Edward Thompson (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Edward Thompson was an English Royal Navy
officer who rose to the rank of commodore
, known also as as a literary figure with the nickname "Poet Thompson".
, he received his early education at Beverley
, and later at Hampstead
under Dr. Cox, formerly of Harrow School
. He is said to have made a voyage to Greenland
in 1750. In 1754 he was on board an East Indiaman and made a voyage to the East Indies
. On his return to England he entered on board the Stirling Castle, a 64-gun-ship, as a midshipman
. Two years later, on 16 November 1757, he passed his examination and was promoted to be lieutenant of the Jason, in the North Sea and the Channel; ten days later, in December 1758, he was moved into the Dorsetshire with Captain Peter Denis. During the Seven Years' War
he was in the long blockade of Brest
through the summer of 1759, and was present at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
on 20 November In March 1760 he accompanied Denis to the Bellona, in which he stayed till the end of the war. He was then put on half-pay, and took on the role of man of letters
In 1771, perhaps through the influence of David Garrick
, he was promoted to the rank of commander and appointed to the Kingfisher, in service in the North Sea on preventive work. At the end of the year he was moved into the Raven, in which he went out to the Mediterranean, where Sir Peter Denis, the commander-in-chief, promoted him to be captain of the Niger by a commission that was confirmed by the admiralty and dated 2 April 1772. In June he brought the Niger home and was again for some years on half-pay.
In May 1778 Thompson was appointed to the Hyæna, a small frigate, which early in 1779 he took out to the West Indies, returning to England with convoy in September. In December the Hyæna was attached to the fleet which under Sir George Brydges Rodney relieved Gibraltar
, and was sent home with despatches. In August 1780 she went out to New York in charge of a convoy, and from there to Charlestown
and Barbados
. On 29 March 1781 Thompson wrote from Barbados that under the admiral's orders he was going to take Berbice
and establish colonies at Demerara
and Essequibo
. This mission occupied most of the year, Thompson organising the government of the colonies and taking measures for their defence. Rodney had returned to England; Sir Samuel Hood, left in command, had gone to New York; and in November, Thompson, at the request of merchants, convoyed their trade to Barbados. He took on himself the responsibility of shipping it to Europe. In his absence, the Guiana
colonies were captured by a small French squadron; and on 1 April Thompson was tried by court-martial on the charge of having left his station and returned to England without orders. The court, however, honourably acquitted him.
In 1782 he was appointed to the Grampus of 50 guns, in which he went out to the west coast of Africa as commodore of the small squadron there. He died, unmarried, on board the Grampus on 17 January 1786. His portrait was engraved by A. McKenzie.
and some of her associates, reached a sixth edition in 1765. It was followed by the ‘Demi-Rep’ (1756), by the ‘Courtesan,’ and by several other ‘Meretricious Miscellanies,’ as the author called them. None of these works bore the author's name. They were collected in 1770 under the collective title of The Court of Cupid. In the previous year he had issued a boisterous ode entitled ‘Trinculo's Trip to the [Stratford] Jubilee.’ It was dedicated to ‘John Hall’, i.e. John Hall Stevenson.
His ‘Sailor's Letters, written to his Select Friends in England during his Voyages and Travels in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, from the year 1754 to 1759’ (2 vols. 1767), which depicts the social life of the navy, as well as giving an account of the battle of Quiberon Bay. Thompson also edited the Works of John Oldham
(3 vols. 1771); of Andrew Marvell
(3 vols. 1776); and of Paul Whitehead (1777). He wrote sea songs including ‘Loose every Sail to the Breeze,’ and ‘The Topsail shivers in the Wind.’
In 1773 he altered from the old play of Charles Shadwell
‘The Fair Quaker: or the Humours of the Navy,’ which was produced at Drury Lane on 11 November 1773 and then printed. Miss Pope played the title rôle and the revival was a success. In 1775 he published ‘The Case and Distressed Situation of the Widows of the Officers of the Navy,’ dated from ‘St. James's Street,’ and in the following year his two-act masque called ‘The Syrens,’ which was given at Covent Garden, and printed during 1776. The dedication, to Mrs. Vaughan, is dated from Kew
.
In 1784 he visited Charles Murray, the British consul at Madeira
, and while there wrote his ‘nautic poem’ entitled ‘Bello Monte,’ in which he describes the discovery of the island.
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...
officer who rose to the rank of commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
, known also as as a literary figure with the nickname "Poet Thompson".
Life
The son of a merchant of Kingston upon HullKingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, he received his early education at Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
, and later at Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
under Dr. Cox, formerly of Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
. He is said to have made a voyage to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
in 1750. In 1754 he was on board an East Indiaman and made a voyage to the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
. On his return to England he entered on board the Stirling Castle, a 64-gun-ship, 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...
. Two years later, on 16 November 1757, he passed his examination and was promoted to be lieutenant of the Jason, in the North Sea and the Channel; ten days later, in December 1758, he was moved into the Dorsetshire with Captain Peter Denis. During the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
he was in the long blockade of Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
through the summer of 1759, and was present at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...
on 20 November In March 1760 he accompanied Denis to the Bellona, in which he stayed till the end of the war. He was then put on half-pay, and took on the role of man of letters
In 1771, perhaps through the influence of David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
, he was promoted to the rank of commander and appointed to the Kingfisher, in service in the North Sea on preventive work. At the end of the year he was moved into the Raven, in which he went out to the Mediterranean, where Sir Peter Denis, the commander-in-chief, promoted him to be captain of the Niger by a commission that was confirmed by the admiralty and dated 2 April 1772. In June he brought the Niger home and was again for some years on half-pay.
In May 1778 Thompson was appointed to the Hyæna, a small frigate, which early in 1779 he took out to the West Indies, returning to England with convoy in September. In December the Hyæna was attached to the fleet which under Sir George Brydges Rodney relieved Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, and was sent home with despatches. In August 1780 she went out to New York in charge of a convoy, and from there to Charlestown
Charlestown
-Australia:*Charlestown, New South Wales** Electoral district of Charlestown, an electoral district in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly including the area-United Kingdom:*Charlestown, Black Isle, in the Highland council area*Charlestown, Cornwall...
and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. On 29 March 1781 Thompson wrote from Barbados that under the admiral's orders he was going to take Berbice
Berbice
Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1815 a colony of the Netherlands. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom in the latter year, it was merged with Essequibo and Demerara to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831...
and establish colonies at Demerara
Demerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
and Essequibo
Essequibo (colony)
Essequibo was from 1616 to 1814 a Dutch colony in the region of the Essequibo river on the north coast of South America. The colony formed a part of the colonies that are known under the collective name of Dutch Guyana.- History :...
. This mission occupied most of the year, Thompson organising the government of the colonies and taking measures for their defence. Rodney had returned to England; Sir Samuel Hood, left in command, had gone to New York; and in November, Thompson, at the request of merchants, convoyed their trade to Barbados. He took on himself the responsibility of shipping it to Europe. In his absence, the Guiana
Guiana
The Guiana Shield is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a 1.7 billion year old Precambrian geological formation in northeast South America that forms a portion of the northern coast. The higher elevations on the shield are called the Guiana Highlands, which is where the...
colonies were captured by a small French squadron; and on 1 April Thompson was tried by court-martial on the charge of having left his station and returned to England without orders. The court, however, honourably acquitted him.
In 1782 he was appointed to the Grampus of 50 guns, in which he went out to the west coast of Africa as commodore of the small squadron there. He died, unmarried, on board the Grampus on 17 January 1786. His portrait was engraved by A. McKenzie.
Works
His anonymous satire The Meretriciad (1755?), in which he celebrated the charms of Kitty FisherKitty Fisher
Kitty Fisher was a prominent British courtesan. Her celebrity was boosted by the attention that Sir Joshua Reynolds and other artists paid her...
and some of her associates, reached a sixth edition in 1765. It was followed by the ‘Demi-Rep’ (1756), by the ‘Courtesan,’ and by several other ‘Meretricious Miscellanies,’ as the author called them. None of these works bore the author's name. They were collected in 1770 under the collective title of The Court of Cupid. In the previous year he had issued a boisterous ode entitled ‘Trinculo's Trip to the [Stratford] Jubilee.’ It was dedicated to ‘John Hall’, i.e. John Hall Stevenson.
His ‘Sailor's Letters, written to his Select Friends in England during his Voyages and Travels in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, from the year 1754 to 1759’ (2 vols. 1767), which depicts the social life of the navy, as well as giving an account of the battle of Quiberon Bay. Thompson also edited the Works of John Oldham
John Oldham (poet)
John Oldham was an English satirical poet and translator.-Life and work:Oldham was born in Shipton Moyne, Gloucestershire, the son of John Oldham, a non-conformist minister, and grandson of John Oldham the staunch anti-papist rector of Shipton Moyne and before that of Long Newton in Wiltshire...
(3 vols. 1771); of Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell was an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman . As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert...
(3 vols. 1776); and of Paul Whitehead (1777). He wrote sea songs including ‘Loose every Sail to the Breeze,’ and ‘The Topsail shivers in the Wind.’
In 1773 he altered from the old play of Charles Shadwell
Charles Shadwell
Charles Shadwell was an English playwright of the 18th century, date of birth unknown, dead in 1726.The son of Thomas Shadwell, Charles Shadwell was the author of The Fair Quaker of Deal, Irish Hospitality, or, Virtue Rewarded, and other plays, collected and published in 1720....
‘The Fair Quaker: or the Humours of the Navy,’ which was produced at Drury Lane on 11 November 1773 and then printed. Miss Pope played the title rôle and the revival was a success. In 1775 he published ‘The Case and Distressed Situation of the Widows of the Officers of the Navy,’ dated from ‘St. James's Street,’ and in the following year his two-act masque called ‘The Syrens,’ which was given at Covent Garden, and printed during 1776. The dedication, to Mrs. Vaughan, is dated from Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
.
In 1784 he visited Charles Murray, the British consul at Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, and while there wrote his ‘nautic poem’ entitled ‘Bello Monte,’ in which he describes the discovery of the island.