Joseph Ames (naval commander)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Ames was an English naval commander under the Commonwealth
.
Ames was descended from an ancient Norfolk
family, and was born at Great Yarmouth
on 5 March 1619. Brought up as a sailor from his youth, he was one of the commanders of a small Channel fleet watching the Dutch coast in 1641. In January 1653 he returned to Plymouth
from Barbados
, with a large consignment of sugar, which had only recently been planted in the island, and in July of the same year he was present at the engagement with the Dutch off the Texel
in which Maarten Tromp
was killed. "For eminent service in saving ye triumph fired in fight with the Dutch" on that occasion, a gold medal was awarded him by parliament. In succeeding years Ames was in command of several ships of war, and made repeated voyages to America and the West Indies. Under his care many royalist prisoners were transported to the colonies, and on 8 October 1655 he was the bearer of a young deer as a present to Cromwell
from the president of the Providence Plantation
in New England
. He withdrew from active service, according to his grandson, the bibliographer, about 1673, and retired to Yarmouth, where he died in December 1695. He was a member of the Presbyterian congregation of his native town. Several of his letters, addressed to the Admiralty commissioners under the Commonwealth, are preserved among the State papers of the time.
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
.
Ames was descended from an ancient Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
family, and was born at Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
on 5 March 1619. Brought up as a sailor from his youth, he was one of the commanders of a small Channel fleet watching the Dutch coast in 1641. In January 1653 he returned to 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...
from 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...
, with a large consignment of sugar, which had only recently been planted in the island, and in July of the same year he was present at the engagement with the Dutch off the Texel
Battle of Scheveningen
The Battle of Scheveningen was the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War...
in which Maarten Tromp
Maarten Tromp
Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp was an officer and later admiral in the Dutch navy. His first name is also spelled as Maerten.-Early life:...
was killed. "For eminent service in saving ye triumph fired in fight with the Dutch" on that occasion, a gold medal was awarded him by parliament. In succeeding years Ames was in command of several ships of war, and made repeated voyages to America and the West Indies. Under his care many royalist prisoners were transported to the colonies, and on 8 October 1655 he was the bearer of a young deer as a present to Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
from the president of the Providence Plantation
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. He withdrew from active service, according to his grandson, the bibliographer, about 1673, and retired to Yarmouth, where he died in December 1695. He was a member of the Presbyterian congregation of his native town. Several of his letters, addressed to the Admiralty commissioners under the Commonwealth, are preserved among the State papers of the time.