Herbert Sawyer (1730 - 1798)
Encyclopedia
Herbert Sawyer was an officer of the Royal Navy
who saw service during the Seven Years War, the American Revolution
and the French Revolutionary War. He eventually rose to the rank of Admiral
.
's HMS Gloucester
. He passed his lieutenant
's examination on 30 August 1753, when his age was given as 'more than 22', suggesting he was born in or before 1730. He was promoted to lieutenant on 4 March 1756, and the following year was serving aboard HMS Grafton
, which at the time was part of Vice-Admiral Francis Holburne
's fleet off Louisbourg.
HMS Happy on 19 October 1758, but was soon moved to HMS Swallow off the coast of France under the orders of Lord Howe
. He took command of HMS Chesterfield on 26 December, followed with a transfer to HMS Active
in February 1759. He spent the rest of the war aboard her. On 21 May 1762 he and the sloop HMS Favourite, the latter commanded by Philemon Pownoll
, captured the Spanish treasure ship Hermione off Cadiz
. A cargo of over £500,000 in cash and bullion was secured, of which Sawyer received £65,053 13s. 9d. Now extremely wealthy, he married the daughter of a Lisbon
merchant.
His next appointment came in 1777, with the command of HMS Boyne
. He sailed with her the following year to join Rear-Admiral Samuel Barrington
off the West Indies, and was present at the repulse of Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing
's attempt to capture St Lucia on 15 December that year. Sawyer remained in the Caribbean, and was present at the Battle of Grenada
as part of Vice-Admiral John Byron
's fleet on 6 July 1779. Sawyer returned to England in the autumn, and was given command of HMS Namur
in 1780. He commanded her in the English Channel
, and was present at the relief of Gibraltar
in April 1781. He left the Namur in December, and by 1783 he was in command of the guardship HMS Bombay Castle
at Plymouth
.
. He took up his post in June, and authorized the frigate HMS Mercury
to escort a merchant vessel to the American port of Boston
to collect a shipment of cattle. This marked the first free visit of a British warship to the port since March 1776. In 1787 Sawyer had taken part of his fleet to Quebec
, where he was embarrassed by a French squadron of three ships of the line and four frigates, which sailed unchallenged along the Nova Scotia
coast bound for Boston. He returned to England in August 1788.
on 4 June 1798. His eldest son, also named Herbert Sawyer
followed his father into a navy, and also had served in the American Revolution
. He too reached the rank of admiral, and even was appointed to his father's old command on the North American Station, which he commanded during the War of 1812
.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
who saw service during the Seven Years War, the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and the French Revolutionary War. He eventually rose to the rank of Admiral
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
.
Early life
Little is known about Sawyer's early life, but he entered the navy in 1747, spending his first six years mostly on the Jamaica Station aboard George TownshendGeorge Townshend (admiral)
George Townshend was a British naval commander.Townshend was the eldest son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, and his second wife Dorothy, sister of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole...
's HMS Gloucester
HMS Gloucester (1745)
HMS Gloucester was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Rotherhithe to the dimensions specified in the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment, and launched on 23 May 1745....
. He passed his lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
's examination on 30 August 1753, when his age was given as 'more than 22', suggesting he was born in or before 1730. He was promoted to lieutenant on 4 March 1756, and the following year was serving aboard HMS Grafton
HMS Grafton (1750)
HMS Grafton was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Portsmouth Dockyard to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment, and launched on 29 March 1750.Grafton served until 1767, when she was sold out of the navy....
, which at the time was part of Vice-Admiral Francis Holburne
Francis Holburne
Admiral Sir Francis Holburne was a Royal Navy officer who also served as a Member of Parliament.-Naval career:Francis entered the Navy in 1720 as a volunteer aboard , passing his examinations in 1725...
's fleet off Louisbourg.
Promotion to command
He received his first command, that of the sloopSloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
HMS Happy on 19 October 1758, but was soon moved to HMS Swallow off the coast of France under the orders of Lord Howe
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
. He took command of HMS Chesterfield on 26 December, followed with a transfer to HMS Active
HMS Active (1758)
HMS Active was a 28-gun Coventry-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy.-References:* Robert Gardiner, The First Frigates, Conway Maritime Press, London 1992. ISBN 0-85177-601-9....
in February 1759. He spent the rest of the war aboard her. On 21 May 1762 he and the sloop HMS Favourite, the latter commanded by Philemon Pownoll
Philemon Pownoll
Philemon Pownoll was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, rising to the rank of post-captain....
, captured the Spanish treasure ship Hermione off Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
. A cargo of over £500,000 in cash and bullion was secured, of which Sawyer received £65,053 13s. 9d. Now extremely wealthy, he married the daughter of a Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
merchant.
His next appointment came in 1777, with the command of HMS Boyne
HMS Boyne (1766)
HMS Boyne was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Plymouth Dockyard to the draught specified in the 1745 Establishment as amended in 1754, and launched on 31 May 1766.Boyne served until 1783, when she was broken up....
. He sailed with her the following year to join Rear-Admiral Samuel Barrington
Samuel Barrington
Rear Admiral Samuel Barrington RN was a British admiral.Samuel was the fourth son of John Shute Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington of Beckett Hall at Shrivenham in Berkshire...
off the West Indies, and was present at the repulse of Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing
Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing was a French general, and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the British during the Seven Years' War...
's attempt to capture St Lucia on 15 December that year. Sawyer remained in the Caribbean, and was present at the Battle of Grenada
Battle of Grenada
The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American War of Independence in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy.-Origins:...
as part of Vice-Admiral John Byron
John Byron
Vice Admiral The Hon. John Byron, RN was a Royal Navy officer. He was known as Foul-weather Jack because of his frequent bad luck with weather.-Early career:...
's fleet on 6 July 1779. Sawyer returned to England in the autumn, and was given command of HMS Namur
HMS Namur (1756)
HMS Namur was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Chatham Dockyard to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment as amended in 1750, and launched on 3 March 1756....
in 1780. He commanded her in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, and was present at the relief of Gibraltar
Great Siege of Gibraltar
The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the American War of Independence. This was the largest action fought during the war in terms of numbers, particularly the Grand Assault of 18 September 1782...
in April 1781. He left the Namur in December, and by 1783 he was in command of the guardship HMS Bombay Castle
HMS Bombay Castle (1782)
HMS Bombay Castle was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 June 1782 at Blackwall Yard.She was wrecked in 1796....
at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
.
On the North American Station
He left the Namur in 1785 and was appointed commodore of the North American Station's base at HalifaxCity of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. He took up his post in June, and authorized the frigate HMS Mercury
HMS Mercury (1779)
HMS Mercury was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built during the American War of Independence and serving during the later years of that conflict...
to escort a merchant vessel to the American port of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to collect a shipment of cattle. This marked the first free visit of a British warship to the port since March 1776. In 1787 Sawyer had taken part of his fleet to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, where he was embarrassed by a French squadron of three ships of the line and four frigates, which sailed unchallenged along the Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
coast bound for Boston. He returned to England in August 1788.
Further promotions
Sawyer never returned to sea but continued to rise through the ranks based on his seniority. He was promoted to rear-admiral on 24 September 1788, vice-admiral on 1 February 1793 and admiral on 1 June 1795. Poor health meant he was unable to take up any commands. He died in Bath SomersetSomerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
on 4 June 1798. His eldest son, also named Herbert Sawyer
Herbert Sawyer
Admiral Sir Herbert Sawyer KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American Revolution, the French Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars. He eventually rose to the rank of Admiral....
followed his father into a navy, and also had served in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. He too reached the rank of admiral, and even was appointed to his father's old command on the North American Station, which he commanded during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.