Captain Frederick Cornewall (1706 – 4 August 1788) was an officer in the British

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 ...

Origins

He was born in 1706, the third son of Rev. Frederick Cornewall (1677-1748),

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

Bromfield, Shropshire Bromfield is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 306, which had fallen to 277 at the 2011 census. Location Bromfield is located near the market town of Ludlow, two miles (3 ...

, and his first wife Elizabeth Trice (d. 1730). He was baptised in his father's church on 3 August 1706.

Career

Following the example of his uncle, Admiral Charles Cornewall, he embarked on a naval career, being promoted 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 ...

on 13 March 1734. By February 1744, he was

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 ...

aboard under the command of his cousin

James Cornewall Captain James Cornewall (1698 – 11 February 1744) was an officer in the British Royal Navy who became a national hero following his death at the Battle of Toulon in 1744. His monument in Westminster Abbey was the first ever to be erected by P ...

. On 11 February 1744, in the Battle of Toulon, ''Marlborough'' was immediately

astern This list of ship directions provides succinct definitions for terms applying to spatial orientation in a marine environment or location on a vessel, such as ''fore'', ''aft'', ''astern'', ''aboard'', or ''topside''. Terms * Abaft (preposition ...

of Admiral

Thomas Mathews Thomas Mathews (October 16762 October 1751) 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 ...

' Flagship and the only ship to follow the Admiral into the midst of the Franco-Spanish fleet. Outgunned by the enemy, she came under a heavy bombardment during which James Cornewall was

mortally wounded : A mortal wound is an injury that will ultimately lead to a person's death. ''Mortal'' refers to the mortality of a human: whether they are going to live or die."mortal_adjective." Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. 2018. Oxford University P ...

when a Chain-shot carried away both his legs. Frederick took command of the ship, but he too was soon incapacitated when he lost his right arm. When Cornewall was promoted to the rank of Captain soon after, his commission was dated from the date of the battle. Cornewall's career as an independent commander did not begin auspiciously. Given command of the newly built in 1744, he was sailing the ship under the guidance of a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

out of the Nore anchorage and on to the Downs on 21 October when it ran aground between Long Sand and the Kentish Knock. The ship could not be freed, and as her situation worsened the following day, Cornewall ordered her

scuttled Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being ...

. It was not until 23 October that a rescue was completed and the Captain and 365 of the crew were taken off. A Lieutenant and 40 men were drowned. The subsequent Court-martial sentenced the pilot to 12 months in the

Marshalsea The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners, including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition, it became known, ...

prison. In February 1745 he was given command of , followed by in 1747. In June 1749 he made a generous donation to Thomas Coram's Foundling Hospital, and encouraged the officers and crew of the ''Sunderland'' to raise money for the same cause. In May 1755 he was appointed to , in command of which he took part in the

Battle of Minorca The island of Menorca in the Mediterranean Sea has been invaded on numerous occasions. The first recorded invasion occurred in 252 BC, when the Carthaginians arrived. The name of the island's chief city, Mahón (now Maó), appears to derive from t ...

. It was Cornewall's evidence to the court-martial that followed that was largely responsible for Admiral

John Byng Admiral John Byng (baptised 29 October 1704 – 14 March 1757) was a British Royal Navy officer who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participated at the Battle of Cape Pass ...

being convicted and executed. Frederick's final command was , shortly after it was launched in 1761 and named in honour of his late cousin. In 1752 he purchased Delbury Hall, near to

Diddlebury Diddlebury is a small village and large civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is situated in the Corvedale on the B4368 road about north east of Craven Arms. The population of the Civil Ward in 2011 was 670. Public buildings St Peter's parish ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, from the Bawdewin family. He was elected to represent Montgomery Boroughs on 15 June 1771, serving until the

general election of 1774 The 1774 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Lord North's government ...

. He was often away from the House due to health reasons, complaining that, "I never am well in the smoke of London".

Marriage and children

He married Mary (1719-1766), the daughter of Francis Herbert MP, at Bromfield on 2 May 1746. The couple had three sons: * Henry James Cornewall (b. & d. 1747) * Frederick Cornewall (1752-1783), MP for

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...

and

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

. * Folliott Cornewall (1753-1831), Bishop of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, Hereford and

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

. He died at Delbury Hall on 4 August 1788, and is buried at Diddlebury.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornewall, Frederick 1706 births 1788 deaths Military personnel from Shropshire Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies British MPs 1768–1774 Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War Royal Navy officers