Captain John Quilliam RN; MHK (

Marown Marown ( , rhymes with "gown"; gv, Marooney) is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man. It is the only landlocked parish on the Island. It is located in the centre of the island, in the sheading of Middle, though historical ...

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

29 September 1771 –

Kirk Michael, Isle of Man Michael ( gv, Maayl) is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man. It is located on the west of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) and consists of the three historic parishes of Ballaugh, Jurby and Michael. Histo ...

10 October 1829) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer who served as

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

on HMS ''Victory'' at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

. He was a farmer's son who was impressed into the Royal Navy in 1791.

Biography

Early life

The eldest son of John Quilliam and Christian Clucas of Ballakelly, John Quilliam was born in Marown, Isle of Man, in 1771. It is said he did not care for farming and consequently he was apprenticed to a stonemason.Isle of Man Times, 21 October 1950, page 7. However, he was impressed into the

from a collier in Castletown harbour.

Career

Unlike most impressed sailors, Quilliam rose rapidly in the

. By 1797 he had risen to the rank of

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

and is recorded at the

Battle of Camperdown The Battle of Camperdown (known in Dutch as the ''Zeeslag bij Kamperduin'') was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797, between the British North Sea Fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Batavian Navy (Dutch) fleet under Vice-Admiral ...

following which he was again promoted, this time to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

, on the recommendation of Admiral Duncan subsequently serving as

third lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, equivalent to Sub-lieutenant. Germany In the National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956. Eastern Europe In many Eastern European countries, the rank of junior l ...

on the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

, under the command of Captain James Young. On 7 October 1799 ''Ethalion'' captured the 36-gun Spanish treasure ship ''Thetis''. For his part in the capture, Quilliam received over £5000.

Battle of Copenhagen

At the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, Quilliam was

aboard the

. The slight

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...

of the ''Amazon'' meant she was able to get close under the

shore batteries In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to faci ...

; however this in turn led to the ''Amazon'' receiving a high volume of damage, the result of which was that all the higher-ranking officers were killed, leaving Quilliam in command. Quilliam's gallantry and calmness under fire following the death of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Edward Riou Edward Riou FRS (20 November 17622 April 1801) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary Wars under several of the most distinguished naval officers of his age and won fame and honour for two incidents in part ...

and all the senior officers of the ''Amazon,'' quickly came to the attention of

Lord Nelson Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British people, British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strate ...

who appointed him

on HMS ''Victory'' when she was commissioned as Nelson's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

a period during which he was to become an accomplished officer.

Battle of Trafalgar

Quilliam was the senior lieutenant on the ''Victory'' being responsible for safety, part of this remit seeing him develop an emergency system in order to steer the ship. He assisted in steering ''Victory'' into action at Trafalgar, his system coming into effect early in the battle, when having sustained damage to her steering gear ''Victory'' required all Quilliam's experience in order for her to continue to remain

seaworthy Seakeeping ability or seaworthiness is a measure of how well-suited a watercraft is to conditions when underway. A ship or boat which has good seakeeping ability is said to be very seaworthy and is able to operate effectively even in high sea stat ...

. A contemporary report stated: Balcony House, the home of Captain John Quilliam, Castletown

Plaque regarding the home of Capt Quillam

Post Trafalgar

Following Trafalgar Quilliam was promoted to captain and placed in command of HMS ''Ildefonso'', a Spanish ''74'' having to refit her at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and not arriving in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

until 16 May 1806. In 1808, he was captain of Admiral Stopford's flagship HMS ''Spencer'', subsequently taking command of the frigates HMS ''Alexandria,'' HMS ''Inconstant'' and HMS ''Crescent'', seeing action on the Newfoundland Station where he served as such until the defeat of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1815 when he retired from the navy. On 18 September 1813, off Cape Row as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the ''Crescent'', Quilliam captured the 14-gun American

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

the ''Elbridge Gerry'' together with her crew of 66 men.

Personal life

Politics

Although still an active naval officer, in 1807 Capt. Quilliam was invited to become a

Member of the House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in ...

. At that time the body was self-elected, the members being chosen by the

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

on the recommendation of the house. He resigned his seat in 1810 in order to return to sea, however on his return to the Island he was again invited to continue as a

in 1817.

Retirement

On the conclusion of his career in the navy,

Quilliam returned to the Isle of Man, investing his considerable wealth in numerous properties. On 21 December 1807, Quilliam married Margaret Stevenson at Castletown, his wife being part of a renowned Manx family from Balladoole. The couple made their family home at Ballakeighan before they acquired a property on the Parade, Castletown, living in the house known as the ''"Balcony House."'' The marriage produced no children. Quilliam's main hobby was fishing, and he occupied himself with a small fishing boat which he designed and fitted out himself. In 1826 Capt. Quilliam was instrumental along with

Sir William Hillary Sir William Hillary, 1st Baronet (4 January 1771 – 5 January 1847) was a British militia officer, author and philanthropist, best known as the founder, in 1824, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.. Life Hillary's background was Q ...

in the formation on the

of a District Association of the Royal National Institution of the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck. He also served as Chairman of the Committee for Shipwrecked Seamen. In addition he was one of a group of gentlemen who put forward the scheme for the erection of the Derbyhaven Breakwater.

Death

Capt. Qulliam died on 10 October 1829. He was buried in the Stevenson family vault in the graveyard at Kirk Arbory.

Memorial

There is the following inscription on his tombstone;

HMS ''Quilliam''

HMS ''Quilliam'' was a Q-class

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

serving in the

from 1942 to 1945. She was then transferred to the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

, where she was commissioned as Hr.Ms. ''Banckert'' (D801) until 1957. During her wartime service ''Quilliam'' was involved in operations in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. While taking part in Operation Iceberg ( the Invasion of Okinawa), ''Quilliam'' was involved in a collision with the British aircraft carrier .

Commemoration

Captain John Quilliam (1771-1829) - Bust by Bryan Kneale

* A sculpture of Quilliam by Manx artist

Bryan Kneale Robert Bryan Charles Kneale (born 19 June 1930) is a Manx artist and sculptor, described by BBC News Online as "one of the Isle of Man's best known artists." Biography Born in the island's capital, Douglas, Kneale studied painting at the Dou ...

was unveiled on Trafalgar Day 2005 at

Castle Rushen Castle Rushen ( gv, Cashtal Rosien) is a medieval castle located in the Isle of Man's historic capital, Castletown, in the south of the island. It towers over the Market Square to the south-east and the harbour to the north-east. The castle is ...

. The sculpture won the 2007

Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture The Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture is an annual award for public sculpture in the UK or Ireland. The Award is funded by the Marsh Charitable Trust and is made on the recommendation of a panel of judges under the auspices of the Pu ...

. * The uniform of Captain Quilliam is on public display at the

Manx Museum The Manx Museum (Thie Tashtee Vannin) in Douglas, Isle of Man is the national museum of the Isle of Man. It is run by Manx National Heritage. In general, the museum covers 10,000 years the history of the Isle of Man from the Stone Age to the modern ...

Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas ( gv, Doolish, ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of . The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour ...

. * To mark the 150th anniversary of his death in 1979, a series of postage stamps by the

Isle of Man Post Office The Isle of Man Post Office ( gv, Oik Postagh Ellan Vannin), which formerly used the trading name Isle of Man Post, operates postal collection, ancillary mail services, philatelic goods and delivery services and post office counter services on ...

dedicated to Capt. Quilliam were released. The four stamps in the series depicted Quilliam being impressed into the

, his role at the

, his time in command of HMS ''Spencer'' and his subsequent career as a

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quilliam, John 1771 births 1829 deaths Manx people Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy officers British naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Members of the House of Keys