| Major General John Robyns KH, Royal Marines |
|
|---|---|
| Born | 13 May 1780 Madron, Cornwall, United Kingdom |
| Died | 22 March 1857 (aged 76) Madron, Cornwall, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | British Royal Marines officer |
| Years active | 1796-1836 |
| Known for | Invasion of Martinique (1809) Battle of Bladensburg Burning of Washington Battle of Baltimore Battle of New Orleans |
| Title | Alderman, Mayor of Penzance, Cornwall |
| Term | 1840-41 |
| Predecessor | John Batten |
| Successor | Richard Longfield Davies |
| Awards | KH Naval General Service Medal (1847) |
Major General (Army List) John Robyns, KH, (1780 – 1857), was a British officer of the Royal Marines who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and earned historically noteworthy military distinctions on the North America and West Indies Station during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. As a battalion commander of Royal Marines, Captain John Robyns faced enemy forces which included his counterparts of the United States Marines at Bladensburg, Washington, Baltimore, and New Orleans. In his later years John Robyns served one term as Mayor of Penzance in his native Cornwall.
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John Robyns, the son of Thomas Robyns, was christened in the Parish of Madron, in West Cornwall, on May 13, 1780. The private christening, performed by a midwife, probably occured soon after his birth, if not on the actual day of birth.[1][2]
It may be assumed that young John Robyns received an adequate common school education that was sufficient to prepare him for a commission. He may have served in the Royal Navy or British Army prior to 1796. It is difficult to document this period of his life with precision.[3]
John Robyns received his commission as a Second Lieutenant of His Majesty's Marine Forces in 1796. Soon afterwards he was ordered to the East Indies where he remained on station nearly five years, earning his promotion to First Lieutenant in 1799. Following his return, shortly prior to the Treaty of Amiens, he was sent to Ireland where he remained on station until his promotion to Captain in 1807. John Robyns was thus still a subaltern when H.M. Corps of Marine Forces was elevated to the dignity of Royal Marines on April 29, 1802. In 1808 Captain Robyns of the Marines sailed for Barbados as part of the expedition under Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane and Lieutenant General George Beckwith (British Army officer).
In 1809 Captain John Robyns participated in the British Invasion of Martinique, a highly successful amphibious operation.[4] Captain John Robyns remained on the Leeward Islands Station until about 1811, well after the seizure of Guadaloupe by the British forces under Cochrane and Beckwith.[5]
Still a Marine captain, Robyns rejoined Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane's command in 1813 and was among the handful of Royal Marines company-grade officers chosen to command a battalion ashore during the War of 1812. Captain Robyns commanded a 400-strong composite battalion of Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel in the Battle of Bladensburg, the Burning of Washington, and in the Battle of Baltimore. At Baltimore Captain Robyns was severely wounded while leading his battalion on September 12, 1814. The British Army commander, Major General Robert Ross (British Army officer), was killed in the same action. Writing from HMS Tonnant (1798), to the Admiralty Lords on September 17, 1814, Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane singled out the "frequently gallant conduct" of Captain John Robyns of the Royal Marines as worthy of special "favor and protection".[6]
Following the defeat at Baltimore, Captain Robyns was brevetted a Major on the British Army List.[7]
Though still recovering from a wound described as "severe," he accompanied the British expeditionary force which was sent to Battle of New Orleans. Once again charged with a composite command, he commanded a company in the battalion commanded by his senior, Brevet Major (Army List) Thomas Benjamin Adair (1782-1849), of the Royal Marines. Adair's Royal Marines and a party of Edward Nicolls' Red Sticks of the Corps of Colonial Marines were brigaded with Colonel William Thornton (British Army officer)'s 85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers). Thornton's Brigade performed laudably at New Orleans, overwhelming the American line on the west bank of the Mississipi. The brigade's small triumph, however, was not enough to counterbalance the British disaster of January 8, 1815.[8]
Royal Marines also contributed to the subsequent orderly withdrawal by the British forces.[9]
In spite of the award of a pension for wounds received, Captain (and Brevet Major) John Robyns escaped the officer reductions in the Royal Marines establishment of 1814 and 1816.[10] (Brevet) Major John Robyns, of the Royal Marines, married Miss Wilmot John (1787-1867), the second daughter of George John, of Penzance, at Madron on July 18, 1815.[11][12]
Routine duties and assignments followed until his retirement in 1836. He was promoted to the substantiative rank of Major in the Royal Marines on April 16, 1832, thus finally attaining the permanent status of "General and Field Officer (G & FO)", Royal Marines.[13][14]
In 1840 he served one term as Mayor of Penzance, a largely honorary public function.[15][16]
Major General (Army List) John Robyns, KH and late "Major of the Royal Marines", died in Cornwall on March 22, 1857. He was buried in Madron on March 27, 1857.[17][18][19]
28 December 1815 Awarded a pension for wounds.
Allowed to Retire from the Royal Marines as a Major with full-pay. In 1837 the rank of Major was abolished in the Royal Marines as part of a service reform.