Temple West
Encyclopedia
Vice-Admiral Temple West (1714 – 9 August 1757) was a British
naval officer, best known for his role as second-in-command to Admiral John Byng
in the Battle of Minorca
.
and sister of the influential Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham
and also Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple
.
His elder brother was the author Gilbert West
. and his sister, Mary, married Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport
.
In 1738, he was given command of Deal Castle, a 24-gun sixth-rate
. In 1742, he was made captain of Warwick
, a 60-gun fourth-rate
. During the Battle of Toulon
, Warwick was one of three ships that broke up a Franco-Spanish movement to weather the British line, but did so contrary to orders. He was court-martial
ed at Deptford
on 13 December 1745, found guilty, and dismissed the service, but was reinstated on 12 May 1746 by Order in Council. In 1747, he commanded Devonshire
as flag-captain to Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Warren
at the Battle of Cape Finisterre
.
He married Frances Balchen, daughter of Admiral Sir John Balchen
, and was the father of Balchen West and hence grandfather of Sir Edward West, first Chief Justice of Bombay.
His other son, Martin West was Recorder of Lynn, who married Lady Maria Walpole, (daughter of Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford
), by whom he had a son, The Rt Hon Sir Algernon West
.GCB.
. West sailed aboard Buckingham
, Flag-Captain Michael Everitt,, and the fleet saw action on 20 May 1756, the day after their arrival. West had command of the van, which attacked the rear of the French van and drew heavy fire. In the rear, Byng, who had insufficient sail on to promptly come up and support the van, declined to put on further sail, citing the court-martial of Thomas Mathews
at the Battle of Toulon. (Mathews had attacked the enemy individually while flying a signal to attack in line of battle
, resulting in a confused and disorderly attack.) The French drew off at the end of the day, and the English fleet lacked the weather gage
to pursue.
on 17 November 1756 and promoted to Vice-Admiral. The fate of his superior greatly affected West, who afterwards declined a command, saying that "although he could answer for his loyalty and good intentions, he could not undertake to be held capitally responsible on all occasions for the correctness of his judgment". He died not long after, on 9 August 1757, and was buried in Westminster Abbey
, where there is a handsome monument.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
naval officer, best known for his role as second-in-command to Admiral John Byng
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...
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...
.
Early career and family
West was a younger son of Rev. Dr. Richard West, archdeacon of Berkshire, and his wife Maria Temple, daughter of Sir Richard Temple, 3rd BaronetSir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet
Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1654 and from 1660 to 1697....
and sister of the influential Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham
Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham
Field Marshal Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham PC was a British soldier and Whig politician. He was known for his ownership of and modifications to the estate at Stowe and for serving as a political mentor to the young William Pitt.-Early life:Temple was the son of Sir Richard Temple, 3rd...
and also Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple
Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple
Hester Temple, 1st Countess Temple, 2nd Viscountess Cobham was an English noblewoman.She was born the daughter of Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Bt. , of Stowe, Buckinghamshire...
.
His elder brother was the author Gilbert West
Gilbert West
Gilbert West was a minor English poet, translator and Christian apologist in the early and middle eighteenth century. Samuel Johnson included him in his Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets.-Biography:...
. and his sister, Mary, married Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport
Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport
|-...
.
In 1738, he was given command of Deal Castle, a 24-gun sixth-rate
Sixth-rate
Sixth rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for small warships mounting between 20 and 24 nine-pounder guns on a single deck, sometimes with guns on the upper works and sometimes without.-Rating:...
. In 1742, he was made captain of Warwick
HMS Warwick (1733)
HMS Warwick was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the 1719 Establishment at Plymouth Dockyard, and launched on 25 October 1733....
, a 60-gun fourth-rate
Fourth-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a fourth rate was, during the first half of the 18th century, a ship of the line mounting from 46 up to 60 guns. While the number of guns stayed subsequently in the same range up until 1817, after 1756 the ships of 50 guns and below were considered too weak to stand in...
. During the Battle of Toulon
Battle of Toulon (1744)
The naval Battle of Toulon or Battle of Cape Sicié took place on 22 February 1744 in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Toulon, France. A combined Franco-Spanish fleet fought off Britain's Mediterranean fleet...
, Warwick was one of three ships that broke up a Franco-Spanish movement to weather the British line, but did so contrary to orders. He was court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
ed at Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
on 13 December 1745, found guilty, and dismissed the service, but was reinstated on 12 May 1746 by Order in Council. In 1747, he commanded Devonshire
HMS Devonshire (1745)
HMS Devonshire was a 66-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the dimensions laid out in the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment at Woolwich Dockyard, and launched on 19 July 1745....
as flag-captain to Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Warren
Peter Warren (admiral)
Sir Peter Warren, KB was a British naval officer from Ireland who commanded the naval forces in the attack on the French fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia in 1745...
at the Battle of Cape Finisterre
First battle of Cape Finisterre (1747)
The First Battle of Cape Finisterre saw 14 British ships of the line under Admiral George Anson attack a French 30-ship convoy commanded by Admiral de la Jonquière during the War of the Austrian Succession. The British captured 4 ships of the line, 2 frigates and 7 merchantmen, in a five-hour...
.
He married Frances Balchen, daughter of Admiral Sir John Balchen
John Balchen
Admiral Sir John Balchen was an officer of the British Royal Navy with a long and distinguished career during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In the course of his service at sea, Balchen saw action in numerous battles against the French and Spanish navies across 60 years and three...
, and was the father of Balchen West and hence grandfather of Sir Edward West, first Chief Justice of Bombay.
His other son, Martin West was Recorder of Lynn, who married Lady Maria Walpole, (daughter of Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford
Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford
Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford , styled The Honourable Horatio Walpole between 1757 and 1806 and Lord Walpole between 1806 and 1809, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...
), by whom he had a son, The Rt Hon Sir Algernon West
Algernon West
The Rt Hon Sir Algernon Edward West GCB was Principal Private Secretary to Prime Minister Gladstone.-Biography:He was the son of Martin John West and Lady Maria Walpole, daughter of the second Earl of Orford...
.GCB.
Battle of Minorca
In 1756, West, now a rear-admiral, was appointed second-in-command to Admiral Byng to lead a hastily-assembled squadron to the relief of MinorcaMinorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
. West sailed aboard Buckingham
HMS Buckingham (1751)
HMS Buckingham was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment, and launched on 13 April 1751....
, Flag-Captain Michael Everitt,, and the fleet saw action on 20 May 1756, the day after their arrival. West had command of the van, which attacked the rear of the French van and drew heavy fire. In the rear, Byng, who had insufficient sail on to promptly come up and support the van, declined to put on further sail, citing the court-martial of Thomas Mathews
Thomas Mathews
Thomas Mathews was a British officer of the Royal Navy, who rose to the rank of admiral.Mathews joined the navy in 1690 and saw service on a number of ships, including during the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession. He interspersed periods spent commanding ships with time at home...
at the Battle of Toulon. (Mathews had attacked the enemy individually while flying a signal to attack in line of battle
Line of battle
In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line end to end. A primitive form had been used by the Portuguese under Vasco Da Gama in 1502 near Malabar against a Muslim fleet.,Maarten Tromp used it in the Action of 18 September 1639 while its first use in...
, resulting in a confused and disorderly attack.) The French drew off at the end of the day, and the English fleet lacked the weather gage
Weather gage
The weather gage is a nautical term used to describe the advantageous position of a fighting sailing vessel, relative to another. The term is from the Age of Sail, and is now antiquated. A ship is said to possess the weather gage if it is in any position, at sea, upwind of the other vessel...
to pursue.
After Minorca
Both Byng and West were recalled from command after the battle, beginning the process which culminated in the court-martial and execution of Byng, for failing to do his duty "to his utmost". West, on the contrary, was received as a hero, and was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the AdmiraltyLord Commissioner of the Admiralty
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of the Board of Admiralty, which exercised command over the Royal Navy.Officially known as the Commissioners for Exercising the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland &c. The Lords...
on 17 November 1756 and promoted to Vice-Admiral. The fate of his superior greatly affected West, who afterwards declined a command, saying that "although he could answer for his loyalty and good intentions, he could not undertake to be held capitally responsible on all occasions for the correctness of his judgment". He died not long after, on 9 August 1757, and was buried in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, where there is a handsome monument.