Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan (1 July 17314 August 1804) 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 best known for defeating the
Batavian Navy
The Batavian Navy () was the navy of the Batavian Republic which existed from 1795 to 1806. Founded in May 1795 after the Dutch Republic was Low Countries theatre of the War of the First Coalition, overrun by France during the French Revolutionar ...
at the 1797
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Zeeslag bij Kamperduin'') was fought on 11 October 1797 between the Royal Navy's Commander-in-Chief, North Sea, North Sea Fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan, Adam Duncan and a ...
. The victory was one of the most significant naval battles in the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
.
Life
Adam was the second son of Alexander Duncan,
Baron of Lundie, Angus, (d. May 1777)
Provost of Dundee, and his wife (and first cousin once removed) Helen, daughter of John Haldane of
Gleneagles. He was born at
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
. In 1746, after receiving his education in
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
, he entered the
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 ...
on board the
sloop ''Trial'', under Captain Robert Haldane, with whom, in and afterwards in , he continued until the peace in 1748. In 1749, he was appointed to , then commissioned for service in the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
, by the Hon.
Augustus Keppel (afterwards Viscount Keppel), with whom he was afterwards in on the coast of
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, and was confirmed in the rank of
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
on 10 January 1755.
Seven Years War
In August 1755, he followed Keppel to , and in January 1756 to
''Torbay'', in which he continued until his promotion to commander's rank on 21 September 1759, and during this time was present in
the expedition to
Basque Roads in 1757, at the
reduction of Gorée in 1758, and in the blockade of
Brest in 1759, up to within two months of the
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as the ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' by the French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off ...
, from which his promotion just excluded him.
From October 1759 to April 1760, he had command of ''Royal Exchange'', a hired vessel employed in petty convoy service with a miscellaneous ship's company, consisting to a large extent of boys and foreigners, many of whom (he reported) could not speak English, and all impressed with the idea that as they had been engaged by the merchants from whom the ship was hired they were not subject to naval discipline. It would seem that a misunderstanding with the merchants on this point was the cause of the ship's being put out of commission after a few months.
As a
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
, Duncan had no further service, but on 25 February 1761, he was posted and appointed to , fitting for Keppel's
broad pennant
A broad pennant is a triangular swallow-tailed naval pennant flown from the masthead of a warship afloat or a naval headquarters ashore to indicate the presence of either:
(a) a Royal Navy officer in the rank of Commodore, or
(b) a U.S. Navy ...
. In her he had an important share in the
reduction of Belle Île in June 1761, and of
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.[Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...](_bl ...<br></span></div> in August 1762. He returned to Britain in 1763, and, notwithstanding his repeated request, had no further employment for many years.
<h1><br><p> Peacetime</h1></p>
During this time, he lived principally at <div class=)
, and married Henrietta, daughter of
Robert Dundas of Arniston, Lord President of the
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...
on 6 June 1777. It would seem that his alliance with this influential family obtained him the employment which he had been vainly seeking during fifteen years. Towards the end of 1778, he was appointed to , from which he was almost immediately moved into .
In January 1779, he sat as a member of the
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 arme ...
of
Admiral Keppel for the poor performance of 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 th ...
during the
First Battle of Ushant. During the course of the trial Duncan objected several times to stop the prosecutor in irrelevant and in
leading question
A leading question is a question that suggests a particular answer and contains information the examiner is looking to have confirmed. The use of leading questions in court to elicit testimony is restricted in order to reduce the ability of the ex ...
s, or in perversions of answers. The
Admiralty was therefore desirous that he should not sit on the court-martial of Sir
Hugh Palliser
Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Baronet (26 February 1723 – 19 March 1796) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. As captain of the 58-gun HMS ''Eagle'' he engaged and defeated the French 50-gun ''Duc d'Aquitain'' off Ushant in May 1757 du ...
for failure to obey orders during the same battle. The court-martial was set for April. The day before the assembling of the court the admiralty sent down orders for ''Monarch'' to go to
St. Helens. Her crew, however, refused to weigh the anchor until they were paid their advance; and as this could not be done in time, ''Monarch'' was still in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
harbour when the signal for the court-martial was made; so that, sorely against the wishes of the admiralty, Duncan sat on this court-martial also.
During the summer of 1779, ''Monarch'' was attached to the
Channel fleet under Sir
Charles Hardy; in December was one of the squadrons with which
Rodney sailed for the
relief
Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
of
Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
, and had a prominent share in
the action off St. Vincent on 16 January 1780. On returning to Britain, Duncan quit ''Monarch'', and had no further command until after the change of Ministry in March 1782, when Keppel became
first lord of the admiralty
First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...
. He was then appointed to of 90 guns, and commanded her during the year in the Grand Fleet under
Howe, at the relief of Gibraltar in October, and the encounter with the allied fleet off
Cape Spartel
Cape Spartel (; ; ) is a promontory in Morocco about above sea level at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, 12 km west of Tangier. It is the northwesternmost point of the African continent. Below the cape are the Caves of Hercules.
Des ...
. He afterwards succeeded Sir
John Jervis in command of , and after the peace commanded as guardship at
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
for three years. He attained flag rank on 24 September 1787, became
vice admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...
1 February 1793, and was promoted to
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
1 June 1795. In February 1795, he was appointed
Commander-in-Chief, North Sea, and hoisted his flag on board .
In action with the Dutch

During the first two years of Duncan's command, the work was limited to enforcing a rigid blockade of the enemy's coast, but in the spring of 1797, it became more important from the knowledge that the Dutch fleet in the
Texel was getting ready for sea.
The situation was one of extreme difficulty, for
the mutiny which had paralysed the fleet at the
Nore
The Nore is a long sandbank, bank of sand and silt running along the south-centre of the final narrowing of the Thames Estuary, England. Its south-west is the very narrow Nore Sand. Just short of the Nore's easternmost point where it fades int ...
broke out also amongst the crews under Duncan, and kept him for some weeks in enforced inactivity. Duncan's personal influence and some happy displays of his vast personal strength held the crew of ''Venerable'' to their duty; but with one other exception, that of , the ships refused to quit their anchorage at
Yarmouth, leaving ''Venerable'' and ''Adamant'' alone to keep up the pretence of the blockade.
Fortunately, the Dutch were not at the time ready for sea; and when they were ready and anxious to sail, with thirty thousand troops, for the invasion of
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, a persistent westerly wind detained them in harbour until they judged that the season was too far advanced. For political purposes, however, the French Revolutionaries who controlled the government in Holland (despite the contrary opinion of their admiral,
De Winter), ordered him to put to sea in the early days of October.
Duncan, with the main body of the fleet, was at the time lying at
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
revictualling, the Texel being watched by a small squadron under Captain
Henry Trollope in , from whom he received early information of the Dutch being at sea. He at once weighed anchor, and with a fair wind approached the Dutch coast, saw that the fleet was not returned to the Texel, and steering towards the south sighted it on the morning of 11 October about seven miles from the shore and nearly halfway between the villages of
Egmont and
Camperdown. The wind was blowing straight on shore, and though the Dutch forming their line to the north preserved a bold front, it was clear that if the attack was not made promptly they would speedily get into shoal water, where no attack would be possible. Duncan at once realised the necessity of cutting off their retreat by getting between them and the land. At first, he was anxious to bring up his fleet in a compact body, for his numbers were at best equal to those of the Dutch; but seeing the absolute necessity of immediate action, without waiting for the ships astern to come up, without waiting to form line of battle, and with the fleet in very irregular order of sailing, in two groups, led respectively by himself in ''Venerable'' and Vice-admiral
Richard Onslow in ''Monarch'', he made the signal to pass through the enemy's line and engage to leeward.
It was a bold departure from the absolute rule laid down in the ''Fighting Instructions,'' still new, though warranted by the more formal example of
Howe on
1 June 1794; and on this occasion, as on the former, it was crowned with complete success. The engagement was long and bloody; for though Duncan, by passing through the enemy's line, had prevented their untimely retreat, he had not advanced further in tactical science, and the battle was fought out on the primitive principles of ship against ship, the advantage remaining with those who were the better trained to the great gun exercise, though the Dutch inflicted great loss on the Royal Navy.
It had been proposed to De Winter to make up for the want of skill by firing shell from the lower deck guns, and some experiments had been made during the summer which showed that the idea was feasible. However, want of familiarity with an arm so new and so dangerous presumably prevented its being acted on in the battle.
Rewards
The news of the victory was received in Britain with the warmest enthusiasm. It was the first certain sign that the mutinies of the summer had not destroyed the power and the prestige of the Royal Navy. Duncan was at once (21 October) raised to the peerage as Viscount Duncan, of Camperdown, and Baron Duncan, of Lundie in the Shire of Perth (with which came the lands now known as
Camperdown Park in Dundee), and there was a strong feeling that the reward was inadequate. Even as early as 18 October his aunt, Lady Mary Duncan, wrote to
Henry Dundas, at that time secretary of state for war: ''Report says my nephew is only made a Viscount. Myself it is nothing, but the whole nation thinks the least you can do is to give him an English earldom. … Am sure were this properly represented to our good king, who esteems a brave, religious man like himself, would be of my opinion. …''. It was not, however, until 1831, many years after Duncan's death, that his son, then bearing his title, was raised to the dignity of an earl, and his other children to the rank and precedence of the children of an earl.
Duncan was awarded the
Large Naval Gold Medal and an annual pension of £3,000, to himself and the next two heirs to his title – this was the biggest pension ever awarded by the
British government
His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. . Additionally, he was given the freedom of several cities, including Dundee and
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
Death
Duncan continued in command of the North Sea fleet until 1801, but without any further opportunity of distinction. Three years later, 4 August 1804, he died quite suddenly, aged seventy-three, at the inn at
Cornhill, a village on the border, where he had stopped for the night on his journey to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
(ib. 252) and was buried in
Lundie
Lundie is a parish and small settlement in Angus, Scotland, northwest of Dundee, situated at the head of the Dighty valley in the Sidlaws, off the A923 Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population ...
west of Dundee.
Memorial
There is a memorial to him within
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
.
Character
Duncan was of size and strength almost gigantic. He is described as in height, and of corresponding breadth. When a young lieutenant walking through the streets of Chatham, his grand figure and handsome face attracted crowds of admirers, and to the last he is spoken of as singularly handsome.
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
wrote to Duncan's son,
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters
* Henry (surname)
* Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone
Arts and entertainmen ...
, a fellow Royal Navy officer, on 4 October 1804, including a newspaper with the account of Duncan's death, "There is no man who more sincerely laments the heavy loss you have sustained than myself; but the name of Duncan will never be forgot by Britain, and in particular by its navy, in which service the remembrance of your worthy father will, I am sure, grow up in you. I am sorry not to have a good sloop to give you, but still an opening offers which I think will insure your confirmation as a commander".
Family
Duncan's uncle was
Sir William Duncan, physician-extraordinary to
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
and first of the
Duncan baronets. On 6 June 1777 Duncan married Henrietta (1749–1832), daughter of
Robert Dundas of Arniston, Lord President of the
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...
. On his death Duncan left a family of four daughters and two sons. His eldest son succeeded to the peerage and later became
Earl of Camperdown; the second son,
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters
* Henry (surname)
* Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone
Arts and entertainmen ...
, died a captain in the navy and
K.C.H. in 1835.
His sister Margaret was mother to
James Haldane Tait who served under him several times and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral.
Henrietta and her children are buried in
Canongate Kirkyard in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
east of the church.
Heraldry
The paternal arms of the 1st Viscount were: ''Gules, two cinquefoils in chief and a bugle horn in base argent stringed azure'' (
Clan Duncan). In the centre of his paternal coat the 1st Viscount was granted an
augmentation of honour: ''Pendant by a ribbon argent and azure from a naval crown or a gold medal thereon two figures the emblems of Victory and Britannia; Victory alighting on the prow of an antique vessel, crowning Britannia with a wreath of laurel; and below the word "Camperdown"''
Crest: ''A first rate ship of war, with masts broken, rigging torn and in disorder, floating on the sea, all proper and over, the motto "Disce Pati"'' ("learn to endure").
Supporters: ''On the dexter side an Angel, mantle purpure; on the head a celestial crown; the right hand supporting an anchor proper; in the left a palm branch Or. On the sinister a sailor, habited and armed proper; his left hand supporting a staff, thereon hoisted a flag azure; the Dutch colours, wreathed about the middle of the staff. Motto: "Secundis Dubiisque Rectus"''
Recognition
*Several ships have been named
HMS ''Duncan'', or , or after him.
*The Dundee Unit of the
Sea Cadets
Sea cadets are members of a cadets youth program sponsored by a national naval service, aimed for young people with an interest in waterborne activities and or the national navy. The organisation may be sponsored in whole or in part by the navy or ...
is named TS ''Duncan'' after him.
*A statue by Westmacott, erected at the public expense, is in St. Paul's.
*Duncan Terrace in Islington, London N1 was named after him.
*Duncan Street in Leeds town centre is named after him. The pub on this street honours him with its name and many pictures and paintings.
*The Galapagos island, now known as
Pinzón Island, was named ''Duncan Island''.
*A statue of Duncan was erected in 1997 in his birthplace, Dundee, on the corner of High Street and Commercial Street.
*Several public houses are named after him, including the
Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, London,
a gay pub that was the scene of a terrorist bombing in 1999.
* namesake of
Duncan's Cove, Nova Scotia
Notes
References
Attribution
* Endnotes:
**Ralfe's ''Naval Biography'', i. 319;
**''Naval Chronicle'', iv. 81;
**Charnock's ''Biographia Navalis'', vi. 422;
**James's ''Naval History of Great Britain'' (edit. 1860), ii. 74;
**Keppel's ''Life of Viscount Keppel''.
Further reading
*
Rampant Scotland - Famous Scots - Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Camperdown (1731–1804)* ''The Naval Chronicle, Volume 4'' 1800, J. Gold, London. (reissued by
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
, 2010. )
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan Of Camperdown, Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount
1731 births
1804 deaths
People educated at the High School of Dundee
Military personnel from Dundee
Nobility from Dundee
D
Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War
Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War
Viscounts in the Peerage of Great Britain
Peers of Great Britain created by George III