Charles John Moore Mansfield

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Charles John Moore Mansfield
Charles John Moore Mansfield
Born	15 November 1760 Stoke Damerel, Devon, England
Died	23 April 1813 Rochester, Kent, England
Occupation	Royal Navy Officer

Captain Charles John Moore Mansfield was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Unlike many of his dashing companions of this period, Mansfield is notable for his reticent social life which contrasted sharply with his dashing and action-filled military career.

Born to a rural land-owning family in Stoke Damerel, Devon in 15 November 1760 and christened on the 13th of December, Mansfield joined the navy as a young man and made rapid progress, being made lieutenant on 25 November 1778, when only 18, two years earlier than the official minimum age of 20. ^[1] He joined the ship of the line Albion as junior lieutenant, and was still aboard her at the Battle of Grenada the following year and for the battle of Martinique a few months later. In 1780 he again saw action, serving at the two actions off Martinique in April and May where he and his ship again distinguished themselves.

Shortly after seeing more action in the Battle of Cape Henry, Mansfield was made first lieutenant of the newly-captured frigate Fortunée and was in her for two years before moving to the newly-built Irresistible in which he saw out the end of the war and returned to Britain on half-pay where he remained for the next seven years.

He married Anna Spong on the 21 August 1788 at the Church of St. Edmund, Lombard Street, London. Their first child Seymour Herbert Mansfield was born on the 5 December 1789, in Rochester. He died in 1802, aged 12. Their second child, Mary Mansfield was born in January 1792. Their third child, James Hawkins Hughes Mansfield, was born on 5 April 1794.

During this time little is known of his life, as he left no journals or records and untypically of a young naval officer did not make a stir in society. He is next seen on the Lion in 1790 as war threatened to break out again. Moving between several ships in a short time, Mansfield was promoted to commander on 19 July 1793, soon after war was declared and took over the sloop Megaera in which he made Post-Captain on 4 October 1794.

Posted into the Sphinx, Mansfield moved to the Andromache soon afterwards and in her was able to capture a large Algerian corsair with 24-guns after a fierce engagement on which 64 Algerians and two British sailors were killed. He transferred to the Dryad in 1799 and remained in her throughout the Peace of Amiens, at the conclusion of which he was given the ship of the line Minotaur, a veteran ship which had fought at the Battle of the Nile. Soon after taking command he was involved in the capture of the French frigate Franchise in the Channel and briefly served as Admiral Collingwood's flag-captain in the same ship.

Mansfield was also at the Battle of Trafalgar two years later, performing diligently with much success in forcing the surrender of the Neptuno to surrender and taking 25 casualties despite reaching battle later due to the Minotaur suffering from weedy undersides which drastically slowed her. He was able to save many British men and ships with his undamaged craft during the storm and was amply rewarded on his return to Britain, where he is known to have suffered debilitating rheumatism which kept him from service until 1807. In that year he was flag-captain to Rear-Admiral William Essington and third-in-command at the bombardment of Copenhagen, where he made a tidy sum from the captured ships in the harbour.

Although a man in his position could have been expected to have received promotion and rewards at the end of the Napoleonic Wars Mansfield never made it, dying at Rochester after a period of illness in 1813. Very little is known of his family or home life, but the memorial ^[2] raised to him in St Margaret's Church in Rochester does mention a family although no further details are recorded.

[edit] Further reading

The Trafalgar Captains, Colin White and the 1805 Club, Chatham Publishing, London, 2005, ISBN 1-86176-247-X

[edit] References

^ He presented a false baptismal certificate at his examination for Lieutenant. His service history records his baptism as 2 April 1755 (five years before he was born!), at St. Botolph without Aldgate, London. This was common practice at the time and the examining officers turned a blind eye to it.
^ TO THE MEMORY OF Captn CHARLES JOHN MOORE MANSFIELD ROYAL NAVY
Who during a Period of 40 Years arduous Service
established the character of an Honorable and Gallant Officer.
In the Year 1793 he was made Commander and was
afterwards raised to the Rank of POST CAPTAIN.
While commanding the Andromache he was attacked by an Algerine Frigate
under Spanish Colors, which he captured after a long and desperate engagement.
For many years he commanded the Minotaur, and had the Honor of capturing the
El Neptuno a Spanish 80 Gun Ship in the ever memorable engagement of TRAFALGAR
Soon after this Period, worn down by fatigue he retired into the bosom of his Family,
and, after a long and afflicting illness, calmly resigned his Soul into the hands of his Maker
On the 23d day of April 1813, Aged 52 Years