Charles Cornewall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Cornewall
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|---|---|
| Born | 1669 Eye, Herefordshire |
| Died | 7 October 1718 (aged 49) Lisbon |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of England Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy (1683–1707) Royal Navy (1707–1718) |
| Years of service | 1683–1718 |
| Rank | Vice-Admiral of the Blue |
| Commands held | HMS Portsmouth HMS Adventure HMS Plymouth HMS Kent HMS Shrewsbury HMS Exeter HMS Orford HMS Dreadnought Mediterranean Fleet |
| Battles/wars | Nine Years' War War of the Spanish Succession War of the Quadruple Alliance |
Vice Admiral Charles Cornewall (also spelled Cornwall) was a brave officer in the Royal Navy (the British navy). He was born in 1669 and passed away in 1718. Besides his naval career, he was also a politician. He served in the House of Commons, which is like a parliament, between 1709 and 1718. He reached the high rank of Vice Admiral.
Contents
Early Life: Where Charles Cornewall Began
Charles Cornewall was born in 1669. He was the oldest of eleven children. His parents were Robert Cornewall and Edith Cornwallis. He was baptized in a place called Eye, Herefordshire, on August 5, 1669.
Charles Cornewall joined the navy in 1683. His first command was a small ship called HMS Portsmouth in 1692. The next year, he took command of the 44-gun ship HMS Adventure. He sailed with Admiral Edward Russell to the Mediterranean. He stayed there until 1696.
Facing French Warships
In 1695, Adventure was part of a group of six frigates. They were led by Commodore James Killegrew on HMS Plymouth. Two French warships, the Content and the Trident, saw them. The French ships thought they were merchant ships. When they realized their mistake, they tried to escape.
The British ships chased them. A long battle followed, lasting through the night and into the next morning. Finally, the French ships had to surrender. Commodore Killigrew was killed in the fight. Charles Cornewall was then given command of the Plymouth.
Taking a Break and Returning to Sea
Cornewall commanded HMS Kent in 1697. But he left the navy after the Treaty of Ryswick was signed. In 1701, he tried to become a Member of Parliament for Weobley. He ran against his cousin, Henry Cornewall, but he lost.
He returned to the sea in March 1701. He was given command of HMS Shrewsbury. However, he had to resign a few months later. His father had suddenly died, and Charles needed to handle family matters. He wrote that these affairs would be "troublesome and tedious." But he hoped they would help his children in the future.
After settling his family's business, he was offered command of HMS Exeter. He turned it down. He didn't want to be a "second captain" under John Leake in Newfoundland. He felt it was like calling him a "blockhead."
Challenges and New Commands
It was hard for Cornewall to get a new command. He had resigned from ships before. Also, his political views didn't always match those of Robert Harley. It wasn't until 1705 that he was given HMS Orford.
On this ship, he went back to the Mediterranean. He served there for two years. He worked under Admirals Clowdesley Shovell and Thomas Dilkes. In 1707, he led a separate group of ships off the coast of Naples. He returned to England in March 1708.
In 1709, Cornewall changed his name to Cornwall. This was to help tell the difference between his family's different branches. He ran for Parliament again. This time, he won! He became a Member of Parliament for Bewdley on March 2, 1709.
He didn't spend much time in Parliament, though. He was busy commanding naval groups in the Downs and off Dunkirk. In October 1710, he led a group of ships to Smyrna on HMS Dreadnought. But his Whig political beliefs made it hard for him to get more commands. He was paid only half his salary for several years.
Rise in Rank and Mediterranean Command
When George I became king in 1714, Cornwall's luck changed. He was appointed to a job at the Navy Board. In 1715, he returned to Parliament as a member for Weobley. He was promoted to Rear Admiral on June 16, 1716. In October 1717, he became the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean.
He sailed to Gibraltar on his ship, HMS Argyll. His first job was to talk with Ismail Ibn Sharif, the emperor of Morocco. He needed to demand that the Salé corsairs (pirates) stop their attacks. He also wanted to free British people held captive in Barbary.
Ismail refused to release his captives. So, Cornwall started a blockade of his ports. This meant no ships could go in or out. But it didn't change Ismail's mind, even though several pirate ships were captured. During this time, Cornwall also had a disagreement with the Governor. The Governor didn't think Cornwall had authority over ships in the port. Cornwall planned to take the issue to the King, but he got busy with active service again.
Battle of Cape Passaro and Final Days
Cornwall was promoted to Vice Admiral in March 1718. In June, he became second-in-command to George Byng in the Mediterranean. He moved his flag to HMS Shrewsbury.
They sailed with a large fleet of nineteen ships of the line, two frigates, and a galley. Off Syracuse, they attacked a Spanish fleet. This was the battle of Cape Passaro on July 31, 1718. The Spanish ships split up to try and escape. The British ships chased them down.
Cornwall's part of the fleet chased the Marquis De Mari. He led six ships of the line and other vessels on his flagship, El Real. Cornwall captured El Real and three other warships. The Spanish burned seven more of their ships to keep them from being captured.
After the battle, Cornwall moved back to HMS Argyll. He took the captured Spanish ships to Port Mahon. From there, he set sail for England. However, his health had been poor. He stopped in Lisbon on his way home and died there on October 7, 1718. His body was brought back to England. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Charles Cornwall's career was successful, even if he didn't have many huge, famous battles. He was known for his excellent character and for reaching a high rank in the navy.
Family Life
Charles Cornwall was married twice. We don't have many details about his first marriage. His second wife was Dorothy Hanmer. She was the daughter of Thomas Hanmer. Charles and Dorothy had fourteen children together:
- Henry Cornewall (born 1698)
- Thomas Cornewall (born and died 1699)
- Sir Robert de Cornwall (1700–1756), who also became a Member of Parliament
- Henrietta Cornewall (1701–1728)
- Cyriac Cornewall (1702–1703)
- Charles Cornewall (born and died 1704)
- Job Cornewall (1705–1728)
- Theophila Cornewall (1706–1721)
- Jane Cornewall (born 1708)
- Jacobs Cornewall (1709–1738), who was the father of Charles Wolfran Cornwall
- Emma Cornwall (1712–1777), who married Thomas Vernon
- Edith Cornwall (born and died 1712)
- Annabella Cornwall (1713–1782)
- Mary Cornwall (born 1714)
When Charles Cornwall died, his estate at Berrington was inherited by his son, Sir Robert.
