Alexander Schomberg
Encyclopedia
Captain Sir Alexander Schomberg (1720, London – 19 March 1804, Dublin) was an 18th century Royal Navy officer.
(1690–1761), was a German-Jewish doctor and settled in England c. 1720 and set up a flourishing practice in Fenchurch Street
, London. Two of Alexander's brothers followed their father's profession - the eldest, Isaac, and Ralph or Raphael
- , and two others (Moses and Solomon) went into the law, but Alexander instead opted for the navy.
Like his brothers, however, he was brought up a Jew but attended St Paul's School, London, and renounced the Jewish faith by publicly receiving the sacrament according to the Anglican
rites and thus being able to enter on public careers without impediment from the Test Act
. Joining the Navy in 1743 as a midshipman
under Captain Edward Pratten on HMS Suffolk
(70 guns
), he passed his examination for lieutenant on 3 December 1747, entering the sloop
Hornet on 11 December and transferring from there to Speedwell, another sloop, in the West Indies in spring 1750. The latter ship, however, returned to England, and was paid off
in July 1751, with Schomberg and her other officers placed on half pay.
Schomberg's next appointment came in February 1755, under Captain Peter Denis on the Medway
. This ship, however, was only in the home fleet and on the Bay of Biscay
station and he was put on half pay again from June to October 1756. He then was appointed to the Intrepid (formerly the French ship Serieux, 64 guns), under Captain Pratten again.
Promotion to captain eventually came on 5 April 1757, briefly in command of the new frigate
Richmond
, then from the end of 1757 in command of HMS Diana
, 32 guns
. In the Diana he played a distinguished part in the taking of Louisburg in 1758 (taking the fleet's commander in Edward Boscawen
in close to reconnoitre the coast, covering the landing and taking command of a party of seamen landed to man the batteries) and Quebec
in 1759/60 (bombarding the shore under Charles Saunders
and repulsing a French attempt to regain the city), and was a close associate of James Wolfe
. He was then sent back in 1760 with the news of the victories. There he was appointed to the Essex
, with that ship taking part in the 1764 reduction of Belle Île
, under Commodore Augustus Keppel and then serving in the Brest and Biscay fleet until the peace.
At the peace of 1763
he received a commemorative gold medal for his service in Canada and married (see below). At the end of 1770 he was appointed to the Prudent, which had been commissioned due to the dispute between Britain and Spain
about the Falkland Islands
and was paid off at the end of the dispute. In late 1771 he became captain of HMS Dorset, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
's yacht. Lord Sandwich
, First Lord of the Admiralty opposed Alexander taking up this role, seeing it as virtually a retirement from active service, to no avail (though he then prevented Alexander from re-entering active service when Alexander too came to this opinion, soon after taking up the role).
Alexander was, however, knighted by the lord lieutenant in 1777 for his long and active service, though (remaining Dorsets captain until 1804 - a yacht captain had to leave that post if he wished to be promoted to a flag rank) he progressed no further than the top of the captains' list as the most senior serving captain of the Navy, though he spent many years in that position. Also during this time he wrote "A sea manual recommended to the young officers of the Royal Navy as a companion to the signal book" (1789), and had his second son, Alexander Wilmot
, and his youngest son, Charles Marsh
, serving under him on the Dorset. On his death, he was buried in the churchyard at St Peter's, County Dublin.
, of Hatfield Peverel
, perhaps with Hogarth's portrait commissioned and completed in time for the wedding. Alexander and Arabella's five children were baptized in the Christian faith.
Life
His father, Meyer Löw SchombergMeyer Löw Schomberg
Meyer Löw Schomberg was a German-Jewish physician who moved to London and had a successful business there.-Life:...
(1690–1761), was a German-Jewish doctor and settled in England c. 1720 and set up a flourishing practice in Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in the City of London home to a number of shops, pubs and offices. It links Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street to the west. To the south of Fenchurch Street and towards its eastern end is Fenchurch Street railway station...
, London. Two of Alexander's brothers followed their father's profession - the eldest, Isaac, and Ralph or Raphael
Ralph Schomberg
Ralph or Raphael Schomberg was a British doctor of the 18th century.His father, Meyer Löw Schomberg, was a Jewish doctor who settled in England, but he became alienated from Judaism and had Ralph and his brothers, who had initially been brought up as Jews, attend St Paul's School, London, and then...
- , and two others (Moses and Solomon) went into the law, but Alexander instead opted for the navy.
Like his brothers, however, he was brought up a Jew but attended St Paul's School, London, and renounced the Jewish faith by publicly receiving the sacrament according to the Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
rites and thus being able to enter on public careers without impediment from the Test Act
Test Act
The Test Acts were a series of English penal laws that served as a religious test for public office and imposed various civil disabilities on Roman Catholics and Nonconformists...
. Joining the Navy in 1743 as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
under Captain Edward Pratten on HMS Suffolk
HMS Suffolk (1680)
HMS Suffolk was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by contract of 20 February 1678 by Sir Henry Johnson at his Blackwall Yard and launched in May 1680...
(70 guns
Third-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...
), he passed his examination for lieutenant on 3 December 1747, entering 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....
Hornet on 11 December and transferring from there to Speedwell, another sloop, in the West Indies in spring 1750. The latter ship, however, returned to England, and was paid off
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
in July 1751, with Schomberg and her other officers placed on half pay.
Schomberg's next appointment came in February 1755, under Captain Peter Denis on the Medway
HMS Medway (1755)
HMS Medway was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment, and launched on 14 February 1755....
. This ship, however, was only in the home fleet and on the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
station and he was put on half pay again from June to October 1756. He then was appointed to the Intrepid (formerly the French ship Serieux, 64 guns), under Captain Pratten again.
Promotion to captain eventually came on 5 April 1757, briefly in command of the new frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
Richmond
HMS Richmond (1757)
HMS Richmond was the name ship of the 32-gun Richmond-class fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1757 and served throughout the American Revolutionary War until captured by the French in 1781.- References :...
, then from the end of 1757 in command of HMS Diana
HMS Diana (1757)
HMS Diana was one of the four 32-gun Southampton-class fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1757 and served through the American Revolutionary War before being broken up in 1793.- References :...
, 32 guns
Fifth-rate
In Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...
. In the Diana he played a distinguished part in the taking of Louisburg in 1758 (taking the fleet's commander in Edward Boscawen
Edward Boscawen
Admiral Edward Boscawen, PC was an Admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall. He is known principally for his various naval commands throughout the 18th Century and the engagements that he won, including the Siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos...
in close to reconnoitre the coast, covering the landing and taking command of a party of seamen landed to man the batteries) and Quebec
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War...
in 1759/60 (bombarding the shore under Charles Saunders
Charles Saunders (admiral)
Admiral Sir Charles Saunders, KB was a Royal Navy officer in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and later served as First Lord of the Admiralty. He was appointed to the Privy Council in 1766.-Early career:...
and repulsing a French attempt to regain the city), and was a close associate of James Wolfe
James Wolfe
Major General James P. Wolfe was a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada...
. He was then sent back in 1760 with the news of the victories. There he was appointed to the Essex
HMS Essex (1760)
HMS Essex was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 28 August 1760 at Rotherhithe.She was on harbour service from 1777, and was sold out of the service in 1799....
, with that ship taking part in the 1764 reduction of Belle Île
Belle Île
Belle-Île or Belle-Île-en-Mer is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the département of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is 14 km from the Quiberon peninsula.Administratively, the island forms a canton: the canton of Belle-Île...
, under Commodore Augustus Keppel and then serving in the Brest and Biscay fleet until the peace.
At the peace of 1763
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
he received a commemorative gold medal for his service in Canada and married (see below). At the end of 1770 he was appointed to the Prudent, which had been commissioned due to the dispute between Britain and Spain
Falklands Crisis (1770)
The Falklands Crisis of 1770 was a diplomatic standoff between Britain and Spain over possession of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. These events were nearly the cause of a war between France, Spain and Britain — the countries poised to dispatch armed fleets to contest the barren...
about the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
and was paid off at the end of the dispute. In late 1771 he became captain of HMS Dorset, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
's yacht. Lord Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather, Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich, as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten...
, First Lord of the Admiralty opposed Alexander taking up this role, seeing it as virtually a retirement from active service, to no avail (though he then prevented Alexander from re-entering active service when Alexander too came to this opinion, soon after taking up the role).
Alexander was, however, knighted by the lord lieutenant in 1777 for his long and active service, though (remaining Dorsets captain until 1804 - a yacht captain had to leave that post if he wished to be promoted to a flag rank) he progressed no further than the top of the captains' list as the most senior serving captain of the Navy, though he spent many years in that position. Also during this time he wrote "A sea manual recommended to the young officers of the Royal Navy as a companion to the signal book" (1789), and had his second son, Alexander Wilmot
Alexander Wilmot Schomberg
Alexander Wilmot Schomberg was the second son of Alexander Schomberg and Arabella Susannah Chalmers, and followed his father into the Royal Navy.-Life:...
, and his youngest son, Charles Marsh
Charles Marsh Schomberg
Sir Charles Marsh Schomberg was the youngest son of the naval officer Alexander Schomberg and Arabella Susannah Chalmers, and followed his father's profession...
, serving under him on the Dorset. On his death, he was buried in the churchyard at St Peter's, County Dublin.
Marriage and issue
In August 1763, when peace came, he married Arabella Susannah Chalmers, only child of the Revd James Chalmers and Arabella, sister and heiress of Sir Edmond Alleyne, baronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, of Hatfield Peverel
Hatfield Peverel
Hatfield Peverel is a large urban village and civil parish in the centre of Essex, England. Its population, including the hamlet of Nounsley, is approximately 5,500 . Hatfield means a 'heathery space in the forest'; Peverel refers to William Peverel, the Norman knight granted lands in the area by...
, perhaps with Hogarth's portrait commissioned and completed in time for the wedding. Alexander and Arabella's five children were baptized in the Christian faith.