Benjamin Rosewell (16651737) was a master

shipwright Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

and

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

Naval Dockyards, and Governor of Hawkins Hospital,

Family

Benjamin was the son of John Rosewell (1643-1692), Gentleman of Chatham, Kent and grandson of Reverend Walter Rosewell (c. 1610-1658), Presbyterian minister of Chatham. Benjamin married Elizabeth Wyborne on 11 September 1684 at Saint Katherine's by the Tower,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Their children included: John (1689-1711); Jeremiah (1697-1741); Benjamin (d. 1727); William (d. 1726); Edward (1698-1727); Elizabeth (1700-1775); and Sarah (d. 1743). * John died at the age of 22 and was buried at Chatham on 8 November 1711. * Jeremiah married Rebecca Ford on 19 September 1724 at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dock ...

, Kent. He was Master Shipwright at Sheerness Dockyard (1732-1741); Beadle of the Manor at Chatham in 1738; and launched Rupert, a 60 gun Ship of the Line, on 27 Oct 1740. He died at Sheerness and was buried at Chatham on 19 January 1741. He named

Curtis Barnett Curtis Barnett (died 2 May 1746), was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the War of the Austrian Succession, commanding ships in the Mediterranean and in the English Channel, before being appointed a commodore in 1744 he was appointed ...

and George Musgrave as executors in his 1739 will which was proved 11 August 1742. On 9 November 1749 administration of the estate was granted to Richard Rosewell, son of Jeremiah, as Curtis Barnett was deceased. * Benjamin was purser on HMS Lyon(Lion) when he wrote his will in 1726. His executor was Curtis Barnett and his will was proved 16 Nov 1727. * William married Elizabeth Lake on 23 January 1711 at Chatham. He was appointed Master Shipwright at Plymouth Dockyard in December 1722 but died in November 1726 and was buried at Devonport,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. He was survived by his wife and six children: :: Benjamin Rosewell (1714-1782), Attorney of Throgmorton Street and Clapton, London; ::Rear Admiral Henry Rosewell (1716-1782), former Commanding Officer of HMS Lively and HMS Medway; ::John Rosewell (c. 1722-1755), Inspector of Building at Hull Dockyard (1740-1741) and Master Caulker at Chatham; ::Mary married to Hezikiah Hargood in 1740, Clerk of the Survey, Royal Dockyard, Chatham. Parents of Sir

William Hargood Admiral of the White Sir William Hargood (6 May 1762 – 12 December 1839) was a British naval officer who served with distinction through the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, during which he g ...

; ::Elizabeth married to Thomas Hargood in 1742, Surgeon of Chatham; ::Susannah married to Flower Freeman, merchant of

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

. :Benjamin Rosewell, William's father, made detailed provisions for the children of his deceased son in his will of 1731.''Will of Benjamin Rosewell Master Shipwright at Chatham'', (1738), National Archives, PCC 11/687/71 * Edward was sent to

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, India as a Factor (agent) for the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

and died there on 12 April 1727. * Elizabeth married Commodore

(1696-1746) on 13 May 1725 at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, London. * Sarah (name recorded as Rosell) married (1) Lieutenant Young and (2) George Musgrave,''Will of George Musgrave of Chatham'', (1751), National Archives, PCC 11/787/51 storekeeper of the ordinance at Chatham and sixth son of Sir Christopher Musgrave, fourth Baronet, by his second wife Elizabeth Franklyn.

Career

Benjamin Rosewell was apprenticed to Phineas Pett about 1683 at Chatham Dockyard. Pett was the 1st Assistant Master Shipwright and the son of Sir

Phineas Pett Phineas Pett (1 November 1570 – August 1647) was a shipwright and First Resident Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard and a member of the Pett dynasty. Phineas left a memoir of his activities which is preserved in the British Library and was publi ...

First Resident Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard. Rosewell held the office of Purveyor at Chatham from 1689 to 1695. He was appointed 2nd Assistant Master Shipwright in 1695 and 1st Assistant Master Shipwright in 1699 at Chatham. The following is a summary of his career as a ship builder:
1695 Appointed 2nd Assistant Master Shipwright at Chatham Dockyard
1699 Appointed 1st Assistant Master Shipwright at Chatham Dockyard * 1699 Launched ''Stirling Castle'' 1702 Appointed Master Shipwright at Harwich Dockyard
1702 Appointed Master Shipwright at Plymouth Dockyard * 1703 Launched ''Rupert'' * 1704 Launched ''Plymouth'' 1705 Appointed Master Shipwright at Chatham Dockyard * 1705 Launched ''Stirling Castle'' * 1706 Launched ''London'' * 1707 Launched ''Salisbury'' * 1707 Designed Mermaid * 1707 Launched Mermaid * 1708 Launched ''Chester'' * 1709 Launched ''Lion'' * 1710 Launched ''Vanguard'' * 1711 Launched ''Bonaventure'' * 1712 Launched ''Rose'' * 1715 Launched ''Sandwich'' * 1717 Launched ''Newark'' * 1718 Launched ''Norwich'' * 1719 Launched ''Swallow'' * 1721 Designed ''London'' * 1721 Launched ''London'' * 1721 Launched ''Colchester'' * 1721 Designed ''Hawke'' * 1721 Launched ''Hawke'' * 1722 Launched ''Plymouth'' * 1723 Launched ''Lenox'' * 1724 Launched ''Sunderland'' * 1725 Launched ''Supply'' * 1726 Launched ''Union'' 1727 Appointed Master Shipwright at Chatham Dockyard. Renewed warrant. * 1727 Launched ''Rye'' * 1729 Launched ''Royal Sovereign'' * 1732 Designed ''Spy'' * 1732 Launched ''Spy'' 1732 Appointed Master Shipwright at Sheerness Dockyard.
1732? Superannuated with a pension of £100 a year. * 1737 Launched ''Gloucester'' Governor of Hawkins Hospital
Benjamin Rosewell is recorded as a Governor of Hawkins Hospital at Chatham in 1726 and 1734.

Death

Benjamin Rosewell died and was buried at St Marys, Chatham on 4 December 1737, presumably in the family vault. His will, written on 8 September 1731, with codicil written 5 October 1731, was proved 10 January 1738. The executors were Jeremiah Rosewell and George Musgrave. His wife, Elizabeth, was buried at Chatham on 14 February 1730.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosewell, Benjamin 1660s births 1737 deaths English shipwrights