Pownoll Bastard Pellew, 2nd Viscount Exmouth (1 July 1786 – 3 December 1833) was an English
peer and officer of the
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 ...
.
Life
He was the eldest son of
Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth
Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younger brother I ...
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 is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.
The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:
* Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...
in 1806. He did not achieve great success in the Navy despite the
influence
Influence or influencer 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
*Influencer marketing, through individ ...
of his father.
Pellew first served as a
midshipman in 1798 under his father, Sir Edward Pellew, in the 74-gun
ship of the line ''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 d ...
and the ship's company was still restive. A mutiny was put down and the participants were
court martial
A court-martial or 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 memb ...
led and
hanged at the yard arm or
flogged round the fleet in
Port Mahon
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
.
Pellew was made a lieutenant well before he had served the mandatory seven years at sea, as Sir Edward had considerable influence with the authorities. Favours in parliament ensured Pownoll's promotion to commander at the very early age of seventeen. His first command was the 18-gun in the West Indies under Admiral
Dacres. Unfortunately ''Fly'' was lost on a reef in 1805, though the crew were saved. Pellew underwent the mandatory
court martial
A court-martial or 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 memb ...
for the loss of his ship and was found not guilty of
negligence
Negligence (Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as a ...
. He rejoined his father now at
Madras. 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 , 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 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. Devo ...
. He did not stay in the Navy but became involved in politics, serving as
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
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 o ...
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.
He is buried in
Christow
Christow is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England, about southwest of Exeter. The village is in the Teign Valley, just off the B3193 road that links Chudleigh and Dunsford. Christow is on the eastern edge o ...
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 Bengal ...
, 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 b ...
, but they divorced in 1820. 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.
*
Edward Pellew (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 officers
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