John Kempthorne (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Sir John Kempthorne was an officer in the English 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...

 during the Second
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....

 and Third Anglo-Dutch War
Third Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo–Dutch War or Third Dutch War was a military conflict between England and the Dutch Republic lasting from 1672 to 1674. It was part of the larger Franco-Dutch War...

s, who eventually rose to the rank of Vice-Admiral.

Childhood and early years

Kempthorne was born the second son of John Kempthorne, an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 of Ugborough
Ugborough
Ugborough is a village and civil parish in South Hams in the English county of Devon. It has a large church with a history going back to 1121. It also contains a Post Office, a small junior school and pre-school, a village hall and a central square. A public bus service runs through Ugborough, as...

, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, and his wife Agnes Simon. Little is known about the younger Kempthorne's early life, but his father was a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...

 supporter and had served as a cavalry officer in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

. While his father was in the military, the younger John Kempthorne embarked on a life at sea. He began his career as an apprentice to the master
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...

 of a vessel sailing out of Topsham
Topsham, Devon
Topsham is a suburb of Exeter in the county of Devon, England, on the east side of the River Exe, immediately north of its confluence with the River Clyst and the former's estuary, between Exeter and Exmouth. Although village-sized, with a current population of around 5,023, it was designated a...

. He soon moved up the ranks and took command of a number of ships of the Levant Company
Levant Company
The Levant Company, or Turkey Company, was an English chartered company formed in 1581, to regulate English trade with Turkey and the Levant...

, trading in the Mediterranean. Privateering was common in the Mediterranean, and in 1657 Kempthorne's ship – probably the Eastland Merchant – was captured after a hard fought battle by the Spanish privateer Papachino. Kempthorne was treated well by Papachino, and after the Spaniard was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...

 in 1658 Kempthorne repaid the kindness and eventually procured Papachino's release. Kempthorne was elected a brother of Trinity House
Trinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...

 on 17 November 1660, and continued to command ships in the Mediterranean. He was captain of the Maidenhead between 1662 and 1663, when she was requisitioned by the Turks to carry troops to Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

. The ambassador at Constantinople, Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea
Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea
Sir Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea of Eastwell, Kent, was the 3rd Earl of Winchilsea.Finch was the son of Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea, and the grandson of Elizabeth Finch, 1st Countess of Winchilsea. His first cousin was Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham. He married four...

, remarked that ‘the captain has always been a man of loyal principles’.

Naval career

The breakdown of relations between England and the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...

 prior to the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....

 led to a period of armament and mobilization. Kempthorne received his first command in 1664, probably through the influence of his father's old commanding officer, Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...

. Kempthorne commanded HMS Kent
HMS Kent (1652)
Kentish was a 40-gun fourth-rate frigate of the Commonwealth of England Navy, built at Deptford and launched in 1652.Her most famous action was when she attacked a squadron of Tunisian warships lying in Porto Farina, on the Barbary Coast...

 from June to October 1664, followed by a move to HMS Dunkirk. He then moved on 26 November to take command of HMS Royal James
HMS Royal James (1658)
The Richard was a 70-gun second-rate ship of the line of the navy of the Commonwealth of England, built by the Master Shipwright Christopher Pett at Woolwich Dockyard, and launched in 1658...

. He commanded her at the Battle of Lowestoft
Battle of Lowestoft
The naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York forty...

 on 3 June 1665 where she was Prince Rupert's 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...

. The result was a crushing defeat for the Dutch. Kempthorne was then appointed to command HMS Old James
HMS James (1634)
HMS James was a 48-gun second rank ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett II at Deptford and launched in 1634....

 on 19 July after her captain, James Ley, 3rd Earl of Marlborough
James Ley, 3rd Earl of Marlborough
James Ley, 3rd Earl of Marlborough was a British peer and Member of Parliament, styled Lord Ley from 1629 to 1638.He was the only son of Henry Ley, 2nd Earl of Marlborough, whom he succeeded in 1638...

, had been killed in the battle. Coincidentally Ley had been a distant relative of the Kempthornes. Kempthorne then moved to HMS Royal Charles
HMS Royal Charles (1655)
Royal Charles was an 80-gun first-rate three-decker ship of the line of the English Navy. She was originally called the Naseby, built by Peter Pett, and launched at Woolwich dockyard in 1655, for the navy of the Commonwealth of England, and named in honour of Oliver Cromwell's decisive 1645...

 in February 1666. He was flag captain to George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...

 at the Four Days Battle
Four Days Battle
The Four Days Battle was a naval battle of the Second Anglo–Dutch War. Fought from 1 June to 4 June 1666 in the Julian or Old Style calendar then used in England off the Flemish and English coast, it remains one of the longest naval engagements in history.In June 1665 the English had soundly...

 between 1 June and 4 June 1666, which ended in a Dutch victory. Kempthorne then took command of HMS Defiance
HMS Defiance (1666)
HMS Defiance was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, ordered on 26 October 1664 under the new construction programme of that year, and launched on 27 March 1666 at William Castle's private shipyard at Deptford in the presence of King Charles II.She was commissioned under...

 on 10 June. In September he was promoted to flag rank, becoming rear-admiral of the Blue squadron.

Kempthorne remained with the Defiance until the end of 1667, commanding one of the flying squadrons. He escorted several merchant convoys to the Mediterranean between February and May 1667, followed by a period based out of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

 to counter Dutch raids. He then cruised off Ireland during the summer, eventually leaving the Defiance in December 1667 and taking command of HMS Warspite
HMS Warspite (1666)
HMS Warspite was a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched in 1666 at Blackwall Yard. This second Warspite was one of the five ships designed to carry more provisions and lower deck guns higher above the water than French and Dutch equivalents...

 during the summer of 1668. His next command was his move in early 1669 to HMS Mary Rose
HMS Mary Rose (1654)
The Maidstone was a 40-gun fourth-rate frigate of the English Royal Navy, originally built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England at Woodbridge, and launched in 1654....

. The Mary Rose conveyed Lord Howard
Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Nottingham
Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Nottingham was the son of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham by his second wife, the former Margaret Stuart....

 as ambassador to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

. Kempthorne landed him at Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...

, and then began to escort a multinational convoy of six merchantmen. They were attacked by seven Algerine
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

 corsair
Corsair
Corsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...

s on 18 December as they sailed north of Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....

. Kempthorne took the Mary Rose in to engage them, in a battle that lasted all that day and into the next and saw the Mary Rose engaged by as many as six of the enemy at a time. The Mary Rose suffered severe damage to her masts and rigging, but disabled the enemy admiral's vessel and forced the entire force to withdraw. Kempthorne brought the convoy safely into Cadiz on 20 December. Onboard the Mary Rose during the battle had been the engraver Wenceslas Hollar
Wenceslas Hollar
Václav Hollar , known in England as Wenceslaus or Wenceslas and in Germany as Wenzel Hollar , was a Bohemian etcher, who lived in England for much of his life...

, who produced a representation of the event. Kempthorne was rewarded with a knighthood on 24 April 1670.

Kempthorne returned to active service again on the outbreak of the Third Anglo-Dutch War
Third Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo–Dutch War or Third Dutch War was a military conflict between England and the Dutch Republic lasting from 1672 to 1674. It was part of the larger Franco-Dutch War...

 in 1672, with HMS St Andrew
HMS St Andrew (1670)
HMS St Andrew was a 96-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Woolwich Dockyard by Christopher Pett until his death in March 1668, and then completed by Jonas Shish, and launched in 1670....

 as his flagship. He was present at the Battle of Solebay
Battle of Solebay
The naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style, 7 June New Style 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.-The battle:...

, which ended in a draw with heavy English losses. After seeing HMS Royal James
HMS Royal James (1671)
HMS Royal James was a 102-gun first rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, built by Sir Anthony Deane at Portsmouth Dockyard at a cost of £24,000, and launched on 31 March 1671....

, the ship of his commander Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, KG was an English Infantry officer who later became a naval officer. He was the only surviving son of Sir Sidney Montagu, and was brought up at Hinchingbrooke House....

, under heavy attack, he made several attempts to come to his relief but was beaten back on each occasion.‘
he … fought till eight with as much conduct and bravery as ever man in the world did, continually engaged on both sides almost the whole day’
Kempthorne later admitted that this had been the hardest action that he had ever fought.
Kempthorne was then promoted to rear-admiral of the red, and later vice-admiral of the blue, at which rank he was part of the 1673 campaign under Sir Edward Spragge
Edward Spragge
Sir Edward Spragge was an English admiral. His name was also written as Spragg or Sprague.Spragge was a fiery, brilliantly accomplished Irish seaman who fought in many great actions after the restoration of King Charles II in 1660.Spragge was an officer of the Royal Navy who remained loyal to the...

. He was present at the Battle of Schooneveld
Battle of Schooneveld
The Battles of Schooneveld were two naval battles of the Franco-Dutch War, fought off the coast of the Netherlands on 7 June and 14 June 1673 between an allied Anglo-French fleet commanded by Prince Rupert of the Rhine, and the fleet of the United Provinces, commanded by Michiel de Ruyter.The...

 and the Battle of Texel
Battle of Texel
The naval Battle of Texel or Battle of Kijkduin took place on 21 August 1673 between the Dutch and the combined English and French fleets and was the last major battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, which was itself part of the Franco-Dutch War , during which Louis XIV of France invaded the...

, both of which were indecisive engagements. The latter battle led to recriminations and accusations amongst the commanders of the fleet, Kempthorne criticising the conduct of his rear-admiral, Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory
Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory
Vice-Admiral Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory, KG, PC, PC was the eldest son of the James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde and Lady Elizabeth Preston, and an Irish politician born at Kilkenny Castle.-Life and career:...

, though he later retracted them.

Kempthorne left the St Andrew in October 1673, drawing a flag officer's pension of £200 per annum. He was master of Trinity House in 1674–5 and was also the first steward of the club for naval captains, established in 1674. He became resident commissioner of the navy 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...

, where he became good friends with the governor, George Legge
George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth
Admiral George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth PC was an English naval commander who gave distinguished service to both Charles II and James II.-Biography:...

, who had also fought in the Dutch wars. With the threat of war with France, in 1678 Kempthorne briefly returned to active service, taking up the post of vice-admiral of the narrow seas, with his flag aboard HMS Royal Charles
HMS Royal Charles (1673)
HMS Royal Charles was a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, designed and built by Sir Anthony Deane at Portsmouth Dockyard, where she was launched and completed by his successor as Master Shipwright, Daniel Furzer, in March 1673...

. He became MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Portsmouth alongside Legge in February 1679, but died in Portsmouth on 19 October 1679. He was buried in St Thomas's Church
Portsmouth Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Portsmouth, commonly known as Portsmouth Cathedral, is the Church of England cathedral of the City of Portsmouth, England and is located in the heart of Old Portsmouth...

, and a memorial was later erected to him. In his will he left land in Bigbury
Bigbury
Bigbury is a village and civil parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 582.The parish council meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 7.30pm in Bigbury Memorial Hall...

, Devon, and shares in five merchantmen. He had continued to own merchant ships during his merchant career, hiring some of them to the navy.

Family and personal life

Kempthorne married Joanna (d. 1691), who was a servant to Lady Bendish, the wife of Thomas Bendish
Thomas Bendish
Sir Thomas Bendish, 2nd Baronet , served as the English ambassador to the Ottoman sultanate in the mid-17th century.Son of Sir Thomas, 1st Baronet of Steeple Bumpstead in the county of Essex, Bendish the younger enrolled in Middle Temple in 1626, after earlier studying at St John's College, Cambridge...

, the British ambassador to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 from 1647 to 1661. They had three surviving sons who went on to have naval careers. The eldest, also named John, was born in 1651. He joined the East India Company in 1682 and died in 1692. The next oldest, Morgan, was born at Leghorn
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...

 in 1655. He was killed while in command of HMS Kingfisher
HMS Kingfisher (1675)
HMS Kingfisher was a 46-gun fourth-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett III at Woolwich Dockyard and launched in 1675. She was specially designed to counter the attacks of Algerine corsairs in the Mediterranean by masquerading as a merchantman, which she achieved by...

 during a battle against seven Algerine pirates. The youngest son, Rupert, commanded a fireship but was killed in a tavern brawl in 1691. The couple also had a daughter, who married the naval commander Sir William Reeves. Reeves commanded HMS Sovereign
HMS Sovereign of the Seas
Sovereign of the Seas was a 17th century warship of the English Navy. She was ordered as a 90-gun first-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, but at launch was armed with 102 bronze guns, at the insistence of the king...

 at the battle of the Texel, where his father-in-law had been one of the commanders. Reeves was wounded in the battle and later died.

Sources

  • G. A. Kempthorne, "Sir John Kempthorne and his sons", Mariner's Mirror, 12 (1926), 289–317
  • R. C. Anderson, ed., Journals and narratives of the Third Dutch War, Navy RS, 86 (1946)
  • J. D. Davies, Gentlemen and tarpaulins: the officers and men of the Restoration navy (1991)
  • J. D. Davies, "Devon and the navy in the civil war and the Dutch wars", in The new maritime history of Devon, ed. M. Duffy and others, 1 (1992)

External links




The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK