![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anteros_lmcWhen ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nodbear and I started researching the life of George Cadogan our first port of call was the print archives at google books and archive.org where we came across an out of print title by Robert Pearman called The Cadogan’s At War 1783 - 1864: The Third Earl Cadogan His Family. Pearman’s book is fascinating and frustrating in equal measure. While it goes into the marriages, divorces, affairs, inheritance of property and titles of the extensive and intermarried Cadogan, Wellesley and Churchill families it glosses over several pivotal events in George’s life and omits one significant incident, the Crocodile court martial, entirely. Although the author quotes many letters from associates of the family, beside a few official reports to the Admiralty, there are no private letters from George himself and the chapters that deal with his early naval service on the Indefatigable and the Impetueux borrow heavily from the familiar accounts of Pellew’s biographers Edward Osler and C. Northcote Parkinson. Ultimately The Cadogans at War raises more questions than it answers but it is still an invaluable source.
George was born in 1783 the second son of Charles 1st Earl Cadogan and Mary Churchill. He had six older half brothers through his father’s first marriage to Frances Bromley who died fifteen years before George’s birth. One of these elder brothers was Thomas Cadogan who as captain of the Licorne in 1779 sailed to the Newfoundland station with a newly commissioned lieutenant, Edward Pellew. Charles was later lost on the same station with his ship Glorieaux, 74, and her entire crew during a terrible hurricane in the autumn of 1782.
George entered the navy in December 1795 at the age of 12 as a Volunteer First Class on board the Indefatigable frigate, captain Sir Edward Pellew. He remained under Pellew’s command for the next six years and during his time on the Indefatigable he participated in several notable frigate actions, including the engagements with the Virginie and the Droits de L’Homme. It was during the latter action that Pellew wrote of George:
Sadly we have not managed to unearth any letters from George during his time on the Indefatigable however contemporary letters from his shipmate Nicholas Pateshall, testify that Pellew quite literally acted in loco parentis for the young men under his command. In addition to paying from his own pocket for a tutor for the young gentlemen, he also took responsibility for managing the finances of the younger boys. It also appears that Pellew’s wife Susan kept an open house for the youngsters when ever they were in port. Although we can only speculate as to George’s experience of serving on the Indefatigable it seems clear that he and his shipmates were as well, if not better, cared for as any of the young gentlemen in the fleet.
On the 10th March 1799 George accompanied Pellew when he was ordered by Admiral Lord Bridport to leave his “dear Indefatigable” to take command of the mutinous ship of the line Impetueux. Such was the animosity between the two men that had Bridport initially denied Pellew the traditional right to take his choice of officers and men to his new command. The intransigence of the Admiral sparked a desperate correspondence between Pellew and Lord Spencer, the First Lord of the Admiralty. In this extraordinary exchange of letters Pellew casts all propriety to the winds and pleads not to be parted from the “faithful, and attached Companions, grown from boys to manhood under him”. The language and sentiments of this distressing third person letter are unparalleled. Pellew’s anguish is clear over 200 years later and indeed he laments that time “however soothing on most occasions” can not “blot from his remembrance Circumstances so debasing to the reputation of an Officer”.
Having consulted the muster book of the Impetueux we now know that most of the Indefatigable’s young gentlemen and midshipmen did in fact accompany Pellew to his new command along with a complement of seamen amounting to a total of just over 30 men. However it appears that none of the Indefatigable’s lieutenants were allowed to make the transfer. Most of the volunteers and midshipmen were initially rated as able seamen on entering the Impetueux and were re-rated at their appropriate rank two or three weeks later. Other Indefatigables rejoined Pellew at a later date and many served almost their entire naval careers under his command.
Mutiny did indeed break out on the Impetueux in May 1799 in Bantry Bay, only months after Pellew took command. However the insurrection was rapidly quelled by decisive action from the captain in his sword and dressing gown and by the loyalty of the officers and marines. George had previously witnessed an earlier short lived mutiny on the Indefatigable coinciding with the Spithead mutiny and resulting from grievances over late payment of prize money. Influenced by the politically charged situation in Ireland the Impetueux mutiny was a more serious affair altogether which resulted in three men being hung and five flogged round the fleet.
George and Pellew parted company in December 1801 during the Peace of Amiens when Pellew took up a seat in parliament and George transferred to the Narcissus as midshipman before passing his examination for lieutenant in January 1802. George’s first command came with the sloop Cyane, 18, on the Leeward Island Station in the West Indies in 1804. He initially had some success, taking a number of privateers, before the Cyane was captured by the French frigates Hortense and Hermione. George attempted to outrun the frigates without success and eventually struck without firing a shot. He was held at Fort de France on Martinique but his incarceration was relatively short lived and George was released in early 1806.
George’s next command was the sloop of war Ferret, 18, on the Jamaica Station. One can imagine that George must have been relieved to have been released from prison and reappointed to a command. However his time as captain of the Ferret was marred by mutiny and insurrection and it is from this period that accusations of tyranny and brutality start to become associated with his name.
References
Corbett, J., ed, (1913), The Private Papers of George, 2nd Earl Spencer, The Navy Records Society, Vol 46.
Osler, E., (1835), The life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth, Smith, Elder.
Parkinson, C.N., (1935), Edward Pellew: Viscount Exmouth, Admiral of the Red, London.
Pearman, R., (1990), The Cadogan’s At War 1783 - 1864: The Third Earl Cadogan His Family, Haggertson Press, London.
Public Records Office Documents Relating to HMS Indefatigable:
ADM36 13144 Muster Book 1796 - 1797.
Pateshall family papers, Hereford Records Office.
Smyth family paper, Southampton Archives.
nodbear and I started researching the life of George Cadogan our first port of call was the print archives at google books and archive.org where we came across an out of print title by Robert Pearman called The Cadogan’s At War 1783 - 1864: The Third Earl Cadogan His Family. Pearman’s book is fascinating and frustrating in equal measure. While it goes into the marriages, divorces, affairs, inheritance of property and titles of the extensive and intermarried Cadogan, Wellesley and Churchill families it glosses over several pivotal events in George’s life and omits one significant incident, the Crocodile court martial, entirely. Although the author quotes many letters from associates of the family, beside a few official reports to the Admiralty, there are no private letters from George himself and the chapters that deal with his early naval service on the Indefatigable and the Impetueux borrow heavily from the familiar accounts of Pellew’s biographers Edward Osler and C. Northcote Parkinson. Ultimately The Cadogans at War raises more questions than it answers but it is still an invaluable source.George was born in 1783 the second son of Charles 1st Earl Cadogan and Mary Churchill. He had six older half brothers through his father’s first marriage to Frances Bromley who died fifteen years before George’s birth. One of these elder brothers was Thomas Cadogan who as captain of the Licorne in 1779 sailed to the Newfoundland station with a newly commissioned lieutenant, Edward Pellew. Charles was later lost on the same station with his ship Glorieaux, 74, and her entire crew during a terrible hurricane in the autumn of 1782.
 |
| Vaisseau Droits de l'Homme |
“Little Cadogan is a most delightful boy. I think he promises to be everything the heart can wish. He is stationed on the Quarter Deck where I assure you, my Lord, he was my friend. He stood the night out in his shirt and kept himself warm by his exertions. I can not say too much in his praise.”
Sadly we have not managed to unearth any letters from George during his time on the Indefatigable however contemporary letters from his shipmate Nicholas Pateshall, testify that Pellew quite literally acted in loco parentis for the young men under his command. In addition to paying from his own pocket for a tutor for the young gentlemen, he also took responsibility for managing the finances of the younger boys. It also appears that Pellew’s wife Susan kept an open house for the youngsters when ever they were in port. Although we can only speculate as to George’s experience of serving on the Indefatigable it seems clear that he and his shipmates were as well, if not better, cared for as any of the young gentlemen in the fleet.
 |
| Captain Sir Edward Pellew |
Having consulted the muster book of the Impetueux we now know that most of the Indefatigable’s young gentlemen and midshipmen did in fact accompany Pellew to his new command along with a complement of seamen amounting to a total of just over 30 men. However it appears that none of the Indefatigable’s lieutenants were allowed to make the transfer. Most of the volunteers and midshipmen were initially rated as able seamen on entering the Impetueux and were re-rated at their appropriate rank two or three weeks later. Other Indefatigables rejoined Pellew at a later date and many served almost their entire naval careers under his command.
Mutiny did indeed break out on the Impetueux in May 1799 in Bantry Bay, only months after Pellew took command. However the insurrection was rapidly quelled by decisive action from the captain in his sword and dressing gown and by the loyalty of the officers and marines. George had previously witnessed an earlier short lived mutiny on the Indefatigable coinciding with the Spithead mutiny and resulting from grievances over late payment of prize money. Influenced by the politically charged situation in Ireland the Impetueux mutiny was a more serious affair altogether which resulted in three men being hung and five flogged round the fleet.
George and Pellew parted company in December 1801 during the Peace of Amiens when Pellew took up a seat in parliament and George transferred to the Narcissus as midshipman before passing his examination for lieutenant in January 1802. George’s first command came with the sloop Cyane, 18, on the Leeward Island Station in the West Indies in 1804. He initially had some success, taking a number of privateers, before the Cyane was captured by the French frigates Hortense and Hermione. George attempted to outrun the frigates without success and eventually struck without firing a shot. He was held at Fort de France on Martinique but his incarceration was relatively short lived and George was released in early 1806.
George’s next command was the sloop of war Ferret, 18, on the Jamaica Station. One can imagine that George must have been relieved to have been released from prison and reappointed to a command. However his time as captain of the Ferret was marred by mutiny and insurrection and it is from this period that accusations of tyranny and brutality start to become associated with his name.
References
Corbett, J., ed, (1913), The Private Papers of George, 2nd Earl Spencer, The Navy Records Society, Vol 46.
Osler, E., (1835), The life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth, Smith, Elder.
Parkinson, C.N., (1935), Edward Pellew: Viscount Exmouth, Admiral of the Red, London.
Pearman, R., (1990), The Cadogan’s At War 1783 - 1864: The Third Earl Cadogan His Family, Haggertson Press, London.
Public Records Office Documents Relating to HMS Indefatigable:
ADM36 13144 Muster Book 1796 - 1797.
Pateshall family papers, Hereford Records Office.
Smyth family paper, Southampton Archives.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-02-06 11:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-06 11:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-07 08:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-07 08:40 am (UTC)In a sense though George and his personal and family trials
illustrate so many issues of society in his time including the position of women and the marriage law,naval discipline and conditions, the sense of responsibility in public life etc that learning about Goerge has been, for me and I think for
no subject
Date: 2011-02-07 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-07 09:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-07 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-07 09:27 pm (UTC)I'm so easily amused, it's disgusting!
no subject
Date: 2011-02-07 09:42 pm (UTC)