Theophilus Jones (Royal Navy officer): Difference between revisions
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The crew mutinied again under Jones's command, as part of the [[Spithead and Nore mutinies|Channel mutinies]] in 1797.<ref name="united-service-mag-1836" /> In 1798, during the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|Irish Rebellion]], ''Defiance'' was in [[Portsmouth]]. A plot was discovered amongst Catholic crew who had taken an oath to seize control of the ship and take her to [[Brest, France|Brest]] under a green ensign with a harp on it, killing all the officers except the captain.<ref name="united-service-mag-1836" /> 25 men were [[court-martial]]led aboard [[HMS Gladiator (1783)|HMS ''Gladiator'']] in a hearing which began on 9th September under Captain Holloway.<ref name="wep-issue-8080" /> Jones conducted the prosecution, and on 13 September the court adjourned to deliberate. The following day, 14 September, all but one was found guilty.<ref name="wep-issue-8080" /> |
The crew mutinied again under Jones's command, as part of the [[Spithead and Nore mutinies|Channel mutinies]] in 1797.<ref name="united-service-mag-1836" /> In 1798, during the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|Irish Rebellion]], ''Defiance'' was in [[Portsmouth]]. A plot was discovered amongst Catholic crew who had taken an oath to seize control of the ship and take her to [[Brest, France|Brest]] under a green ensign with a harp on it, killing all the officers except the captain.<ref name="united-service-mag-1836" /> 25 men were [[court-martial]]led aboard [[HMS Gladiator (1783)|HMS ''Gladiator'']] in a hearing which began on 9th September under Captain Holloway.<ref name="wep-issue-8080" /> Jones conducted the prosecution, and on 13 September the court adjourned to deliberate. The following day, 14 September, all but one was found guilty.<ref name="wep-issue-8080" /> |
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Holloway pronounced them traitors, and [[Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces|Judge Advocate General]] Greetham read the sentences. 19 men were sentenced to death by [[hanging]] aboard a ship, though |
Holloway pronounced them traitors, and [[Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces|Judge Advocate General]] Greetham read the sentences. 19 men were sentenced to death by [[hanging]] aboard a ship, though 8 were recommended for mercy, to be [[penal transportation|transported for life]]. Two men were sentenced to 200 lashes and 12 months [[Solitary confinement|solitary imprisonment]], two to 100 lashes and 6 months imprisonment, and one to 12 months imprisonment.<ref name="wep-issue-8080" /><ref>[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hhVDAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA363 ''Journal of the House of Commons''], vol 54, (1788-99), page 363. Accessed 8 July 2014</ref> |
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A government order was received in Portsmouth on 26 September, setting the following day for execution of 11 men.<ref name="mpg-1798-09-28" /> |
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The hangings took place as ordered on Thursday 27 September. At 9am on board [[HMS St George (1785)|HMS ''St George'']] off [[Spithead]], seven men were (in the words of the ''[[The Morning Post|The Morning Post and Gazetter]]'') "launched into eternity". At 11.15am, the remaining four were hung on board [[HMS Resolution|HMS ''Resolution'']], in Portsmouth harbour.<ref name="mpg-1798-09-29" /> |
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All but one of the condemned men maintained their innocence to the end,<ref name="mpg-1798-09-29" /><ref name="observer-1798-09-30" /> |
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and ''[[The Observer]]'' newspaper reported that "every means was adopted to make the execution on Thursday as awful and impressive as possible".<ref name="observer-1798-09-30" /> |
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Jones later commanded the three-deckers [[HMS Atlas (1782)|HMS ''Atlas'']] and [[HMS Queen (1769)|HMS ''Queen'']],<ref name="united-service-mag-1836" /> |
Jones later commanded the three-deckers [[HMS Atlas (1782)|HMS ''Atlas'']] and [[HMS Queen (1769)|HMS ''Queen'']],<ref name="united-service-mag-1836" /> |
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| year = 1852 |
| year = 1852 |
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| accessdate = 7 July 2014 |
| accessdate = 7 July 2014 |
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}}</ref> |
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<ref name="mpg-1798-09-28">{{Cite news |
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| title = Ship News |
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| newspaper = [[The Morning Post and Gazetteer]] |
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| location = London, England |
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| date = Friday 28 September 1798 |
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| issue = 9275 |
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| id = Gale Document Number Z2000977993 |
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}}</ref> |
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<ref name="mpg-1798-09-29">{{Cite news |
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| title = Ship News |
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| newspaper = Morning Post and Gazetteer |
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| location = London, England |
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| date = Saturday 29 September 1798 |
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| issue = 9276 |
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| id = Gale Document Number Z2000978018 |
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}}</ref> |
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<ref name="observer-1798-09-30">{{Cite news |
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| title = Portsmouth September 28 |
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| newspaper = [[The Observer]] |
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| location = London, England |
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| date = Sunday 30 September 1798 |
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| issue = 354 |
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| id = Gale Document Number Z2001396279 |
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}}</ref> |
}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 18:03, 8 July 2014
Template:Distinguish2 Admiral Theophilus Jones (September 1760 – 8 November 1835) was an Irish officer in the British Royal Navy. As a captain he commanded a series of warships during the French Revolutionary Wars, and experienced two mutinies during his command of HMS Defiance in the late 1790s.
Early life and family
Jones was the second son of Theophilus Jones (1729–1811),[1] a member of the Irish House of Commons from 1761 to 1800,[2] and then of House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1802.[3] Their mother Catherine Beresford (died 1763) was a daughter of the 1st Earl of Tyrone.[1][4]
His older brother Walter[1] (1754–1839) was governor of County Leitrim, and an MP for Coleraine in the latter years of the Irish Parliament,[5] and then sat for Coleraine at Westminster for most of the period until 1809.[6] His younger brother Reverend James Jones (died 1825) was a Church of Ireland clergyman in County Londonderry, father of Admiral Theobald Jones,[7] and brother-in-law of Admiral Henry Blackwood.[8]
The family traced their ancestry to Bryan Jones (died 1681), a Welshman who had been granted lands in Ireland by King James VI and I in 1622.[1] Bryan's grandson Theophilus Jones (1666–1742), grandfather of Admiral Theophilus Jones, was a member of the Irish House of Commons from 1692 to 1742, for Sligo Borough and then County Leitrim.[7][2]
Career
Jones was promoted to the rank of Captain on 4 September 1782, and took command of the 74-gun HMS Hero, commanding her in the 1783 Battle of Cuddalore under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes.[9]
He was one of the first British officers engaged in the French Revolutionary Wars, commanding HMS Andromache in 1793, then the 64-gun HMS Trident. In 1796 Jones took command of the 74-gun HMS Defiance.[9]
Defiance had already seen a mutiny in 1795, which had been ended by Captain William Bligh. Bligh had taken 200 troops on board his Calcutta (formerly the East Indiaman Warley), and bringing them alongside Defiance had been enough to end the mutiny without a boarding.[10]
The crew mutinied again under Jones's command, as part of the Channel mutinies in 1797.[9] In 1798, during the Irish Rebellion, Defiance was in Portsmouth. A plot was discovered amongst Catholic crew who had taken an oath to seize control of the ship and take her to Brest under a green ensign with a harp on it, killing all the officers except the captain.[9] 25 men were court-martialled aboard HMS Gladiator in a hearing which began on 9th September under Captain Holloway.[11] Jones conducted the prosecution, and on 13 September the court adjourned to deliberate. The following day, 14 September, all but one was found guilty.[11]
Holloway pronounced them traitors, and Judge Advocate General Greetham read the sentences. 19 men were sentenced to death by hanging aboard a ship, though 8 were recommended for mercy, to be transported for life. Two men were sentenced to 200 lashes and 12 months solitary imprisonment, two to 100 lashes and 6 months imprisonment, and one to 12 months imprisonment.[11][12]
A government order was received in Portsmouth on 26 September, setting the following day for execution of 11 men.[13] The hangings took place as ordered on Thursday 27 September. At 9am on board HMS St George off Spithead, seven men were (in the words of the The Morning Post and Gazetter) "launched into eternity". At 11.15am, the remaining four were hung on board HMS Resolution, in Portsmouth harbour.[14] All but one of the condemned men maintained their innocence to the end,[14][15] and The Observer newspaper reported that "every means was adopted to make the execution on Thursday as awful and impressive as possible".[15]
Jones later commanded the three-deckers HMS Atlas and HMS Queen,[9] but did not hold a command after the 1802 Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French First Republic and the United Kingdom.[9] He was promoted to rear admiral in 1802, vice admiral in 1809, and full admiral in 1819.[9] He died on 8 November 1835 in Maidstone.[16]
References
- ^ a b c d Burke, John (1836). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank: But Univested with Heritable Honours. Vol. Volume 3. H. Colburn. pp. 268–9. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ^ a b "Biographies of Members of the Irish Parliament 1692-1800: Jones, Theophilus". Ulster Historical Foundation. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ^ Aspinall, Arthur (1986). R. Thorne (ed.). "JONES, Theophilus (?1729-1811), of Headfort, co. Leitrim". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Tyrone, Earl of (I, 1746)", Cracroft's Peerage, retrieved 5 July 2014
- ^ "Biographies of Members of the Irish Parliament 1692-1800: Jones, Walter". Ulster Historical Foundation. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ Aspinall, Arthur (1986). R. Thorne (ed.). "JONES, Walter (1754-1839), of Cork Abbey, co. Wicklow". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b Simpson, J. M. (2009). D.R. Fisher (ed.). "JONES, Theobald (1790-1868), of Bovagh House, co. Londonderry and 54 Curzon Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820-1832. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- ^ Burke, John Bernard (1852). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage of The British Empire. Vol. Volume 3 (14th Edition ed.). Colburn & Co. pp. 330–1. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help);|volume=has extra text (help) - ^ a b c d e f g The United Service Magazine. 1836. pp. 95–6. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Biography: William Bligh". Royal Naval Museum. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "Naval Court-Martial". Whitehall Evening Post (1770). No. 8080. London, England: – via British Newspaper Archive (subscription required) . 15–18 September 1798. Z2001641544.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Journal of the House of Commons, vol 54, (1788-99), page 363. Accessed 8 July 2014
- ^ "Ship News". The Morning Post and Gazetteer. No. 9275. London, England. Friday 28 September 1798. Gale Document Number Z2000977993.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "Ship News". Morning Post and Gazetteer. No. 9276. London, England. Saturday 29 September 1798. Gale Document Number Z2000978018.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "Portsmouth September 28". The Observer. No. 354. London, England. Sunday 30 September 1798. Gale Document Number Z2001396279.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Births, marriages, and deaths". The Spectator: 9. 14 November 1835. Retrieved 7 July 2014.