A press ganged sailor in the Caribbean, who served on HMS Experiment between 1740 and 1742 and almost certainly fought in the battle for Cartagena de Indias, during the War of Jenkins’ Ear, and died at sea.

 

Giles Farndale
18 October 1713 (baptised) to January 1742

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FAR00137

 

 

 

 

 

  

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1713

 

Giles Farndale was baptised at Whitby on 18 October 1813, the son of Thomas and Sarah (nee Perkins) Farndale (FAR00118), carpenter (PR).


1740

Giles Farndale served in the Royal Navy. It seems very likely that he was press-ganged at Whitby, probably in 1740 when he would have been 27 years old. The Muster Book for HMS Experiment, a brig with a compliment of 130, shows Giles Farndell as No 101 Able Seaman, impressed on 29 Jun 1740.

 

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Press gang, mid eighteenth century

 

Since Giles was not recorded as ‘from…another ship’ he probably had not served on another ship beforehand.

 

The ‘Experiment’ was commissioned under Captain Hughes at Deptford between March and June 1740. On 29 June 1740 the ‘Experiment’ was at The Nore (see below), where Giles Farndell (or Farndale; he is listed under both names in different Muster Books), came on complement. From there she sailed for Port Royal, Jamaica (see below) where she arrived on 15 September 1740. From there until June 1741 the ship was either in Port Royal, at sea, or in Cartagena (Adm 36/1081 & 1082).

Thirteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS "Experiment". HMS Experiment 1740 was a 24 gun, sixth rate ship, of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1740 and sold in 1763.

 

She later captured the French privateer, Telemaque in 1757 and had the young John Jervis serving on board her.

 

 

A painting of a ship in the water

Description automatically generated   Artwork by Dominic Serres the Elder, H.M.S. Experiment capturing the French privateer Télèmarque, off Alicante, 19th June, Made of pencil and watercolour

                                                  HMS Experiment taking the Telemaque, 8 July 1757           

 

Giles Farndale is shown in the Muster Book of HMS Experiment a brig with a compliment of 130 officers and men as impressed (ie Press-Ganged), on 29 June 1740, almost certainly at Whitby. He is present every day until 9th May 1741 when he is marked Discharged Dead. No circumstances are recorded which probably means that he died of sickness. The Captain was Captain Hughes. Giles Farndale joined her at ‘The Nore’ from where she sailed to the West Indies and was at Port Royal on 15th September 1740. From there she was either at sea, at Port Royal or at Cartagena. I have his will and more details about his family if you would like them?

 

The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames EstuaryEngland. It marks the point where the River Thames meets the North Sea, roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. The Nore gives its name to the anchorage, or open roadstead, used by the Royal Navy's North Sea Fleet, and to the RN Command based there. It was the site of a notorious mutiny in 1797. The Nore is a hazard to shipping, so in 1732 the world's first lightship was moored over it in an experiment by Robert Hamblin, who patented the idea.  The Nore has been the site of a Royal Navy anchorage since the age of sail, being adjacent to both the city and port of London and to the Medway, England's principal naval base and dockyard on the North Sea.

 

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In June 1740, HMS Experiment was commissioned under Captain Hughes at Deptford, and then sailed to The Nore, an anchorage in the Thames estuary. From there, the ship sailed for Port Royal, Jamaica, where it arrived on 15 September 1740. The ship was part of a squadron sent to the Caribbean to support Admiral Vernon's operations against the Spanish during the War of Jenkins' Ear.

 

Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and commerce in the Caribbean Sea by the latter half of the 17th century. It was destroyed by an earthquake on June 7, 1692, which had an accompanying tsunami. Severe hurricanes have regularly damaged it. Port Royal was once home to privateers who were encouraged to attack Habsburg Spain's vessels at a time when smaller European powers dared not make war on Spain directly. As a port city, it was notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals. It was a popular homeport for the English and Dutch-sponsored privateers to spend their treasure during the 17th century. When those governments abandoned the practice of issuing letters of marque to privateers against the Spanish treasure fleets and possessions in the later 16th century, many of the crews turned pirate. They continued to use the city as their main base during the 17th century. Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal, coming from waters as far away as Madagascar.

 

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An 18th-century pirate flag (Calico Jack Rackham).

 

Port Royal provided a safe harbour initially for privateers and subsequently for pirates plying the shipping lanes to and from Spain and PanamaBuccaneers found Port Royal appealing for several reasons. Its proximity to trade routes allowed them easy access to prey, but the most important advantage was the port's proximity to several of the only safe passages or straits giving access to the Spanish Main from the Atlantic.  The harbour was large enough to accommodate their ships and provided a place to careen and repair these vessels. It was also ideally situated for launching raids on Spanish settlements. From Port Royal, Christopher Myngs sacked Campeche and Henry Morgan attacked Panama, Portobello, and Maracaibo. Additionally, buccaneers Roche BrasilianoJohn Davis and Edward Mansvelt used Port Royal as a base of operations.

 

Since the English lacked sufficient troops to prevent either the Spanish or French from seizing it, the Jamaican governors eventually turned to the pirates to defend the city. By the 1660s the city had, for some, become a pirate utopia and had gained a reputation as the "Sodom of the New World", where most residents were pirates, cutthroats, or prostitutes. When Charles Leslie wrote his history of Jamaica, he included a description of the pirates of Port Royal.

 

Following Henry Morgan’s appointment as lieutenant governor, Port Royal began to change. Pirates were no longer needed to defend the city. The selling of slaves took on greater importance. Upstanding citizens disliked the reputation the city had acquired. In 1687, Jamaica passed anti-piracy laws. Consequently, instead of being a safe haven for pirates, Port Royal became noted as their place of execution. Gallows Point welcomed many to their death, including Charles Vane and Calico Jack, who were hanged in 1720. About five months later, the famous woman pirate Mary Read died in the Jamaican prison in Port Royal. Two years later, 41 pirates met their death in one month.

 

Under British rule the Royal Navy made use of a careening wharf at Port Royal and rented a building on the foreshore to serve as a storehouse. From 1675, a resident Naval Officer was appointed to oversee these facilities; however, development was cut short by the 1692 earthquake. After the earthquake, an attempt was made to establish a naval base at Port Antonio instead, but the climate there proved disagreeable. From 1735, Port Royal once more became the focus of the Admiralty's attention. New wharves and storehouses were built at this time, as well as housing for the officers of the Yard. Over the next thirty years, more facilities were added: cooperages, workshops, sawpits, and accommodation (including a canteen) for the crews of ships being careened there. A Royal Naval Hospital was also established on land a little to the west of the Naval Yard; and by the end of the 18th century a small Victualling Yard had been added to the east (prior to this ships had had to go to Kingston and other settlements to take on supplies).

 

Admiral Vernon was a Royal Navy officer and politician who lived from 1684 to 1757. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years of service. He was known for his bold and aggressive actions against the Spanish and the French during the War of the Spanish Succession, the War of Jenkins' Ear, and the War of the Austrian Succession.

 

He was also famous for introducing grog, a mixture of rum and water, to his sailors to prevent scurvy and drunkenness. He earned the nickname of "Old Grog" because he wore coats made of grogram cloth. He was a member of parliament for Penryn and Ipswich, and was outspoken on naval matters in parliament, making him a controversial figure.

 

He was a friend and patron of James Cook, the explorer and navigator, who served under him as a master's mate on HMS Pembroke during the capture of Louisburg in 1758. He was also the eponym of George Washington's estate Mount Vernon, which was named after him by Washington's brother Lawrence who served under him in the Caribbean.

 

Admiral Vernon was a leading commander in the War of Jenkins' Ear, which was a conflict between Britain and Spain over trade and colonial disputes in the Caribbean and North America. He was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Jamaica Station in 1739, with orders to attack Spanish commerce and settlements.

 

He achieved his most famous victory in November 1739, when he captured the port of Porto Bello in Panama with only six ships, against a much larger Spanish force. This exploit made him a national hero in Britain, and he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London and a medal by Parliament.

 

1741

 

Giles was present at every muster until 9 May 1741 when he is marked ‘DD’ (Discharged Dead). But we see below that he died in January 1742.

 

Admiral Vernon suffered his most humiliating defeat in March 1741, when he led a large amphibious operation against the port of Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. Despite having a superior naval and land force, he was unable to overcome the strong Spanish defences led by Blas de Lezo, and was forced to withdraw after losing thousands of men to disease and combat.

 

He also attempted to invade Cuba in 1741, but failed to take Santiago de Cuba and Havana. He then returned to Jamaica, where he remained until 1742. He was recalled to Britain in 1746, and retired from active service.

 

The Battle of Cartagena de Indias was a major naval and land engagement that took place in March 1741, during the War of Jenkins' Ear. It was part of Admiral Vernon's attempt to capture the Spanish port city of Cartagena de Indias, which was a key trading and military centre in the Caribbean.

 

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Vernon had a large force of 29 ships of the line, 22 frigates, 71 sloops-of-war, 80 troop ships, and 50 merchant ships, carrying about 12,000 soldiers and 15,000 sailors. He also had the support of 4,000 colonial troops from Virginia and Jamaica.

 

The Spanish defenders were led by Admiral Blas de Lezo, a veteran officer who had lost an eye, an arm, and a leg in previous battles. He had only 6 ships of the line and about 2,700 soldiers and 600 sailors, but he also had the advantage of strong fortifications around the city and the bay. He also had the help of 600 Indian archers and some local militia.

 

The battle lasted for more than two months, and involved several naval and land attacks by the British, as well as counterattacks by the Spanish. The British managed to capture some of the outer forts and batteries, but they failed to breach the main defences of the city. They also suffered heavy losses from disease, especially yellow fever and malaria.

 

The British finally gave up on 20 May 1741, after a failed assault on the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the largest fort in the city. They retreated with about 9,500–11,500 dead and 7,500 wounded. The Spanish lost about 800 dead and 1,200 wounded.

 

The battle was a decisive victory for Spain, and a major setback for Britain. It prevented Britain from gaining control of the Caribbean trade and colonies, and it boosted the morale and prestige of Spain. It also showed that Spain could defend its interests against a superior naval power.

 

Presumably Giles took part in the Battle for Cartagena de Indias.

 

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1742

 

Giles Farndale of Whitby, a mariner, died onboard the HMS Experiment in January 1742 (Borthwick Institute, York Prerogative & Exchequer Courts, Will, vol.87, f., Index reference 1741031745070083.tif/1, Prerogative & Exchequer Courts Of York Probate Index, 1688-1858)

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1741/2. January. Farndale, Giles of Whitby, but dying in board the Experiment, Mariner. Acual 20 L.

Giles Farndale, deceased of Port Whitby, mariner, died on board HMS ‘Experiment.’ Will: ‘Know all men that we Thomas Farndale of Whitby in the County of York, carpenter, Robert Easton of Whitby aforesaid Master Mariner and Edward Brand of Whitby aforesaid Mariner………£31…….dated 25 Jan 1741/2. The condition of this obligation is that the above bound Thomas Farndale, father, next of kin and administrator of all goods, chattels and credits of Giles Farndale, late of the Parish of Whitby, in the Diocese of York, Mariner deceased, who died at sea in His Majesty’s service belonging to HMS Experiment.

Signed Thomas Farndalle

INVENTORY:

Apparel £2.10s 0d

Wages £13. 0s 0d

(Cleveland Act Books 1700-70)