively young, and was posthumously promoted to commander.
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...
(8 November 1768 – 9 July 1834) was an officer of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. He served during 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 the 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...
, eventually rising to the rank of Rear-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...
.
Family and early life
Seymour was born in Palace, County LimerickCounty Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
on 8 November 1768, the second son of Reverend John Seymour and his wife Griselda. He joined the navy at the age of 12, serving as a 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...
aboard the sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, under Captain James Luttrell. Seymour moved with Luttrell to in 1781. The Portland was then serving as 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 Rear-Admiral Richard Edwards, then the commander-in-chief at Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. Edwards was replaced by Vice-Admiral John Campbell in 1782, and both Luttrell and Seymour moved aboard . The Mediator then returned to Britain to cruise off the French coast.
On 12 December 1782 the Mediator pursued five French frigates in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
. The French formed a line of battle, confident in their superior numbers, but Luttrell engaged them, breaking their line. He overhauled one and captured her, the 24-gun Alexander, with 120 crew aboard. The remainder then fled, pursued by Luttrell. They then split up, forcing Luttrell to choose to remain with the largest. He eventually caught up with her and brought her to battle. The enemy, the 34-gun Menegere with 212 men aboard, was forced to surrender. Luttrell began the return voyage to England with his prizes, having to deal with an attempted uprising amongst his French prisoners part way through the voyage on 14 December. Despite having only 190 men to deal with 340 prisoners, the rising was quashed without bloodshed. Seymour remained aboard the Mediator until 1783, when he moved to . He eventually served on a number of different ships, before receiving his commission as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1790. He joined that year, but left when she was paid off in 1791.
Advancement
Seymour returned to service with the outbreak of the French Revolutionary WarsFrench 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...
in 1793, serving aboard under George Cranfield-Berkeley
George Cranfield-Berkeley
Admiral Sir George Cranfield Berkeley GCB , often known as George Berkeley, was a highly experienced, popular, yet controversial naval officer and politician in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Britain...
. The Marlborough formed part of the fleet under Lord Howe
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
, and Seymour was thus present at the Glorious First of June
Glorious First of June
The Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
, on 1 June 1794. During the battle, the Marlborough came under attack from three French warships, the 78-gun Impétueux
French ship Impétueux (1787)
The Impétueux was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Glorious First of June in 1794. During the battle, HMS Marlborough. Marlborough became tangled with Impétueux...
, the 74-gun Mucius
French ship Orion (1787)
The Orion was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in fighting on the coast of Italy. In 1793, she was renamed Mucius Scaevola, soon shortened to Mucius....
and the 120-gun Montagne
French ship Océan (1790)
Océan was a 118-gun first-rate three-decker ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.She was ordered as États de Bourgogne and was launched at Brest in 1790...
. The Marlborough was heavily damaged but was able to defend herself and resist French attempts to capture her. During the battle Seymour had his left arm shot off.
Seymour recovered from his wound, and was promoted to commander. He received his first command in mid 1796, that of the sloop . He spent the next several years cruising in the Channel, and off the French coast, before being promoted to Post-Captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
on 11 August 1800, after making representations to the First Lord of the Admiralty
Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of the Board of Admiralty, which exercised command over the Royal Navy.Officially known as the Commissioners for Exercising the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland &c. The Lords...
George Spencer
George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer
George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer KG PC FRS FSA , styled Viscount Althorp from 1765 to 1783, was a British Whig politician...
. During his time in home waters he was able to capture a number of small French ships and 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. He moved to take command of in 1801, at the instigation of Admiral William Cornwallis
William Cornwallis
Admiral the Honourable Sir William Cornwallis GCB was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, governor-general of India...
, but the Peace of Amiens later that year left him without a ship. The resumption of hostilities led to Seymour returning to sea, spending time as acting-captain of a number of ships, before finally being offered command of the 36-gun fifth rate in 1806. On 10 November 1808 he came across the 40-gun French frigate Thetis, and after a hard fought battle
Action of 10 November 1808
The Action of 10 November 1808 was a minor naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, in which a British frigate defeated and captured a French frigate in the Bay of Biscay...
, captured her. In recognition of this act Seymour received a medal from King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, a 100 guinea
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
piece of plate
Sterling silver
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
from the Lloyd's
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
Patriotic Fund, and the Freedom of the Cities of Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
and Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
. On 6 April 1809 he engaged, and captured
Action of 6 April 1809
The Action of 6 May 1809 was a small naval battle fought between the French frigate and several British frigates, principally , as part of the blockade of Brest, France during the Napoleonic Wars...
the 44-gun frigate Niemen. For this he was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
the following month.
Later career
Seymour then served on the Walcheren CampaignWalcheren Campaign
The Walcheren Campaign was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains...
, and on its conclusion, was appointed to command his prize, , which had subsequently been taken into the navy. He then command the 74-gun third rate , and on 26 May 1814 he captured the 44-gun Sultane. He was nominated a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in January 1815 and moved aboard the Royal Yacht
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
several years later. He became Commissioner of Portsmouth Dockyard
HMNB Portsmouth
Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...
, but after the post was abolished, was promoted to Rear-Admiral, and appointed to command the South American Station
Pacific Station
The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...
. He received a pension of £300 for the loss of his arm.
Death
Seymour was already in poor health on his departure from England, and died at Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
on 9 July 1834. He was buried at Cemiterio Dos Ingleses Gamboa on 15 July in a large funeral attended by English, French, American and Spanish officers, and other civilian officials. As a gesture of respect, the national flags on the ships in the harbour were flown at half-mast, and salutes were fired. A memorial was later erected in his memory at St Anns Church, Portsmouth.
Family
Michael Seymour's younger brother, Richard, also joined the navy, reaching the rank of lieutenant. He served aboard but was killed in the battle against the French frigate Belle PouleHMS Belle Poule (1806)
HMS Belle Poule was a 40-gun Royal Navy fifth rate frigate, formerly Belle Poule, a Virginie-class frigate of the French Navy, which was built by the Crucy family's shipyard at Basse-Indre to a design by Jacques-Noël Sané...
on 13 March 1806. Michael Seymour married Jane in 1797, and the couple had five sons and three daughters. His eldest son, John, inherited the baronetcy on his father's death. His third and fourth sons, Michael and Edward, followed their father into the navy. Michael had a distinguished career, rising to the rank of Admiral. Edward served briefly as flag lieutenant under his father, but died relatively young, and was posthumously promoted to commander.