John Mennes
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Sir John Mennes (1 March 1599 – 18 February 1671) was an English naval officer who went on to be Comptroller of the Navy
.
and Corpus Christi College, Oxford
, Mennes went to sea and in 1620 saw action off Dominica
fighting off Spanish warships. In 1628 he was given command of the HMS Adventure and later he commanded the HMS Garland
, HMS Red Lion
, HMS Vanguard
, HMS Convertine, HMS Nonsuch
and HMS Victory
. In August 1641 he took Queen Henrietta Maria
to safety in Hellevoetsluis
in the Netherlands
and was knighted by King Charles I
for doing so and in July 1642 he refused to accept the parliamentary takeover of the fleet.
In 1643, once the King had lost the Navy, he transferred to the Army and became a general of artillery and in 1644 he became Governor of North Wales. In 1650 he left England to join the exciled Court abroad. Then in November 1661, following the restoration of the monarchy, he was appointed Comptroller of the Navy
. Samuel Pepys
described him as ill at ease in this role. He died in London in 1671 while still in the post of Comptroller.
Vice Admiral (Royal Navy)
Vice admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It equates to the NATO rank code OF-8 and is immediately superior to rear admiral and is subordinate to the full admiral rank.The Royal Navy has had vice admirals since at least the 16th century...
Sir John Mennes (1 March 1599 – 18 February 1671) was an English naval officer who went on to be Comptroller of the Navy
Third Sea Lord
The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...
.
Career
Educated at his local grammar school in SandwichSandwich, Kent
Sandwich is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the Non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 6,800....
and Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, Mennes went to sea and in 1620 saw action off Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
fighting off Spanish warships. In 1628 he was given command of the HMS Adventure and later he commanded the HMS Garland
HMS Garland (1620)
HMS Garland was a middling ship of the English Royal Navy, built by Andrew Burrell at Deptford and launched in 1620.Garland fought at the Battle of Dungeness in 1652, where she was captured by the Dutch....
, HMS Red Lion
HMS Lion (1557)
Golden Lion The 'HMS' prefix was not used until the middle of the Eighteenth Century, but is sometimes applied retrospectively was a ship of the English Royal Navy, launched in 1557. She was rebuilt for the first time in 1582.By the time of her second rebuild, in 1609, she was known as Lion...
, HMS Vanguard
HMS Vanguard (1631)
HMS Vanguard was a 40-gun ship of the English Royal Navy, launched in 1631 at Woolwich, and was the second vessel to bear the name. Officially she was rebuilt from the first Vanguard, but likely only shared some of the timber and fittings from the previous ship. By 1660, her armament had been...
, HMS Convertine, HMS Nonsuch
HMS Nonsuch (1603)
Philip and Mary was a galleon of the English Navy, built in 1555-56. She was renamed twice during her career — firstly in 1584 to Nonpareil when she was rebuilt at Deptford in 1584, and secondly as Nonsuch when she was again rebuilt from 1603 to 1605.The "HMS" prefix was not used until the middle...
and HMS Victory
HMS Victory (1620)
HMS Victory was a 42-gun great ship of the English Royal Navy, built by Andrew Burrell at Deptford and launched in 1620. She was first commissioned in 1627 under Captain Thomas Kettleby for the abortive attack on La Rochelle...
. In August 1641 he took Queen Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
to safety in Hellevoetsluis
Hellevoetsluis
Hellevoetsluis is a small city and municipality on Voorne-Putten Island in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and was knighted by King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
for doing so and in July 1642 he refused to accept the parliamentary takeover of the fleet.
In 1643, once the King had lost the Navy, he transferred to the Army and became a general of artillery and in 1644 he became Governor of North Wales. In 1650 he left England to join the exciled Court abroad. Then in November 1661, following the restoration of the monarchy, he was appointed Comptroller of the Navy
Third Sea Lord
The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...
. Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
described him as ill at ease in this role. He died in London in 1671 while still in the post of Comptroller.