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

Pownoll Bastard Pellew, 2nd Viscount Exmouth (1 July 1786 – 3 December 1833) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer and politician who represented Launceston in the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom 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 memb ...

from 1812 to 1830.

Life

He was the eldest son of

Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, Order of the Bath, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary W ...

, and his wife Susan Pellew (''nee'' Frowde). Like his father, and his younger brother Fleetwood Pellew, he served in the Royal Navy and attained the rank of

Post Captain Post-captain or post captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term "post-captain" was descriptive only; it was never used as a title in the form "Post-Captain John Smith". The term served to di ...

in 1806. He did not achieve great success in the Navy despite the

influence Influence may refer to: *Social influence, in social psychology, influence in interpersonal relationships **Minority influence, when the minority affect the behavior or beliefs of the majority Science and technology *Sphere of influence (astrody ...

of his father. Pellew first served as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

in 1798 under his father, Edward Pellew, in the 74-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 tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

''Impétueux''. He was described at this time by his father as "clever and quick, but idle and unmanageable." This was just after the

Spithead and Nore mutinies The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. They were the first in an increasing series of outbreaks of maritime radicalism in the Atlantic World. Despite their temporal proximity, the mutinies ...

and the ship's company was still restive. A mutiny was put down and the participants were

court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

led and hanged at the yard arm or flogged round the fleet in Port Mahon. Pellew was made a lieutenant well before he had served the mandatory seven years at sea, as his father had considerable influence with the authorities. Favours in parliament ensured Pownoll's promotion to commander at the age of seventeen. His first command was the 18-gun in the West Indies under Admiral Dacres. ''Fly'' was lost on a reef in 1805, though the crew were saved. Pellew underwent the mandatory

for the loss of his ship and was found not guilty of

negligence Negligence ( Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate care expected to be exercised in similar circumstances. Within the scope of tort law, negligence pertains to harm caused by the violation of a duty of care through a neg ...

. He rejoined his father, now at

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

. Admiral Pellew was by this time Commander in Chief of the Navy in the East Indies. Pownoll was immediately made acting-captain of the

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

, and was given upon his father promoting him to post-rank in 1806. Both father and son were becoming wealthy with the

prize money Prize money refers in particular to naval prize money, usually arising in naval warfare, but also in other circumstances. It was a monetary reward paid in accordance with the prize law of a belligerent state to the crew of a ship belonging to ...

to be won in the East Indies. After his first marriage in 1808, Pellew returned to England and started building the new family seat of Canonteign in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. He did not stay in the Navy but became involved in politics, serving as Member of Parliament for Launceston from 1812 to 1830. His father's friendship with the

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of N ...

was important in his gaining the seat. His father became Lord Exmouth in 1814 and Viscount Exmouth in 1816. When he died in January 1833, Pownoll became the second Viscount Exmouth, a title he enjoyed for just eleven months. He died at age 47 and was succeeded by his eldest son

Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younge ...

. He is buried in

Christow Christow is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England. It is located south-west of Exeter, in the Teign Valley, just off the B3193 road that links Chudleigh and Dunsford. Christow is on the eastern edge of Dart ...

church with a monument by Thomas Gaffin.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.160

Marriages and children

On 1 October 1808, he married Eliza Harriet Barlow, eldest daughter of

Sir George Barlow, 1st Baronet Sir George Hilaro Barlow, 1st Baronet, (20 January 1763 – 18 December 1846) served as Acting Governor-General of India from the death of Lord Cornwallis in 1805 until the arrival of Lord Minto in 1807. Career He was appointed to the Beng ...

, the

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized ...

, but they were divorced by an act of Parliament, ( 1 Geo. 4. c. ''66''). She was born in 1789 and died in 1833. They had two sons and one daughter. These children were:
and , for dates of death that occurred after Lodge was published. *

(14 February 1811 – 11 February 1876); he would become the 3rd Viscount Exmouth. *Percy Taylor Pellew (15 April 1814 – 31 December 1848); officer in Madras Cavalry. *Juliana Sarah Pellew (16 June 1816 – 31 August 1891) On 15 April 1822, he married Georgina Janet Dick, eldest daughter of Mungo Dick, Esq. She was born circa 1800 and died 15 February 1870. They had three sons and two daughters. These children were: *Pownoll Fleetwood Pellew (26 July 1823 – 25 December 1851); lieutenant in the Royal Navy. *Caroline Emma Pellew (24 February 1825 – 2 March 1832) *a daughter (September 1827; died in infancy) *Fleetwood John Pellew (6 November 1830 – 2 August 1866), father of the 4th Viscount. *Barrington Reynolds Pellew (18 April 1833 – 6 December 1858); major in the 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade.

Arms

References

;Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pellew, Pownoll Exmouth, Pownoll Pellew, 2nd Viscount Exmouth, Pownoll Pellew, 2nd Viscount Pownoll Royal Navy captains UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 Exmouth, Pownoll Pellew, 2nd Viscount Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Launceston