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Sir Cloudesley Shovell Crayford’S Famous Admiral

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Sir Cloudesley Shovell Crayford’S Famous Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell Crayford’s Famous Admiral orn in the village of Cockthorpe in the County of Norfolk in B1650, Cloudesley Shovell rose from a humble birth to become one of the leading and finest admirals of the age. He left home aged 12 to be a cabin boy under Sir Christopher Myngs, and was soon in action off the West Indies against the Spanish treasure ships. He showed his metal at an early age during the Four Days War against the Dutch when he volunteered in the heat of the battle to swim from ship to ship bearing a message for assistance which turned defeat into victory. When Myngs was fatally injured, Cloudesley continued his service under Sir John Narbrough. He distinguished himself when he confronted the Dey of Algiers after the Algerians captured a number of English ships and enslaved their crews. Cloudesley set fire to the Algerian ships in their harbour and forced the release of the slaves, also securing the sum of £80,000 in reparations. Sir Cloudesley Shovell (1650-1707). He distinguished himself at the Battle of Bantry Bay during the Artist: Michael Dahl March 1702 - January 1705 Credit: Royal Museums Greenwich BHC3025 ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1689, after which William III & Mary II ascended to the throne of England. King William knighted him after the battle, and the following year (1690) he was promoted to Admiral of the Blue. At the Battle of Barfleur, the invading French fleet attempting to restore James II to the English throne was defeated, with much of the credit going to Sir Cloudesley. By 1694 King William had promoted him to Vice- Admiral of the Red. In 1696 he was promoted to Admiral of the Blue and in 1698 Full Colonel of 2nd Regiment of Marines. The 1700s saw him in the thick of battle again, this time against the Spanish at Vigo, the Siege of Gibraltar, and the Battle of Malaga. On Boxing Day of that year, he was made Rear-Admiral of the Fleet of England. At the height of his power he refused to leave Barcelona, and victoriously supported the 3rd Earl of Peterborough’s land forces. Young Cloudesley Shovel Swimming with Despatches. This engraving was featured in the Graphic newspaper, dated 29 August, 1896. Artist: W.H. Overend Credit: Crayford Town Archive Alas, this illustrious career came to an abrupt end. On 22 October 1707, on his way home after once more supporting the army at Toulon, Shovell’s ship the Association, together with 3 other ships carrying a large amount of bullion, struck rocks off the Scilly Isles with the loss of all hands. Sir Cloudesley’s body was recovered and he was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey at Queen Anne’s expense. Legend has it that Shovell survived the sinking only to be murdered by an old lady who stole his diamond and emerald ring and only confessed to the crime on her deathbed many years later. Written by Dennis Jarrett (Crayford Town Archive) www.shovell1714.crayfordhistory.co.uk Children in the 1930s were familiar with the legend of Sir Cloudesley Shovell. This 1936 cigarette www.shovell1714.crayfordhistory.co.uk card features his daring exploits as a boy sailor featured in a series of cards known as Famous Minors. Credit: Crayford Town Archive An English ship in action with Barbary pirates. This picture is thought to portray Shovell’s daring raid on Tripoli. Artist: Willem Van de Velde the Younger Credit: Royal Museums Greenwich BHC0893 A young cloudesley Shovell at the time of the Tripoli raid. William III in coronation robes. Rochester Guildhall Museum Artist: Godfrey Kneller Credit: Royal Museums Greenwich BHC3094 Illustrations by Michael Foreman Sir Cloudesley Shovell Lord of the Manor of Crayford n 1691, after his promotion to Admiral of the Blue, Sir ICloudesley Shovell married Lady Elizabeth Narbrough, widow of his former commander Sir John Narbrough. Their marriage was very happy and produced two daughters, sisters to Elizabeth’s three children from her first marriage. Cloudesley was nominated by the navy and appointed an MP in 1689 for the City of Rochester just before his marriage. He held this position until 1701, and he was re-elected in 1705. He held the post until his untimely death in 1707. He was a great benefactor to the City of Rochester, providing at his own expense the decorative plaster ceiling in the Guild Hall, the market bell clock and the façade for the Butchers Market building (now the Corn Exchange). Shovell became Lord of the Manor of Crayford when he purchased May Place Estate (currently the site of Barnehurst Golf Club) and moved in with his wife, step children and daughters in 1694. The location of May Place was convenient being mid-way between the Admiralty in London and Chatham dockyard, and was conveniently placed between Westminster Sir Cloudesley Shovell (1650-1707). and Rochester for his parliamentary duties. Artist: Michael Dahl 1702 Credit: Royal Museums Greenwich BHC3026 Although away at sea most of the time, Shovell seemed very attached to the neighbourhood of Crayford, then only a small village. He attended St Paulinus Church and paid for the restoration of the chancel and nave, which were badly in need of repair. Fortunately this was captured by local artist William Hubbard, whose picture of this restoration can still be seen in the church today. Although Cloudesley Shovell’s tomb is in Westminster Abbey, there is a large plaque behind the lectern in St Paulinus Church expressing the gratitude of the parishioners for his contribution to the church restoration and sadness that it was later altered. His wife Elizabeth is buried in the church, as she remained in the manor house until her death in 1732. There is a magnificent memorial to her and the family in the Portrait of Elizabeth Lady Narbrough later Lady Shovell c1678. Lady Chapel of St. Paulinus. Artist: Simon Pietersz Verelst Vereist Credit: Precious Antiques Written by Jean Stewart & Joan Bishop (Friends of Crayford Library) www.shovell1714.crayfordhistory.co.uk www.shovell1714.crayfordhistory.co.uk Interior of St Paulinus Church. Artist: William Hubbard c1845 Lady Shovell’s memorial in St Paulinus Church (1732) Credit: Crayford Town Archive In the south choir aisle of Westminster Abbey is a large marble monument to Admiral Sir Clowdesley Shovell, by the sculptor Grinling Gibbons. It was erected by order of Queen Anne in 1707. Credit: Westminster Abbey Sir Cloudesley Shovell and the Longitude Act ir Cloudesley Shovell’s tragic death and the wreckage of Shis four-ship fleet off the Isles of Scilly on 22 October 1707. Believing themselves to be safely off the coast of Brittany, they perished on the rocks of south west England. This disaster is representative of the days before sailors could establish their longitude position and died as a result of being lost at sea. In addition to the human suffering, ignorance of longitude had a severe economic effect. Ships were confined to a few narrow shipping lanes where they fell prey to pirates and enemy ships. The disastrous wreck on the Scillies thrust the longitude problem into the forefront of public concern. Parliament passed the Longitude Act of 1714 which promised a prize of £20,000, comparable to £2.5 million today, for a solution to the problem. Longitude represents the location of a place on Earth east or west of an established line running north-south. The north- south line is called the Prime Meridian, which was fixed at The British Isles, shows the Scilly Isles where HMS Association wrecked. Greenwich, England. Earlier methods to determine longitude relied on astrological observations. At that time, the position and movement of the moon and stars were not fully understood and no accurate instrument existed for measuring lunar distance from a ship. Among the people who attempted to solve the problem was John Harrison, the eldest of five children of a carpenter. Largely self- educated, Harrison learned woodworking from his father. In his early career, he created pendulum clocks with many mechanical innovations, such as alternating metals to prevent them from expanding and contracting, substituting brass for iron to prevent rusting and carving a wooden clock from a special, self greasing wood. These innovations made his clocks incredibly accurate and gave him a reputation as a master clockmaker. In 1730 Harrison designed a marine clock to compete for the Longitude Prize and went on to build his first sea clock, which performed well in trials. Two more versions were produced in the John Harrison, 1767. Artist: Thomas King Credit: Science Museum next seventeen years. Around 1750 Harrison changed the idea of a sea clock, realising that a watch-sized timekeeper would be more successful. He proceeded to design and make the world’s first effective maritime timekeeper, which enabled a navigator to assess accurately his ship’s position on longitude. It was a revolution in navigation at sea. Harrison had to enlist the help of George III to petition for the prize but never received the official award, although he received monetary amounts from the Board of Longitude during the course of his work. He died in 1776, and was buried in the graveyard of St John’s Church in Hampstead. Written by Audrey Lappin (Friends of Crayford Library) www.shovell1714.crayfordhistory.co.uk www.shovell1714.crayfordhistory.co.uk John Harrison’s marine timekeeper, H4. This is Harrison’s prize- winning longitude watch, completed in 1759. Credit: Royal Museums Greenwich ZAA0037 North Pole Greenwich On 24 March 2006 HRH The Duke of Edinburgh unveiled a memorial stone for John Harrison. A bimetallic strip is placed through his name with the longitude for the stone 000º 7’ 35”W, inscribed on it.
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