Hornblower’s Historical Shipmates
Title Details

260 Pages

23.4 x 15.6 cm

10 b/w illus.

Imprint: Boydell Press

Hornblower's Historical Shipmates

The Young Gentlemen of Pellew's Indefatigable

by Heather Noel-Smith and Lorna M. Campbell

  • Description
  • Contents
  • Reviews
A fascinating account of varied careers, providing a rich snapshot of the later eighteenth-century sailing navy in microcosm.

This book sets out the lives of seventeen 'young gentlemen' who were midshipmen under the famous Captain Sir Edward Pellew. Together, aboard the frigate HMS Indefatigable, they fought a celebrated action in 1797 against theFrench ship of the line Les Droits de l'Homme. C. S. Forester, the historical novelist, placed his famous hero, Horatio Hornblower, aboard Pellew's ship as a midshipman, so this book tells, as it were, the actual stories of Hornblower's real-life shipmates. And what stories they were! From diverse backgrounds, aristocratic and humble, they bonded closely with Pellew, learned their naval leadership skills from him, and benefited from his patronage and his friendship in their subsequent, very varied careers. The group provides a fascinating snapshot of the later eighteenth-century sailing navy in microcosm. Besides tracing the men's naval lives, the book shows how they adapted to peace after 1815, presenting details of their civilian careers. The colourful lives recounted include those of the Honourable George Cadogan, son of an earl, who survived three courts martial and a duel to retire with honouras an admiral in 1813; Thomas Groube, of a Falmouth merchant family, who commanded a fleet of boats which destroyed the Dutch shipping at Batavia, capital of the Dutch East Indies, in 1806; and James Bray, of Irish Catholic descent, who was killed commanding a sloop during the American war of 1812.

Heather Noel-Smith is a genealogist and a retired Methodist minister. Lorna Campbell is a digital education manager at the University of Edinburgh and an education technology consultant. They are both independent researchers.
Introduction
Edward Pellew - Partisan and Patriarch
My Dear Indefatigable
The Fortunate Few
Never Was Such an Action Known
The Nature of Patronage
Boys Grown to Manhood
Diversity and Responsibility
Friends, Family and the Falmouth Connection
Faithful and Attached Companions
No State in Life More Honourable
Appendix: The Spencer-Pellew Correspondence of February 1799
Bibliography
"[A] successful group biography, and a tender memoir of [Pellew] and his circle of protégés." MARINER'S MIRROR
"An interesting book that gives us a good idea of the wide range of experiences available to Royal Navy officers during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the nature of the relationship between officers during this period." WWW.HISTORYOFWAR.ORG
"A fascinating book, full of interest, well written and impeccably referenced." THE NELSON DESPATCH
"Much enjoyed and recommended." JULIAN STOCKWIN
"[A]n impressive piece of biographical research with an admirable motivation to consider the experiences of men from a variety of social backgrounds. . . . ideal for a lay reader interested in the social history of the Royal Navy and British society." Catherine Beck, Journal of British Studies

Hardcover

9781783270996

September 2016

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Ebook (EPDF)

9781782048855

September 2016

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9781782048848

September 2016

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Title Details

260 Pages

2.34 x 1.56 cm

10 b/w illus.

Imprint: Boydell Press