William Pryce Cumby
Encyclopedia
Captain William Pryce Cumby CB
RN (20 March 1771 – 27 September 1837) was an officer in the Royal Navy
whose excellent service during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
was highlighted when he was thrust into the limelight following his service at the battle of Trafalgar
. During the battle the French almost took his vessel, the ship of the line
("Billy Ruffian" to her crew), but despite mounting casualties, heavy bombardment and the death of his captain John Cooke, then Lieutenant Cumby ably took command, leading a charge that cleared his decks of boarders. He then captured the enemy ship from which the attack had come.
From 1795 to 1798 he served in the frigate , then in the Thalia. After three years as Flag Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Alexander Graeme at the Nore, he was appointed to command of the sloop
Swift in the North Sea
in 1803. In 1804 he was appointed first lieutenant of the Bellerophon. Captain Cooke
and his first lieutenant had an especially close professional relationship, so when the ship lined up in Admiral Collingwood's division on the 21 October 1805 in the opening stages of the battle of Trafalgar, Cooke made the unusual move of taking Cumby and the ship's master Edward Overton into his confidence about the ship's orders and Admiral Nelson's confidential instructions; in case something should happen to him, the ship would still have able, informed direction.
Once action was joined, Bellerophon rapidly found herself sandwiched between the Spanish and the French , both pouring fire into the British. Cumby advised his captain to remove his jacket because it made him a target for French snipers, but Cooke refused and sent Cumby below to direct the gunnery. A few minutes later, hearing the rush of battle above, Cumby ran up the ladders to the deck where he met the mortally wounded Overton who informed Cumby of Cooke's death in hand to hand combat with a French boarding party. Cooke's last words had been Tell Lieutenant Cumby never to strike! Realising that he was now in command of the ship, Cumby then withdrew his men from the poop deck and into the waist of the ship, where the threat from enemy grenades was not as high. He then ordered the guns trained on the French boarding parties, which they annihilated. This enabled Cumby to board the Aigle, at one point picking up a lit grenade in order to extinguish it, and capture the vessel.
Proclaimed a hero after the battle, Cumby was rewarded with promotion to Post Captain and given the , another Trafalgar veteran. With this he conducted numerous raids on the coast of Santo Domingo from 1807 to 1809. His service in the Caribbean culminated in his command of the squadron that blockaded the city of San Domingo. The operation was so successful that the city surrendered in short order, and Cumby was highly praised by his opponents for his gentlemanly behaviour following the surrender.
Cumby spent more years at sea, but none rivalled the period 1805–1809. From 1811 until 1815 he commanded . In 1812 he was ordered to the Davis Strait
to protect the whale fishery, and in 1813 was on convoy duty in the Atlantic. From 1814 to 1815 he was in the Channel.
Cumby had no further service, nevertheless, his reputation for solid service led to further rewards: command of the Royal yacht
, and being made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1831. In 1837, he was appointed Superintendent of Pembroke Dockyard; but he died in the same year in his office in Pembroke Dock, aged 66, and was buried Park Street graveyard, Pembroke Dock. The graveyard has now been turned into a recreational area, however Cumby's grave remains in place. A street near the royal dockyard was named Cumby Terrace in his honour. A commemorative plaque recounts his prominence, as does a similar, larger plaque at his local church in Heighington
near Durham
, where he was born.
The Inscription on his tomb reads
Here lie
The Mortal Remains of
Captain William Pryce Cumby, R.N., C.B.
Of H.M. Yacht Royal Sovereign And Captain Superintendent of
Pembroke Dock Yard
An Officer
Whose zeal and professional services
At Trafalgar and St. Domingo
Deserved and received the approbation
Of his Country His active kindness
in promoting the welfare of others procured him the affectionate regard
Of all who knew him
The loss of one so kind and good
Has taught his relations and friends
How vain is every consolation
But that afforded by Religion
By Christian submission
By Christian Hope
Born XXth March MDCCLXXI
Died XXVIIth September MDCCCXXXVII
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...
RN (20 March 1771 – 27 September 1837) was an officer in 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...
whose excellent service 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 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...
was highlighted when he was thrust into the limelight following his service at 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 ....
. During the battle the French almost took his vessel, the ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
("Billy Ruffian" to her crew), but despite mounting casualties, heavy bombardment and the death of his captain John Cooke, then Lieutenant Cumby ably took command, leading a charge that cleared his decks of boarders. He then captured the enemy ship from which the attack had come.
Biography
Born into a naval family in 1771, Cumby followed his father, Lt. David Pryce Cumby, to sea, and was made lieutenant in the general promotions that followed the outbreak of war in 1794. He had little chance for distinction during the next eleven years, but maintained a solid reputation for good service and efficiency.From 1795 to 1798 he served in the frigate , then in the Thalia. After three years as Flag Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Alexander Graeme at the Nore, he was appointed to command of 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....
Swift 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...
in 1803. In 1804 he was appointed first lieutenant of the Bellerophon. Captain Cooke
John Cooke (Royal Navy officer)
Captain John Cooke was an experienced and highly regarded officer of the British Royal Navy during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and the first years of the Napoleonic Wars. Cooke is best known for his death in hand-to-hand combat with French forces during the...
and his first lieutenant had an especially close professional relationship, so when the ship lined up in Admiral Collingwood's division on the 21 October 1805 in the opening stages of the battle of Trafalgar, Cooke made the unusual move of taking Cumby and the ship's master Edward Overton into his confidence about the ship's orders and Admiral Nelson's confidential instructions; in case something should happen to him, the ship would still have able, informed direction.
Once action was joined, Bellerophon rapidly found herself sandwiched between the Spanish and the French , both pouring fire into the British. Cumby advised his captain to remove his jacket because it made him a target for French snipers, but Cooke refused and sent Cumby below to direct the gunnery. A few minutes later, hearing the rush of battle above, Cumby ran up the ladders to the deck where he met the mortally wounded Overton who informed Cumby of Cooke's death in hand to hand combat with a French boarding party. Cooke's last words had been Tell Lieutenant Cumby never to strike! Realising that he was now in command of the ship, Cumby then withdrew his men from the poop deck and into the waist of the ship, where the threat from enemy grenades was not as high. He then ordered the guns trained on the French boarding parties, which they annihilated. This enabled Cumby to board the Aigle, at one point picking up a lit grenade in order to extinguish it, and capture the vessel.
Proclaimed a hero after the battle, Cumby was rewarded with promotion to Post Captain and given the , another Trafalgar veteran. With this he conducted numerous raids on the coast of Santo Domingo from 1807 to 1809. His service in the Caribbean culminated in his command of the squadron that blockaded the city of San Domingo. The operation was so successful that the city surrendered in short order, and Cumby was highly praised by his opponents for his gentlemanly behaviour following the surrender.
Cumby spent more years at sea, but none rivalled the period 1805–1809. From 1811 until 1815 he commanded . In 1812 he was ordered to the Davis Strait
Davis Strait
Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Nunavut, Canada's Baffin Island. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis , who explored the area while seeking a Northwest Passage....
to protect the whale fishery, and in 1813 was on convoy duty in the Atlantic. From 1814 to 1815 he was in the Channel.
Cumby had no further service, nevertheless, his reputation for solid service led to further rewards: command of 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...
, and being made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1831. In 1837, he was appointed Superintendent of Pembroke Dockyard; but he died in the same year in his office in Pembroke Dock, aged 66, and was buried Park Street graveyard, Pembroke Dock. The graveyard has now been turned into a recreational area, however Cumby's grave remains in place. A street near the royal dockyard was named Cumby Terrace in his honour. A commemorative plaque recounts his prominence, as does a similar, larger plaque at his local church in Heighington
Heighington, County Durham
Heighington is a village in the borough of Darlington and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated between Darlington and Shildon, near Newton Aycliffe. One of its most significant features is St Michael's Church that sits in the middle of an exceptionally fine and large village...
near Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, where he was born.
The Inscription on his tomb reads
Here lie
The Mortal Remains of
Captain William Pryce Cumby, R.N., C.B.
Of H.M. Yacht Royal Sovereign And Captain Superintendent of
Pembroke Dock Yard
An Officer
Whose zeal and professional services
At Trafalgar and St. Domingo
Deserved and received the approbation
Of his Country His active kindness
in promoting the welfare of others procured him the affectionate regard
Of all who knew him
The loss of one so kind and good
Has taught his relations and friends
How vain is every consolation
But that afforded by Religion
By Christian submission
By Christian Hope
Born XXth March MDCCLXXI
Died XXVIIth September MDCCCXXXVII
Further reading
- The Trafalgar Captains, Colin White and the 1805 Club, Chatham Publishing, London, 2005, ISBN 1-86176-247-X
- A County Durham man at Trafalgar: Cumby of the Bellerophon, Durham Co Local History Society, 1997, ISBN 0-902958-16-X
- David Cordingly, The Billy Ruffian: The Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon (Bloomsbury USA, 2003) ISBN 1-58234-468-X