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69-566: Robert Clerk (sometimes spelled Clark or Clarke) was born about 1720, the son of an Edinburgh physician. John Entick speaks of him as a worthy, intelligent, skilful officer. However Horace Walpole wrote, ”There was a young Scot, by name Clarke, ill-favoured in his person, with a cast in his eyes, of intellects not very sound, but quick, bold, adventurous.” Clerk entered the Army as a second lieutenant in Cotterrell's Marines with seniority 11 June 1741. He

138-475: A New Naval History , with lives and portraits, dedicated to Admiral Edward Vernon . In 1763 he published a General History of the Late War. He issued in 1765 his New Spelling Dictionary ; each edition comprised twenty thousand copies; in 1766 he brought out an edition of William Maitland 's Survey of London with additions. In 1771 appeared his New Latin and English Dictionary and an English Grammar ; and he

207-529: A door, he opened it and told them he was related to Marshal Löwendahl, who would reward them for saving him. Being conducted to the Marshal, with the same readiness he avowed the deceit, urging that he had no other method of saving his life. Löwendahl was pleased with the man, and gave him money.” Clerk was held as a prisoner of war and not released until the end of the war in 1748. In Clerk's own words, “In returning from Gibraltar in (April) 1754, I went along Part of

276-485: A fresh naval command. Despite the setback at Saratoga, and the entry of France, Spain and the Dutch Republic into the war, North's government continued to gain strength until October 1781 when a British army under Lord Cornwallis was forced to surrender to a combined Franco-American force at Yorktown . Although the government was able to continue for several more months its effective power had been sapped. In March 1782

345-585: A lack of support during his command in America. He was further embittered by the replacement of himself and his brother as peace commissioners, as well as by attacks in the press against him by ministerial writers including the prominent American Loyalist Joseph Galloway . An inquiry in Parliament demanded by the Howe brothers to justify their conduct in America was held during 1779 but ended inconclusively. Howe spent much of

414-567: A major trade convoy was incoming from the West Indies . Howe had only 25 ships-of-the-line against 36 enemy ships under Admiral Córdoba and was separated by them from the convoy he was ordered to protect. He sent a message for the convoy to put into safety in ports in Ireland . Howe then took his fleet through a dangerous route, around the north side of the Isles of Scilly . This allowed him to get between

483-585: A number had to be detached to support operations by the British Army . As a result, large amounts of covert French supplies and munitions were smuggled to America. It has been suggested that Howe's limited blockade at this point was driven by his sympathy with and desire for conciliation with the Americans. By 1778 the blockade was looking more promising, with many merchant ships being taken. Howe complained to London that while his ships were able to successfully guard

552-399: A strong gale , and then received orders in early August to return home. In September 1782, Howe carried out the relief of Gibraltar – a difficult operation, 46 French and Spanish ships-of-the-line against only 33 of his own. The exhausted state of the fleet made it impossible for Howe to fit his ships properly or supply them with good crews, and Howe's progress to Gibraltar was hampered by

621-587: A verdict for £300 in 1765. He died at Stepney , where he was buried, on 22 May 1773, being about seventy years old. His first publication, the Speculum Latinum (1728), was a simplified scheme to teach Latin. For his Evidences of Christianity (1729) he styled himself on its title-page student of divinity. In 1736 he issued a proposal, which fell through, to print Chaucer in two folio volumes, and he put M.A. after his name. In 1754 he published his Phaedri Fabulae , with accents and notes. He published in 1757

690-558: A young Lord Fitz-morrice and the adventurer Clarke, who diverted himself from the ships with the difficulties his comrades found in re-embarking. But he was on the point of falling under the punishment due to his arrogance: depending on his interest in the General, he had broken the arrest under which he had been put, for some misdemeanour, by Cunningham, his commanding officer; the same Cunningham, whose handsome behaviour at Minorca I have mentioned: at his return from thence he had been preferred by

759-514: Is credited with a Ready Reckoner , pamphlets on freemasonry , and a share both in the new Week's Preparation and the new Whole Duty of Man . The Lexicon manuale græco-latinvm et latino-græcum. Studio atque opera Josephi Hill, necnon Johannis Entick was a revision of Cornelis Schrevel 's Lexicon as edited by Joseph Hill . He left a large work, in four volumes, The Present State of the British Empire , helped by other hands, nearly ready, which

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828-402: Is in the south aisle at St Paul's Cathedral . Places named after Howe include: The King George V class battleship HMS  Howe bore his name. On 10 March 1758 Howe married Mary Hartop; they had three daughters. His titles of Viscount and Earl Howe therefore became extinct with a lack of a male heir. His eldest daughter Sophia inherited the barony; she married twice, firstly to

897-402: Is my opinion that the place would have surrendered or been taken in forty-eight hours.” Clerk was quizzed at some length and, though being always careful to say he could only say what he had seen more than 3 years before, he maintained his assertion that not all of the ditch around the town could be flooded as parts of it were higher than the tide could reach. Despite having been instrumental in

966-495: Is sent by the King of Prussia; Mr. Keith, our late envoy at Vienna; a son of Field-Marshal Count Lacy's; and Colonel Clarke, the engineer. These, with myself, make five very odd characters, and for the oddity of the mixture I mention it to you.” Clerk's particular talents were much lauded by some; Lord Bute said of him, “With regard to Clarke, I know him well: he must be joined to a general in whom he has confidence, or not thought of. Never

1035-581: The Duke of Portland came to power and being re-appointed in December 1783 under the Younger Pitt 's first ministry. The task was often difficult, for he had to agree to extreme budgetary constraints and disappoint the hopes of many officers who were left unemployed by the peace. Nonetheless, during his time in office a number of new ships were built as part of a naval arms race with France and Spain. During his time at

1104-761: The Duke of York in the third-rate HMS  Princess Amelia in June 1762. Howe was appointed to the Board of Admiralty led by John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich as Senior Naval Lord in April 1763. He became Treasurer of the Navy in 1765 and, having been promoted to rear admiral on 18 October 1770, went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet in November 1770. Promoted to vice admiral on 5 February 1776, he became Commander-in-Chief, North American Station later that month. At

1173-595: The French Revolutionary Wars , Howe was again given command of the Channel Fleet in 1793. In command of a British fleet of twenty-two ships he defeated a fleet of twenty-five French ships, which had been escorting a grain convoy, capturing seven of the enemy ships, at the Glorious First of June in June 1794. For this victory he received the large Naval Gold Medal and chain. He was promoted to Admiral of

1242-531: The Glorious First of June in June 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars . Howe was born in Albemarle Street , London, the second son of Emanuel Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe , who died as governor of Barbados in March 1735, and of Charlotte , a daughter of Baroness von Kielmansegg , afterwards Countess of Darlington , the half-sister of King George I . After education at Eton College , Richard Howe entered

1311-818: The Peerage of Great Britain on 20 April 1782. Howe's task was complex. He had to protect inbound trade convoys from the Americas, keep track of the Franco-Spanish fleet, while also keeping an eye on the Dutch fleet at port in the Texel but reportedly ready to sail. He also had to keep in mind the need to attempt a relief of Gibraltar which had been under siege for several years and would be forced to surrender if it wasn't resupplied soon. Howe had to accomplish these tasks with significantly fewer ships than his combined opponents. Keppel observed

1380-691: The Raid on Rochefort in September 1757. Promoted to commodore , with his broad pennant in the third-rate HMS  Essex , he took part in the Raid on St Malo in June 1758, the Battle of Saint Cast in September 1758 and the Raid on Cherbourg in August 1758. He was particularly noted for his conduct at Rochefort, where he had taken the Île-d'Aix , and was described by George Rodney as performing his duties "with such cool and steady resolution, as has most justly gained him

1449-588: The bomb vessel HMS  Comet and then transferred to the first-rate HMS Royal George , flagship of Admiral Edward Vernon , in August 1745. Promoted to commander on 5 November 1745, Howe was commanding officer of the sloop HMS  Baltimore in the North Sea during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and was severely wounded in the head while cooperating with a frigate in an engagement with two French privateers . Promoted to post-captain on 10 April 1746, he

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1518-498: The capture of a separate British army under General John Burgoyne threw British plans into disarray. Howe spent the winter in Newport, Rhode Island . In Summer 1778 a French squadron commanded by the Comte d'Estaing was sent to America. Howe's fleet was delayed departing New York by contrary winds, and he arrived off Point Judith on 9 August. Since d'Estaing's fleet outnumbered Howe's,

1587-604: The 23rd the fleet entered Basque Roads, battered the fort on Île-d'Aix and captured the island. On the 24th Clerk was sent by Mordaunt to Aix to examine prisoners regarding the state of the defences of Rochefort but got no useful answers. After dinner Clerk went in the dark with Captain Howe of the Magnanime and Mr Boyd, the Controller of the Train, to reconnoitre Fouras. They landed at the tip of

1656-504: The Admiralty, Howe oversaw a number of innovations to signalling . Howe felt constantly undermined by Charles Middleton , the Comptroller of the Navy . Pitt often completely bypassed Howe on naval decisions and went directly to Middleton. By 1788 Howe grew tired of this and he resigned his post as First Lord despite efforts to persuade him to stay. To show their goodwill and approval of him,

1725-474: The Channel Fleet put to sea and cruised for around a month to the west of Ushant before returning to port. The crisis was then settled peacefully by diplomats and Howe was able to return to his retirement on land. During a similar crisis with Russia in 1791 known as the Russian Armament Howe was not offered any command, probably because he was suffering from ill health . Following the outbreak of

1794-647: The Crown at the Staten Island Peace Conference held on 11 September 1776. In 1777 Howe provided support to his brother's operation to capture Philadelphia , ferrying General Howe's army to a landing point from which they successfully marched and took the city. Howe spent much of the remainder of the year concentrating on capturing Forts Mifflin and Mercer which controlled entry to the Delaware River without which ships could not reach Philadelphia. News of

1863-515: The Duke, who told him he had been misinformed of his character, and was sorry he had not sooner known his merit. At their return from St. Cas, Cunningham insisted on bringing Clarke before a Court-Martial. The Princess (Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Dowager Princess of Wales) unwisely countenanced the latter, who had made himself odious to the Army, and who escaped.” Even while Clerk was under arrest he continued to exert his charm. On 16 October 1758 “Clarke

1932-595: The Dutch to launch attacks on the East coast of England. As the Dutch fleet appeared unlikely to immediately put to sea, Howe returned to Britain leaving a squadron of nine ships to keep a watch on the Texel. The French and Spanish fleets had sailed from Brest and Cádiz and combined in the Western Approaches , where they managed to capture some merchant ships. Howe put to sea to try and monitor them, and received information that

2001-671: The Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe , KG (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799) was a Royal Navy officer, politician and peer. After serving throughout the War of the Austrian Succession , he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations against the French coast as part of Britain's policy of naval descents during the Seven Years' War . He also took part, as a naval captain, in

2070-728: The Fleet on 12 March 1796. In May 1797, Howe was called on to pacify Spithead mutineers : he spent twelve hours being rowed round the fleet and speaking to the men following which peace was restored. For this he was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter on 2 June 1797. Howe died at his home at 11 Grafton Street in London on 5 August 1799 and was buried in his family vault at St Andrew's Church, Langar in Nottinghamshire . His monument by John Flaxman

2139-411: The French admiral, fearful that Howe would be further reinforced and eventually gain a numerical advantage, reboarded the French troops, and sailed out to do battle with Howe on 10 August. As the two fleets prepared to battle and manoeuvred for position, the weather deteriorated, and a major storm broke out. Raging for two days, the storm scattered both fleets, severely damaging the French flagship. As

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2208-583: The House of Commons passed a motion ending offensive actions against the American rebels, although the war around the rest of the globe continued with the same intensity. North's government then fell and was replaced by a weak coalition of Whigs led by the Marquess of Rockingham . Not until the fall of Lord North's government in March 1782 did Howe once again accept a command. Despite the suspension of hostilities in America,

2277-609: The Place, the Dock, and the Men of War. He was very polite; I was shewed every Thing, went on board ten Ships of the Line new built, and an Engineer attended me in going round the Place.... I got no Plan of the Place, and put nothing down in writing, for I found that the whole Town had been talking of me, and thought it very extraordinary, that I should be allowed to go about and see every Thing.” At this time Clerk

2346-460: The Royal Navy's best hope was quickly to shift their limited forces from one area of danger to another. In May Howe took a number of ships to the Dutch coast to scout out Dutch preparations. If the Dutch made a sortie into the North Sea they would be able to threaten Britain's vital Baltic convoys, including precious naval stores which were needed for continuing the war. This in turn might lead

2415-586: The beginning of the American War of Independence , Howe was known to be sympathetic to the colonists. He had known Benjamin Franklin since late 1774 and was joined in a commission with his brother, General Sir William Howe , head of the land forces, to attempt a reconciliation. Howe was ordered to institute a naval blockade of the American coastline, but this proved to be ineffective. Howe claimed to have too few ships to successfully accomplish this, particularly as

2484-527: The choice of Rochefort as a target, Clerk seems to have escaped any blame for the failure; indeed, he was associated with Wolfe as a bold, adventurous young officer held back from capturing Rochefort by the timidity and indecisiveness of superannuated commanders. Clerk continued to mix with the highest levels of society. On 1 December 1757, while both he and Wolfe were on notice to be witnesses at Mordaunt's court-martial, Wolfe wrote to his mother, “(Tomorrow) night I am to meet (the) guest (of my old friend Rich), who

2553-541: The coast of West Africa in March 1751 and then transferred to the command of the sixth-rate HMS  Dolphin in the Mediterranean Fleet in June 1752. In January 1755, Howe was given command of the fourth-rate HMS  Dunkirk and was sent to North America as part of a squadron commanded by Admiral Edward Boscawen : his capture of the French Alcide was the first shot fired in the Seven Years' War . He

2622-591: The command of the Master General of the Ordnance . Despite his relatively low rank Clerk mentioned his visit to Rochefort to the commander-in-chief of the British Army, General Ligonier , who asked him to put down his observations in a letter, which Clerk did on 15 July 1757. By early August 1757 Rochefort had been decided by Pitt as the first target for his planned series of descents on the coast of France. Command of

2691-516: The converted merchantman HMS  Vigilant and the row galley HMS Spitfire Galley , bombarded the American troops during the Battle of Rhode Island on 29 August. Howe then chased the remaining ships of the French fleet to Boston in Massachusetts where they made repairs. With no prospect of the French fleet coming out of port, Howe left his station in September 1778. Declining to serve afterwards, Howe cited distrust of Lord North and

2760-561: The day of the 29th the demolition of the Aix fortifications was commenced: “The following two days were spent in blowing up the half-finished fortifications on the Island of Aix; and in doing of which, lest it be said that no blood was spilt upon our famous expedition, we managed so as to blow up a few of our own soldiers.” On 1 October 1757 the fleet weighed anchor and on the 6th arrived back in England. On

2829-598: The decisive British naval victory at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in November 1759. In North America, Howe is best known for his service during the American Revolutionary War , when he acted as a naval commander and a peace commissioner with the American rebels; he also conducted a successful relief during the Great Siege of Gibraltar in the later stages of the War. Howe later commanded the victorious British fleet during

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2898-462: The expedition to Cherbourg in Brittany. After taking and burning Cherbourg the expedition, led by Major-General Edward Bligh, made an ill-advised attempt to take St Malo, but the land forces were abandoned by the navy and had to fight a disastrous rear-guard action at St. Cast. Clerk's conduct in this action led to his arrest: “General Blighe… had been actuated, during the course of these enterprises, by

2967-576: The expedition was given to Lt-Gen Sir John Mordaunt and "Clerk was appointed Chief Engineer, and the unprecedented step was taken of promoting him at a bound to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, he being at the time only a Lieutenant (Commission Book, No. 1270, p. 266). This is the sole instance on record of such rapid promotion having been given to any Engineer. Under him were Sub-Engineers Richard Dudgeon and Thomas Walker, and Practitioners Robert G. Bruce, Augustus Durnford, William Roy , and John C. Eiser." The expedition left England on 8 September 1757 and on

3036-663: The government awarded Howe an Earldom on 22 July 1788. In 1790 a dispute by Britain and Spain over the Nootka Sound on the Pacific coast of North America threatened to spark a war between the two states. Howe, as one of the most senior and experienced officers still serving, was offered command of the fleet in May 1790 and took up his post in Portsmouth in July 1790. Consisting of 35 ships-of-the-line

3105-534: The inbound convoy and the Franco-Spanish fleet as well as allowing him to gain the weather gauge which would be a major advantage in any battle. The next morning the Franco-Spanish fleet had disappeared. After waiting a while Howe decided to go in pursuit of them, later receiving news that the West Indian convoy had safely reached harbour in the English Channel. The Franco-Spanish fleet had been blown southwards by

3174-468: The lateness of the season, in September the force was diverted to Port L’Orient in Brittany. In 1747 Clerk was an engineer with the Anglo-Dutch troops defending the town of Bergen-op-Zoom against the besieging French army led by Count Löwendahl . After a long and destructive siege the town was taken by a surprise assault and Clerk captured; “being pursued into a house where the enemies fired at him through

3243-462: The navy in the fourth-rate HMS  Pearl in July 1739. He then transferred to the fourth-rate HMS  Severn , one of the squadron sent into the south seas with Admiral George Anson in 1740. Severn sailed to Cape Horn and then, after encountering storms, returned home in Spring 1742. Howe next served in the West Indies aboard the third-rate HMS  Burford and was present when she

3312-567: The need to escort a large convoy carrying stores. Howe successfully relieved Gibraltar and then fought an indecisive action at the Battle of Cape Spartel in October 1782 after which he was able to bring his fleet safely back to Britain, bringing an effective end to the naval campaign. Howe became First Lord of the Admiralty in January 1783 during the Earl of Shelburne 's ministry, resigning in April 1783 when

3381-400: The next three years with the opposition attacking the government's alleged mismanagement of the war at sea. The only exception was his support of a motion of thanks to Admiral George Rodney for his victory against the Spanish during the Moonlight Battle . As Howe had joined the opposition in Parliament to North's government, it was clear that until it was replaced he would be unable to secure

3450-434: The prisoners confirm his thoughts during casual conversation. On the 28th another council of war was held and it was resolved to land in Châtelaillon Bay, however, due to the tide and weather the landing that night was abandoned. Despite this, Clerk was further employed the next day in accompanying Maj-Gen Conway and Col Wolfe to carry out further reconnaissance of the proposed landing sites at Châtelaillon. Meanwhile, during

3519-404: The promontory at low tide and walked over spongy ground for a couple of miles to within about a mile of the fort. On the 25th a council of war was held and it was determined that an attempt upon Rochefort was neither advisable nor practicable. Clerk again visited the Île d'Aix to examine prisoners, in particular a French engineer. His idea was to give the impression that he knew everything and to let

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3588-424: The return of the fleet with nothing to show for the great expense of the expedition, both Pitt and the King were understandably annoyed. On 1 November the King issued a warrant for an inquiry, Clerk being among the many called as witnesses. On the 21st it reported its findings and the King ordered Mordaunt to be tried by court-martial for disobeying his instructions. The court-martial opened on 14 December 1757. Wolfe

3657-445: The southern colonies, the blockade of the northern colonies was still ineffective. The strategy of the British in North America was to deploy a combination of operations aimed at capturing major cities and a blockade of the coast. The British took Long Island in August 1776 and captured New York City in September 1776 in combined operations involving the army and the navy during the New York and New Jersey campaign . He represented

3726-433: The two fleets sought to regroup, individual ships encountered enemy ships, and there were several minor naval skirmishes; two French ships (including d'Estaing's flagship), already suffering storm damage, were badly mauled in these encounters. The French fleet regrouped off Delaware, and returned to Newport on 20 August, while the British fleet regrouped at New York. Three of Howe's ships, the sixth-rate HMS  Sphinx ,

3795-408: The universal applause of army and navy". After the death of his elder brother, killed near Ticonderoga on 6 July 1758, Howe became Viscount Howe in the Peerage of Ireland . On 20 November 1759, he led Admiral Edward Hawke 's fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay where the British won a decisive victory, forestalling a planned French invasion of Britain . He became Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral

3864-412: The war in Europe continued with the same force and the Royal Navy was severely stretched in having to deal with the French, Spanish and Dutch fleets. Howe received instructions from Augustus Keppel , the new First Lord of the Admiralty to proceed to Portsmouth and take command of the Channel Fleet which he did in April 1782. Promoted to full admiral on 8 April 1782, he was created Viscount Howe in

3933-447: The western Coast of France to see the Conditions of some of their Fortifications of their Places of Importance, on purpose to Judge if an Attempt could be made with a Probability of Success.... I had heard that Rochefort, tho’ a Place of the utmost Importance, had been very much neglected. I went there, and waited upon the Governor in my Regimentals, told him, that I was upon my Way to England from Gibraltar, and that I came on purpose to see

4002-446: The year 1760. The Earl of Warwick separated from his wife in September 1760 assuring Elizabeth an income of £2,000 per year. They later lived in Clerk House, Marylebone, newly designed for the couple by architect Robert Adam . Both Clerk and Elizabeth were quietly married in the English Ambassador's Chapel in Paris in February 1774, after her husband the Earl had died in 1773. John Entick John Entick (c.1703 – May 1773)

4071-400: Was a man so cut out for bold and hardy enterprises; but the person who commands him must think in the same way of him, or the affair of Rochfort will return.” This was a prescient remark because even as it was written on 8 September 1758, Clerk's impetuosity was getting him into trouble. In 1758 Clerk, who had resigned from the Corps of Engineers on 1 January 1758, was appointed to the staff for

4140-401: Was an English schoolmaster and author. He was largely a hack writer , working for Edward Dilly , and he padded his credentials with a bogus M.A. and a portrait in clerical dress; some of his works had a more lasting value. In the leading case Entick v Carrington of 1765 he won a legal victory as plaintiff that defined the limits of executive power in the view of the English judiciary. He

4209-477: Was appointed a practitioner engineer on 24 May 1749, promoted to sub-engineer on 30 May 1753, while also becoming a lieutenant in the 25th Regiment of Foot on 2 October 1755. In 1745 Clerk went as “a Volunteer with Sir John Mordaunt to Ostend, but they did not arrive, till after the Siege; he saw the Attack, and was afterwards in the trenches.” In 1746, Clerk was appointed as an engineer-in-ordinary to an expedition, commanded by General St Clair, to take Quebec. Due to

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4278-438: Was brought out in 1774. In 1776 appeared a new edition of his Survey and History of London . William Crakelt and others edited his dictionaries repeatedly, down to 1836. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  " Entick, John ". Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe Admiral of

4347-419: Was elected member of parliament for Dartmouth in May 1757 and became commanding officer of the third-rate HMS  Magnanime in the Channel in July 1757. From then until the peace of 1763, he served in the Channel in various more or less futile expeditions against the French coast, gaining a reputation as a firm and skillful officer for his role in the series of naval descents on the French coast including

4416-427: Was given command of the sixth-rate HMS  Triton and took part in convoy duties off Lisbon . He transferred to the command of the fourth-rate HMS  Rippon in Summer 1747 and sailed to the West Indies before becoming Flag Captain to Admiral Sir Charles Knowles, Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica, in the third-rate HMS  Cornwall in October 1748. He was given command of the fifth-rate HMS  Glory off

4485-468: Was only a sub-engineer in the corps of engineers (and therefore a lieutenant from 14 May 1757 when engineers were first given military rank), but he is referred to as Captain Clerk in most histories of the time and was also described on the Engineer List as "being with his regiment." He must therefore have also held a captaincy in the British Army , the engineers at this date not being part of the Army under its commander-in-chief but being ordnance troops under

4554-483: Was probably born about 1703, and resided in the parish of St. Dunstan's, Stepney . In 1755 he agreed with John Shebbeare and Jonathan Scott to write for their anti-ministerial paper, The Monitor , appearing every Saturday, at a salary of £200 a year; and his attacks on the government caused his house to be entered and his papers seized under a general warrant in November 1762. He sued the authorities for illegal seizure over this, claiming £2,000 in damages, and obtained

4623-409: Was quite clear in his mind, “The whole affair turned upon the impracticability of escalading Rochefort, and the two evidences brought to prove that the ditch was wet (in opposition to the assertions of the Chief Engineer, who had been in the place), are persons to whom, in my mind, very little credit should be given. Without their evidence we should have landed, and must have marched to Rochefort; and it

4692-498: Was severely damaged in the unsuccessful attack on La Guaira in February 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession . He transferred to the third-rate HMS  Suffolk , flagship of Admiral Sir Charles Knowles , Commander-in-Chief in the West Indies, in March 1743 and then to the fifth-rate HMS  Eltham in July 1743, before being promoted to midshipman on 8 October 1743 and returning to HMS Suffolk later that month. Promoted to lieutenant on 25 May 1744, he joined

4761-457: Was talked to by the Princess yesterday much more than any body in the room.” Despite his court-martial, Clerk progressed through the ranks of the army becoming colonel on 19 February 1762, major-general on 25 May 1772, lieutenant-general on 29 October 1777 and general on 12 October 1793, before dying on 22 May 1797. Clerk embarked on an affair with Elizabeth Greville, Countess of Warwick , wife of Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick , prior to

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