Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm (20 February 1768 – 20 July 1838) was a British naval officer. He was born at Douglan, near

Langholm Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. Langholm lies between four hills in the valley of the River Esk in the Southern Uplands. Location and geography Langholm sits no ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, on 20 February 1768, the third son of George Malcolm of Burnfoot, Langholm, in

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. ...

, a sheep farmer, and his wife Margaret, the sister of Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley. His brothers were Sir James Malcolm, Sir

John Malcolm Major-General Sir John Malcolm GCB, KLS (2 May 1769 – 30 May 1833) was a Scottish soldier, diplomat, East India Company administrator, statesman, and historian. Early life Sir John Malcolm was born in 1769, one of seventeen children of Geo ...

, and Sir Charles Malcolm.

1778–1793, Midshipman to Lieutenant

He entered the navy in 1778, during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

, on the books of the , commanded by his uncle, Captain Pasley. With Pasley he afterwards served in the , in the squadron under Commodore George Johnstone, and was present at the action in

Porto Praya Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.Admiral Pigot to the West Indies. Malcolm was thus brought under the admiral's notice, was taken by him into the flagship, and some months later, on 3 March 1783, was promoted to be lieutenant of the ''Jupiter''. He continued serving during the peace, and in 1793, at the beginning of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Pruss ...

, 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 ...

of the ''Penelope'' frigate on the

Jamaica station Jamaica station is a major train station of the Long Island Rail Road located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. With weekday ridership exceeding 200,000 passengers, it is the largest transit hub on Long Island, the fourth-busiest rail stati ...

, under the command of Captain

Bartholomew Rowley Admiral Sir Bartholomew Samuel Rowley (10 June 1764 – 7 October 1811) was a British naval officer who served during the American, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Biography He was second son of Vice-Admiral Sir Joshua Rowley, and ...

. The ''Penelope's'' service was peculiarly active. In company with the ''Iphigenia'' she captured the French frigate ''Inconstante'', on the coast of

San Domingo Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and ...

, on 25 November 1793; she captured or cut out many privateers or merchant vessels; and Malcolm, as first lieutenant, commanded her boats in several sharp conflicts.

1794–1804, Post-Captain

Early in 1794 Commodore Ford took him into his flagship the , and on 3 April promoted him to the command of the ''Jack Tar'', which he took to England. On 22 October he was posted, and a few days later appointed to the frigate. In February 1795 he convoyed a fleet of merchant ships to the Mediterranean; thence he went to Quebec, and afterwards was employed for some time in the North Sea. Later on he was sent out to the East Indies, and towards the end of 1797 into the China Seas, under the command of Captain Edward Cooke, in whose company he entered

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...

under false colours, on 14 January 1798 in the bloodless

Raid on Manila The Raid on Manila of January 1798 was a Royal Navy false flag military operation during the French Revolutionary Wars intended to scout the strength of the defences of Manila, capital of the Spanish Philippines, capture a Manila galleon and ...

, and carried off three Spanish gunboats. After some further cruising among the islands the ''Fox'' returned to India, where, on 18 June, Malcolm was appointed by Rear-Admiral Rainier to be his

flag captain In the Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime en ...

in the , and afterwards in the . He continued to serve in this capacity during the war. On her homeward passage, in 1803, the ''Victorious'' proved exceedingly leaky, and, meeting with heavy weather in the North Atlantic, was with difficulty kept afloat till she reached the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to ...

, where she was run ashore and broken up. Malcolm, with the officers and crew, returned to England in two vessels which he chartered at Lisbon.

1804–1805, Battle of Trafalgar

In February 1804 Malcolm went out to the Mediterranean in the , in which, on her arrival, Sir Richard Bickerton hoisted his flag, and Malcolm was appointed to the , then with Nelson blockading

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is the ...

. He was, however, almost immediately sent to Naples, where, or in the neighbourhood, he remained during the year. His transfer to the in July did not change his station. It was not till the beginning of 1805 that he was permitted to rejoin the flag, and to exchange into the , in time to take part in the celebrated pursuit of the French fleet to the West Indies (see

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought ...

). On the return of the fleet to the Channel, the ''Donegal'', with others, was sent to reinforce

Collingwood Collingwood, meaning "wood of disputed ownership", may refer to: Educational institutions * Collingwood College, Victoria, an Australian state Prep to Year 12 school * Collingwood College, Durham, college of Durham University, England * Collingw ...

off Cadiz, and was still there when Nelson resumed the command on 28 September. On 17 October ''Donegal'' was sent to Gibraltar for water and a hurried refit. On 20 October Malcolm learnt that the combined fleet was coming out of Cadiz. His ship was then in the Mole, nearly dismantled; but by the greatest exertions he got her out that night, and on 22 October she sailed from Gibraltar with her foreyard towing alongside. It was blowing a gale from the westward, but she succeeded in getting through the Straits, and on the morning of 24 October re-joined the fleet, too late for the

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

, fought on 21 October, but in time to render most valuable assistance to the disabled ships and more disabled prizes. She captured the ''Rayo'', which had made a sally from Cadiz on 23 October; and in the night of 24 October, when some of the prisoners on board the French ship cut the cable and let her go on shore, on which she almost immediately broke up, the ''Donegal's'' boats succeeded in saving a considerable number of her men. She afterwards took charge of the Spanish prize ''Bahama'', and brought her to Gibraltar. Writing to Sir Thomas Pasley on 16 December Collingwood said: "Everybody was sorry Malcolm was not there c. at Trafalgar because everybody knows his spirit, and his skill would have acquired him honour. He got out of the Gut when nobody else could and was of infinite service to us after the action."

1806–1816, Captain to Rear-admiral

The ''Donegal'' continued off to cruise off Cadiz till the close of the year, when she sailed for the West Indies with Sir John Duckworth, and took an important part in the Battle of San Domingo, 6 February 1806. Malcolm was afterwards sent home in charge of the prizes, and in a very heavy gale rescued the crew of the ''Brave'' as she was on the point of foundering. He received the gold medal for St. Domingo, and was presented by the Patriotic Fund with a vase valued at a hundred guineas. In 1808 he was engaged in convoying troops to the Peninsula, and in 1809, still in the ''Donegal'', was attached to the

Channel Fleet The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915. History Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...

, then commanded by Lord Gambier, and took part in the

Battle of the Basque Roads The Battle of the Basque Roads, also known as the Battle of Aix Roads (French: ''Bataille de l'île d'Aix'', also ''Affaire des brûlots'', rarely ''Bataille de la rade des Basques''), was a major naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought in th ...

. In the summer of 1809 he was called as a witness at the Court-martial of James, Lord Gambier which assessed whether Gambier had failed to support Captain Lord Cochrane at the battle. Gambier was controversially cleared of all charges. In November 1810 Malcolm led an attack on a French frigate squadron anchored at

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. Toponymy Saint-Vaast is the Norman name of Saint Vedast and Hougue is a Norman language word meaning a "mound" or "loaf" and comes from the Old Nors ...

at the action of 15 November 1810, which ultimately led to the destruction of the ''Elisa''. The ''Donegal'' was paid off in 1811, and Malcolm was appointed to the , which he commanded off Cherbourg till March 1812, when he accepted the post of captain of the fleet to

Lord Keith Baron Keith was a title that was created three times in British history, with all three creations in favour of the same person, Admiral the Honourable Sir George Keith Elphinstone. He was the fifth son of Charles Elphinstone, 10th Lord Elphinsto ...

, his uncle by marriage. He was promoted to be rear-admiral on 4 December 1813, but remained with Keith till June 1814, when, with his flag in the ''Royal Oak'', he convoyed a detachment of the army from Bordeaux to North America, and served during the war with the United States as third in command under Sir

Alexander Cochrane Admiral of the Blue Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admiral. He had previously captain ...

and Rear-admiral (afterwards Sir)

George Cockburn Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, (22 April 1772 – 19 August 1853) was a British Royal Navy officer. As a captain he was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars an ...

. On 2 January 1815 he was nominated a K.C.B., and during "The

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restorati ...

' War" commanded a squadron in the North Sea, in co-operation with the army under the Duke of Wellington.

1816–1838, Commander-in-chief

In 1816–17 he was Commander-in-chief on the

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three consti ...

station, specially appointed to enforce a rigid blockade of the island and to keep a close guard on

Napoleon Bonaparte 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 wh ...

. He was advanced to vice-admiral on 19 July 1821, and Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet from 1828 to 1831. In 1832 he commanded on the coast of Holland, with the fleets of France and Spain under his orders; and in 1833–4 was again commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean. He was nominated a G.C.M.G. on 21 January 1829, and a G.C.B. on 26 April 1833. Statue of Pulteney Malcolm, St Paul's Cathedral crypt

Statue of Pulteney Malcolm, St Paul's Cathedral crypt

In the final years of his life, he became Chairman of the Oriental Club which had been founded by his brother General Sir John Malcolm. He attained the rank of

Admiral of the Blue The Admiral of the Blue was a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, immediately outranked by the rank Admiral of the White (see order of precedence below). From 1688 to 1805 this rank was in order of precedence third; after 1805 ...

in 1837. He died at East Lodge, Enfield,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, on 20 July 1838.

Personal life

He married, on 18 January 1809, Clementina, eldest daughter of the Hon.

William Fullerton Elphinstone William Fullerton-Elphinstone (born William Elphinstone; 13 September 1740 – 3 May 1834) was a Scottish ship's captain for the East India Company who became a director of the company several times between 1786 and 1824, and who served bot ...

, a director of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...

, and elder brother of Lord Keith.

Memorials

The post-war Royal Navy frigate was named after Sir Pulteney Malcolm, as were Pulteney Street, Adelaide and Malcolm Island,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

; the south-west extremity of which is named Pulteney Point. There is a memorial statue, by Edward Hodges Baily, to Malcolm in the Nelson Chamber of the crypt of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

while another statue stands in

References

;Attribution * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Malcolm, Pulteney 1768 births 1838 deaths Scottish military personnel Royal Navy admirals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars People from Langholm