William Lechmere
Encyclopedia
William Lechmere was an officer of the Royal Navy
who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
.
Lechmere joined the navy and saw service during the American War of Independence, having been promoted to lieutenant in 1774, and then to commander in 1782. He was given his own ship, a sloop
, and served off the North American coast for the remainder of the war, until paying off the ship in 1785. He spent time ashore during the years of peace, marrying and receiving a promotion to post captain before the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. He returned to service in 1794 and commanded several ships in British waters. During this time he assisted in the transport of Princess Caroline of Brunswick
to Britain. He then spent some time on the Halifax
station, but like many of his contemporaries he struggled at times to secure postings, and spent some time without a ship.
He was back in command of a ship in 1805, and saw action at the Battle of Cape Finisterre
with Sir Robert Calder's
fleet, an action that had a significant impact on his life. Although he went on to join the fleet assembling off Cadiz
under Lord Nelson
, he agreed to return to Britain to support Calder at his court-martial, leaving the fleet a week before the Battle of Trafalgar
. His first lieutenant, John Stockham
, instead commanded his ship and received a share of the rewards. Lechmere had missed one of the most decisive battles of his career, but he went on to command other ships and receive further promotions, eventually dying at the close of the Napoleonic Wars
in 1815.
. William joined the Royal Navy and was commissioned as a lieutenant on 20 December 1774. He served during the American War of Independence, being promoted to commander on 23 September 1782 and appointed to command the sloop
. Thorn had been recently recaptured from the Americans, and Lechmere sailed her to Britain and paid her off for repairs and refitting at Sheerness Dockyard. He recommissioned her in April 1783 and sailed to Newfoundland in May 1784. He later returned to Britain, but was back at Newfoundland in April 1785, before Thorn was paid off in November 1785.
, at St Martin-in-the-Fields
, Westminster
on 31 October 1787. He was promoted to post captain on 21 September 1790, but it was not until August 1794, after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, that he took up his first independent command, the 74-gun . Lechmere commanded Saturn in the Downs
as the flagship
of Rear-Admiral George Vandeput
. He was transferred to the 50-gun in January 1795, and remained in command of her until February 1796. During this time Jupiter flew the broad pennant
of Commodore
John Willett Payne
and also served as a Royal escort for Princess Caroline of Brunswick
. Princess Caroline left from Cuxhaven on 28 March 1795 in the Jupiter and, delayed by poor weather, landed at Greenwich
on 5 April.
Lechmere took command of the 64-gun in 1796, during which time she was the flagship of Vice-Admiral George Vandeput on the Halifax
station. He went out to Lisbon
in February 1797 and there captured the Spanish privateer
Atrebedo on 28 February. He moved to the 74-gun in July 1797 and resumed his previous duties as commander of Vandeput's flagship at Halifax. He commanded Resolution until paying her off in October 1798. He then appears to have been unemployed for a period, as he is not recorded in command of a ship until April 1805, when he superseded Captain William Bedford, and commissioned the 74-gun .
Thunderer was assigned to the fleet under Admiral Robert Calder
, tasked with intercepting the Franco-Spanish fleet under Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
as it returned from the Caribbean. Calder intercepted the combined fleet and brought them to battle on 22 July 1805
. Thunderer was involved in the fighting as the second to last ship in Calder's line, and had seven men killed and eleven wounded. Thunderer, and several of the frigates had drifted some six miles distant of the admiral on the morning of 23 July, and took no part in the second indecisive clash of the battle. The fleets then parted, with Calder's force sailing to the north with the prizes, where they met the fleet arriving from the West Indies under Lord Nelson
. After sending several ships, including Thunderer, into port, Calder sailed south to join Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood
off Cadiz
.
While refitting, Lechmere received orders to join Collingwood at Cadiz, and on repairs being completed, joined Vice-Admiral Nelson's 100-gun and the 36-gun under Captain Henry Blackwood
off Plymouth
and sailed for Cadiz. Calder had been criticised for failing to win a decisive victory, and on arriving off Cadiz and assuming command of the fleet, Nelson passed on the Admiralty's orders to Calder which summoned him back to Britain to face a court martial. Nelson was also required to allow those captains who had fought with Calder and wished to give evidence in his support to return to England to give evidence at his court-martial. Lechmere was one of those who agreed to go, as did Captain William Brown of . Brown and Lechmere handed command of their ships temporarily over to their first lieutenants, John Pilfold
and John Stockham
respectively, and sailed for Britain with Calder on 14 October, five days before the combined fleet sailed from Cadiz, and seven days before the Battle of Trafalgar
took place. Consequently Lechmere was absent when the battle took place, and Stockham instead received a share of the rewards of a grateful nation, being promoted to post captain, while Lechmere was overlooked.
in October that year. He was appointed a Colonel of Marines on 6 October 1806. His final seagoing command was the 98-gun , which he took over on 26 December 1806 and commanded in the English Channel
until his promotion to rear-admiral of the blue on 28 April 1808. He does not appear to have ever raised his flag, but continued to be promoted. He was advanced to rear-admiral of the red on 31 July 1810, vice-admiral of the blue on 12 August 1812, and finally vice-admiral of the white on 4 June 1814.
Vice-Admiral William Lechmere died at Hill House, Steeple Aston
, Oxfordshire
on 12 December 1815 at the age of 63. He had had a number of children, several of whom followed him into the navy. Among them was his eldest son, Charles, who was born on 4 December 1789 and died in command of off the West African coast on 9 November 1822. One of his daughters, Mary, married James Saumarez, son of the naval officer James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez
.
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...
.
Lechmere joined the navy and saw service during the American War of Independence, having been promoted to lieutenant in 1774, and then to commander in 1782. He was given his own ship, a sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
, and served off the North American coast for the remainder of the war, until paying off the ship in 1785. He spent time ashore during the years of peace, marrying and receiving a promotion to post captain before the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. He returned to service in 1794 and commanded several ships in British waters. During this time he assisted in the transport of Princess Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the Queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 until her death...
to Britain. He then spent some time on the Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
station, but like many of his contemporaries he struggled at times to secure postings, and spent some time without a ship.
He was back in command of a ship in 1805, and saw action at the Battle of Cape Finisterre
Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805)
In the Battle of Cape Finisterre off Galicia, Spain, the British fleet under Admiral Robert Calder fought an indecisive naval battle against the Combined Franco-Spanish fleet which was returning from the West Indies...
with Sir Robert Calder's
Robert Calder
Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, KCB was a British naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:...
fleet, an action that had a significant impact on his life. Although he went on to join the fleet assembling off Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
under Lord 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...
, he agreed to return to Britain to support Calder at his court-martial, leaving the fleet a week before the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
. His first lieutenant, John Stockham
John Stockham
Captain John Stockham was an officer in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, whose career is now obscured to the point that very little of his life is known up until 1805, when he was suddenly and unexpectedly called upon to command the ship of the line at the Battle of Trafalgar.-Early...
, instead commanded his ship and received a share of the rewards. Lechmere had missed one of the most decisive battles of his career, but he went on to command other ships and receive further promotions, eventually dying at the close of 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...
in 1815.
Family and early life
Lechmere was born in 1752, the son of Richard Lechmere and his wife Elizabeth, née Corfield. He was the nephew of Nicholas Lechmere, 1st Baron LechmereNicholas Lechmere, 1st Baron Lechmere
Nicholas Lechmere, 1st Baron Lechmere was an English lawyer and politician who served as Attorney-General and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster....
. William joined the Royal Navy and was commissioned as a lieutenant on 20 December 1774. He served during the American War of Independence, being promoted to commander on 23 September 1782 and appointed to command the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
. Thorn had been recently recaptured from the Americans, and Lechmere sailed her to Britain and paid her off for repairs and refitting at Sheerness Dockyard. He recommissioned her in April 1783 and sailed to Newfoundland in May 1784. He later returned to Britain, but was back at Newfoundland in April 1785, before Thorn was paid off in November 1785.
Interwar and return to service
Lechmere took advantage of the peace and married Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir John Dashwood-KingSir John Dashwood-King, 3rd Baronet
Sir John Dashwood-King, 3rd Baronet was an English country gentleman. Born John Dashwood, he adopted the additional surname of King by the terms of his uncle Dr. John King's will....
, at St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields is an Anglican church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Its patron is Saint Martin of Tours.-Roman era:Excavations at the site in 2006 led to the discovery of a grave dated about 410...
, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
on 31 October 1787. He was promoted to post captain on 21 September 1790, but it was not until August 1794, after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, that he took up his first independent command, the 74-gun . Lechmere commanded Saturn in the Downs
The Downs
The Downs are a roadstead or area of sea in the southern North Sea near the English Channel off the east Kent coast, between the North and the South Foreland in southern England. In 1639 the Battle of the Downs took place here, when the Dutch navy destroyed a Spanish fleet which had sought refuge...
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 George Vandeput
George Vandeput
Admiral George Vandeput was an English naval officer, the illegitimate son of Sir George Vandeput, 2nd Baronet and an unknown mother.-Naval career:...
. He was transferred to the 50-gun in January 1795, and remained in command of her until February 1796. During this time Jupiter flew 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:...
John Willett Payne
John Willett Payne
Rear-Admiral John Willett Payne was a senior, veteran officer of the British Navy who also served as a close friend, advisor and courtier to Prince George before and during his first regency...
and also served as a Royal escort for Princess Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the Queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 until her death...
. Princess Caroline left from Cuxhaven on 28 March 1795 in the Jupiter and, delayed by poor weather, landed at Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
on 5 April.
Lechmere took command of the 64-gun in 1796, during which time she was the flagship of Vice-Admiral George Vandeput on the Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
station. He went out 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 February 1797 and there captured the Spanish 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...
Atrebedo on 28 February. He moved to the 74-gun in July 1797 and resumed his previous duties as commander of Vandeput's flagship at Halifax. He commanded Resolution until paying her off in October 1798. He then appears to have been unemployed for a period, as he is not recorded in command of a ship until April 1805, when he superseded Captain William Bedford, and commissioned the 74-gun .
Present at Finisterre, absent at Trafalgar
Robert Calder
Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, KCB was a British naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:...
, tasked with intercepting the Franco-Spanish fleet under Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He was in command of the French and Spanish fleets defeated by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar....
as it returned from the Caribbean. Calder intercepted the combined fleet and brought them to battle on 22 July 1805
Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805)
In the Battle of Cape Finisterre off Galicia, Spain, the British fleet under Admiral Robert Calder fought an indecisive naval battle against the Combined Franco-Spanish fleet which was returning from the West Indies...
. Thunderer was involved in the fighting as the second to last ship in Calder's line, and had seven men killed and eleven wounded. Thunderer, and several of the frigates had drifted some six miles distant of the admiral on the morning of 23 July, and took no part in the second indecisive clash of the battle. The fleets then parted, with Calder's force sailing to the north with the prizes, where they met the fleet arriving from the West Indies under Lord 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...
. After sending several ships, including Thunderer, into port, Calder sailed south to join Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood
Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as Nelson's successor in commands.-Early years:Collingwood was born in Newcastle upon Tyne...
off Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
.
While refitting, Lechmere received orders to join Collingwood at Cadiz, and on repairs being completed, joined Vice-Admiral Nelson's 100-gun and the 36-gun under Captain Henry Blackwood
Henry Blackwood
Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Blackwood, 1st Baronet, GCH, KCB , whose memorial is in the St. John's Church, Killyleagh, was a British sailor....
off Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and sailed for Cadiz. Calder had been criticised for failing to win a decisive victory, and on arriving off Cadiz and assuming command of the fleet, Nelson passed on the Admiralty's orders to Calder which summoned him back to Britain to face a court martial. Nelson was also required to allow those captains who had fought with Calder and wished to give evidence in his support to return to England to give evidence at his court-martial. Lechmere was one of those who agreed to go, as did Captain William Brown of . Brown and Lechmere handed command of their ships temporarily over to their first lieutenants, John Pilfold
John Pilfold
Captain John Pilfold, RN, CB was an officer of the Royal Navy whose solid naval career during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was most noted for his command of the ship of the line HMS Ajax in Nelson's division at the battle of Trafalgar whilst only a lieutenant.-Family...
and John Stockham
John Stockham
Captain John Stockham was an officer in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, whose career is now obscured to the point that very little of his life is known up until 1805, when he was suddenly and unexpectedly called upon to command the ship of the line at the Battle of Trafalgar.-Early...
respectively, and sailed for Britain with Calder on 14 October, five days before the combined fleet sailed from Cadiz, and seven days before the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
took place. Consequently Lechmere was absent when the battle took place, and Stockham instead received a share of the rewards of a grateful nation, being promoted to post captain, while Lechmere was overlooked.
Later commands
Despite having missed his opportunity to take part in the decisive naval battle of the wars, Lechmere received several other commands, taking over the 98-gun in the Mediterranean on 13 April 1806, and commanding her until her return to PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in October that year. He was appointed a Colonel of Marines on 6 October 1806. His final seagoing command was the 98-gun , which he took over on 26 December 1806 and commanded 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...
until his promotion to rear-admiral of the blue on 28 April 1808. He does not appear to have ever raised his flag, but continued to be promoted. He was advanced to rear-admiral of the red on 31 July 1810, vice-admiral of the blue on 12 August 1812, and finally vice-admiral of the white on 4 June 1814.
Vice-Admiral William Lechmere died at Hill House, Steeple Aston
Steeple Aston
Steeple Aston is a village and civil parish on the edge of the Cherwell Valley in Oxfordshire, England, about west of Bicester and south of Banbury...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
on 12 December 1815 at the age of 63. He had had a number of children, several of whom followed him into the navy. Among them was his eldest son, Charles, who was born on 4 December 1789 and died in command of off the West African coast on 9 November 1822. One of his daughters, Mary, married James Saumarez, son of the naval officer James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez
James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez
Admiral James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez , GCB was an admiral of the British Royal Navy, notable for his victory at the Battle of Algeciras.-Early life:...
.