Henry Mordaunt (c. 1682 – 24 February 1710) 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 and Whig politician who sat in the

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and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

from 1705 to 1710. He commanded a 70-gun

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

and being set upon by a superior French force, showed great courage in ensuring that his ship did not fall into enemy hands.

Early life

Mordaunt was born in about 1682, the youngest son of

Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough and 1st Earl of Monmouth, (1658 – 25 October 1735) was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the son of John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt, and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter and sole h ...

and his first wife Carey Fraser, daughter of Sir Alexander Fraser, 1st Baronet, of Dores, Inverness. By 1691 he had a role in the Queen’s household which he held to 1694. In 1695, he was commissioned as a

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 ...

in the

.MORDAUNT, Hon. Henry (c.1682-1710)
Published in ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715'', ed. D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley, 2002]

Career

Mordaunt was promoted to commander (naval), commander in April 1703. Through the influence of

Lord Wharton Baron Wharton is a title in the Peerage of England, originally granted by letters patent to the heirs male of the Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton, 1st Baron, which was forfeited in 1729 when the last male-line heir was declared an outlaw. The B ...

, he was elected as Whig

member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

for

Malmesbury Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the up ...

at the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of " Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pr ...

. He was not active in Parliament, due to his frequent absences at sea but was able to support the Court with regard to the 'place clause' in the regency bill on 18 February1706. In 1706 he was promoted to

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 ...

and was given command of , a 70-gun

third-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third r ...

. At the time Britain was at war with France. He was commanding a small squadron of frigates to convoy his father from Spain to Genoa when off the coast of Italy on 19 March 1707 ''Resolution'' encountered six French vessels, each ranging between 58 and 80 guns. There followed an extended engagement, during which ''Resolution'' was badly damaged by French cannon fire. Mordaunt ordered the crew to run the ship aground rather than risk her capture by the French; this was achieved and she was subsequently set on fire to prevent her being refloated. The French maintained a continual gunfire on the burning wreck, and Mordaunt was struck in the thigh by a cannonball as he left the vessel. His father reached his destination and returned to England, and was able to obtain a pass for his son to travel home through France. Mordaunt survived the wound but was left unable to walk, and was forced to retire from the Navy. Mordaunt returned to England in late 1707 and settled in the town of Bath. He was returned again as MP for Malmesbury at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

. He had to attend a court martial in November 1709 for the loss of his ship, but was acquitted of any charges and declared to have shown great courage. He intended to go to sea again but contracted

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

Death and legacy

Mordaunt died unmarried of smallpox at Bath on 24 February 1710 and was buried in the family vault at

Turvey, Bedfordshire Turvey is a village and civil parish on the River Great Ouse in Bedfordshire, England, about west of Bedford. The village is on the A428 road between Bedford and Northampton, close to the border with Buckinghamshire. The 2011 Census recorded t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mordaunt, Henry (Royal Navy officer) Year of birth missing 1710 deaths 1680s births British naval commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1708–1710 Members of the Parliament of England for Malmesbury Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Malmesbury