Faulknor family
Encyclopedia
The Faulknor family was an English family from Northamptonshire
, of which several generations served as officers in the Royal Navy
.
of the Royal William
in 1695. On 17 March 1707, he was promoted to the rank of captain
, and given command of the 80-gun ship of the line
. He afterwards commanded a frigate, and in 1715 was appointed to command of the 80-gun , flagship
of Admiral Sir John Norris, commander of the Baltic fleet. In 1720 he commanded the 90-gun ship . In 1722 he was, for a short time, Master Attendant of Woolwich Dockyard
, then served as Lieutenant-Governor of Greenwich Hospital until his death on 25 February 1725 (N.S.
)
rocks off Alderney
, but in 2009 a wreck identified as Victory was found by Odyssey Marine Exploration
nearly 62 miles from where the ship was supposed to have sunk.
. On 21 April 1746, Faulknor was appointed to the 20-gun frigate , and afterwards the frigate , in which he sailed to Jamaica. During a hurricane on 11 September 1751, the Fox was lost, but Faulknor, and the greater part of his crew were saved. He returned to England in mid-1752, and was first appointed to the 20-gun ship , and then to the Lyne, also of 20 guns, in early 1755. Within months he took command of the 60-gun , and distinguished himself on various occasions, particularly on 17 April 1758, when he chased two French frigates, and three storeships, until he captured the Grand St. Pierre; and on 27 March 1759, off Lisbon, he attacked four large French ships, and took the East Indiaman Duc de Chartres. He died on 28 May 1760.
. He was seriously wounded there—sixteen splinters of bone were taken from his ankle—but was promoted to lieutenant soon afterwards. He later served in the Battle of Minorca
on 20 May 1756, and was a witness at Admiral Byng's
subsequent court-martial. Soon after Faulknor was promoted to the rank of commander
in a sloop-of-war
, and in 1757, was advanced to post-rank
, and commanded the 68-gun ship Marlborough
, for a short time. In August 1761 Faulknor was in command of the seventy-four
, and sailing in company with the frigate (36) off Vigo
, northern Spain, when they engaged the French seventy-four , and the 36-gun frigates Malicicuse and Ermine. Bellona fought and captured Courageux in a fierce action lasting just 55 minutes, while Brilliant engaged the frigates. Faulknor was appointed to command the in 1763. In poor health after a fall from a horse whilst hunting, he then lived in Bath, and afterwards in Dijon
, central France, where he died on 9 May 1769.
, in the Gorée expedition
. On 9 July 1759, he appears as captain of the 20-gun ship in the West Indies. In 1767 he was appointed to command of the 74-gun ship , flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir John Moore
. Faulknor was next appointed to the 74-gun in 1777; and in 1778 sailed under the flag of Admiral Keppel, as second captain
of the 104-gun . In 1782 he was appointed to the 98-gun , and sailed with Lord Howe's
fleet to the relief of Gibraltar
. He afterwards continued in the Princess Royal as a guard-ship at Portsmouth
; and was appointed to the 74-gun on the same service. Faulknor was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral of the white on 24 September 1787; rear-admiral of the red on 21 September 1790; vice-admiral of the blue, 1 February 1793; vice of the white, 12 April 1794; vice of the red, 12 July 1794; and finally admiral of the blue on 1 June 1795. On receiving his last promotion, he travelled to London from his home in Havant
to be presented to the King. On the morning of 23 June 1795 he was struck with a fit of apoplexy
, and died the next day.
in several ships during the American War
, receiving promotion to lieutenant in 1780. After several periods on half-pay
he was appointed commander of the 16-gun sloop on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War in 1793. After an attack on Fort Royal
, Martinique
, Faulknor was made post and given command of the 28-gun frigate . He then took part in the invasion of Guadeloupe
. Faulknor was in command of the frigate when she captured the French frigate on 6 January 1795. Faulknor was killed during the action.
Spry family
. He died in 1809 with the rank of rear-admiral of the red. He was the father of Commander Jonathan Faulknor, R.N.
, and Lieutenant Augustus Spry Faulknor, and the grandfather of Colonel Jonathan Augustus Spry Faulknor.
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, of which several generations served as officers in the Royal Navy
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...
.
William Faulknor
William Faulknor (d. 25 February 1725) first appears as fourth lieutenantLieutenant (naval)
LieutenantThe pronunciation of lieutenant is generally split between or , generally in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries, and or , generally associated with the United States. See lieutenant. is a commissioned officer rank in many nations' navies...
of the Royal William
HMS Prince (1670)
HMS Prince was a 100-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett II at Deptford Dockyard and launched in 1670. A contemporary shipyard model and a drawing by Willem van de Velde the Elder give a good impression how she looked...
in 1695. On 17 March 1707, he was promoted to the rank of captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
, and given command of the 80-gun ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
. He afterwards commanded a frigate, and in 1715 was appointed to command of the 80-gun , flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Admiral Sir John Norris, commander of the Baltic fleet. In 1720 he commanded the 90-gun ship . In 1722 he was, for a short time, Master Attendant of Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....
, then served as Lieutenant-Governor of Greenwich Hospital until his death on 25 February 1725 (N.S.
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
)
Samuel Faulknor (I)
Samuel Faulknor (d. 5 October 1744) was the son of William Faulknor. He commanded the 100-gun ship in 1736, and also the 100-gun before being appointed commander of the , flagship of Admiral Sir John Norris, in early 1741. On 28 July 1744 Victory sailed with a fleet of British and Dutch ships from St. Helen's for Lisbon. During the voyage they captured six French ships. On 3 October the fleet was dispersed in a gale, and on the next night Victory was lost with her entire crew. It was believed that Victory struck the CasquetsCasquets
Les Casquets or Casquets is a group of rocks 13 km northwest of Alderney and are part of an underwater sandstone ridge. Other parts which emerge above the water are the islets of Burhou and Ortac. Little vegetation grows on them...
rocks off Alderney
Alderney
Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...
, but in 2009 a wreck identified as Victory was found by Odyssey Marine Exploration
Odyssey Marine Exploration
Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. is an American company engaged in the salvage of deep-water shipwrecks. Odyssey salvaged the US Civil War era shipwreck of the SS Republic in 2003 and recovered over 50,000 coins and 14,000 artifacts from the site nearly 1,700 feet deep...
nearly 62 miles from where the ship was supposed to have sunk.
Samuel Faulknor (II)
Samuel Faulknor (d. 28 May 1760) was the son of Samuel Faulknor. He distinguished himself as the commander of the sloop in 1746, and was afterwards made postPost-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
. On 21 April 1746, Faulknor was appointed to the 20-gun frigate , and afterwards the frigate , in which he sailed to Jamaica. During a hurricane on 11 September 1751, the Fox was lost, but Faulknor, and the greater part of his crew were saved. He returned to England in mid-1752, and was first appointed to the 20-gun ship , and then to the Lyne, also of 20 guns, in early 1755. Within months he took command of the 60-gun , and distinguished himself on various occasions, particularly on 17 April 1758, when he chased two French frigates, and three storeships, until he captured the Grand St. Pierre; and on 27 March 1759, off Lisbon, he attacked four large French ships, and took the East Indiaman Duc de Chartres. He died on 28 May 1760.
Robert Faulknor the elder
Robert Faulknor the elder (d. 9 May 1769) was also the son of Samuel Faulknor. Robert entered the Navy while still a boy, and in 1741, aged only 15, served during the siege of CarthagenaBattle of Cartagena de Indias
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias was an amphibious military engagement between the forces of Britain under Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon and those of Spain under Admiral Blas de Lezo. It took place at the city of Cartagena de Indias in March 1741, in present-day Colombia...
. He was seriously wounded there—sixteen splinters of bone were taken from his ankle—but was promoted to lieutenant soon afterwards. He later served in the Battle of Minorca
Battle of Minorca
The Battle of Minorca was a naval battle between French and British fleets. It was the opening sea battle of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre. Shortly after Great Britain declared war on the House of Bourbon, their squadrons met off the Mediterranean island of Minorca. The fight...
on 20 May 1756, and was a witness at Admiral Byng's
John Byng
Admiral John Byng was a Royal Navy officer. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to Vice-Admiral in 1747...
subsequent court-martial. Soon after Faulknor was promoted to the rank of commander
Commander (Royal Navy)
Commander is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It is immediately junior to captain and immediately senior to the rank of lieutenant commander...
in a sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, and in 1757, was advanced to post-rank
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
, and commanded the 68-gun ship Marlborough
HMS St Michael (1669)
HMS St Michael was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by John Tippetts of Portsmouth Dockyard and launched in 1669....
, for a short time. In August 1761 Faulknor was in command of the seventy-four
Seventy-four (ship)
The "seventy-four" was a type of two-decked sailing ship of the line nominally carrying 74 guns. Originally developed by the French Navy in the mid-18th century, the design proved to be a good balance between firepower and sailing qualities, and was adopted by the British Royal Navy , as well as...
, and sailing in company with the frigate (36) off Vigo
Vigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
, northern Spain, when they engaged the French seventy-four , and the 36-gun frigates Malicicuse and Ermine. Bellona fought and captured Courageux in a fierce action lasting just 55 minutes, while Brilliant engaged the frigates. Faulknor was appointed to command the in 1763. In poor health after a fall from a horse whilst hunting, he then lived in Bath, and afterwards in Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, central France, where he died on 9 May 1769.
Jonathan Faulknor
Jonathan Faulknor (d. 24 June 1795) was another son of Samuel Faulknor. He was promoted to lieutenant on 24 August 1753, and to commander on 28 September 1758, and commanded the bomb ketch , under Commodore KeppelAugustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel
Admiral Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel PC was an officer of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the War of American Independence...
, in the Gorée expedition
Capture of Gorée
The Capture of Gorée occurred in December 1758 when a British naval expedition led by Augustus Keppel seized the French island of Gorée off the coast of Senegal during the Seven Years War. The island was occupied by the British until 1763 when it was returned following the Treaty of...
. On 9 July 1759, he appears as captain of the 20-gun ship in the West Indies. In 1767 he was appointed to command of the 74-gun ship , flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir John Moore
Sir John Moore, 1st Baronet
Sir John Moore, 1st Baronet KB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War. He eventually rose to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...
. Faulknor was next appointed to the 74-gun in 1777; and in 1778 sailed under the flag of Admiral Keppel, as second captain
Flag captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First Captain", with the "flag captain" as the ship's...
of the 104-gun . In 1782 he was appointed to the 98-gun , and sailed with Lord Howe's
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
fleet to the relief of Gibraltar
Great Siege of Gibraltar
The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the American War of Independence. This was the largest action fought during the war in terms of numbers, particularly the Grand Assault of 18 September 1782...
. He afterwards continued in the Princess Royal as a guard-ship at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
; and was appointed to the 74-gun on the same service. Faulknor was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral of the white on 24 September 1787; rear-admiral of the red on 21 September 1790; vice-admiral of the blue, 1 February 1793; vice of the white, 12 April 1794; vice of the red, 12 July 1794; and finally admiral of the blue on 1 June 1795. On receiving his last promotion, he travelled to London from his home in Havant
Havant
Havant is a town in south east Hampshire on the South coast of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area. The town has rapidly grown since the end of the Second World War.It has good railway connections to London,...
to be presented to the King. On the morning of 23 June 1795 he was struck with a fit of apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
, and died the next day.
Robert Faulknor the younger
Robert Faulknor the younger (1763–1795) was the son of Robert Faulknor the elder. He entered the Navy in 1777 and served under William CornwallisWilliam Cornwallis
Admiral the Honourable Sir William Cornwallis GCB was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, governor-general of India...
in several ships during the American War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, receiving promotion to lieutenant in 1780. After several periods on half-pay
Half-pay
In the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, half-pay referred to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service....
he was appointed commander of the 16-gun sloop on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War in 1793. After an attack on Fort Royal
Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France is the capital of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, and cacao.-Geography:...
, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, Faulknor was made post and given command of the 28-gun frigate . He then took part in the invasion of Guadeloupe
Invasion of Guadeloupe (1794)
The Invasion of Guadeloupe was a British attempt in 1794 to take and hold the island of Guadeloupe in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary Wars. Troops led by General Charles Grey were landed on April 11, 1794, and assisted by a fleet led by Admiral Sir John Jervis...
. Faulknor was in command of the frigate when she captured the French frigate on 6 January 1795. Faulknor was killed during the action.
Jonathan Faulknor the younger
Jonathan Faulknor the younger was the son of Jonathan Faulknor the elder. In 1789 he married Rebecca, daughter of Lieutenant-General Horatio Spry (1730-1811) of the CornishCornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
Spry family
Spry family
The Spry family has resided for many centuries at Place in the Cornish parish known as St Anthony in Roseland. There are a number of memorials in the church, St Anthony's. The Spry family settled in Cornwall in the early 16th century.-Some notable members:...
. He died in 1809 with the rank of rear-admiral of the red. He was the father of Commander Jonathan Faulknor, R.N.
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...
, and Lieutenant Augustus Spry Faulknor, and the grandfather of Colonel Jonathan Augustus Spry Faulknor.