Sir Thomas Frankland, 5th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Thomas Frankland, 5th Baronet (26 June 1718 – 21 November 1784, Bath) was a British naval officer, MP and slave trader. He was the second son of Henry Frankland
and Mary Cross. Frankland was born in the East Indies
(probably India
), his father being a member of the East India Company
and briefly Governor of Bengal
.
He entered the navy in 1731, serving in HMS York
under Capt. Philip Vanbrugh
, HMS Scarborough, and HMS Oxford
before becoming a lieutenant
in 1737. On 23 February 1738, he was sent to HMS Chatham
, again under Capt. Vanbrugh, where he served for two years. He was briefly transferred to HMS Cumberland
in March 1740 before promotion to captain
on 15 July 1740 aboard HMS Rose.
He was promptly assigned to carry the newly appointed Governor of the Bahamas, John Tinker to the islands, and remained in the Bahamas until 1746, fighting Spanish privateer
s and taking a number of prizes. He then returned home and was given command of HMS Dragon
and sent to the West Indies. On 31 July 1755, he was given command of the Leeward Islands
as a Commodore
, arriving aboard HMS Winchester
in October. Able but stubborn and of a difficult temper, he was involved in quarrels with his predecessor, Thomas Pye
, and the local authorities in Antigua
. He was promoted rear admiral
while there, but refusing to accede to the Admiralty
’s wish to control some of the patronage at his disposal (declaring in a letter to the secretary “I have friends of my own to provide for”) fell into immediate disfavour with his superiors. On 5 May 1757, he was replaced by Commodore John Moore
, and returned to England in October, never to return to active duty. His promotions, however, continued in the usual manner as he gained seniority, culminating in the rank of Admiral of the White. During his stay in the West Indies he profiteered actively from slave trade.
He had entered Parliament for the family's borough of Thirsk
in 1747, and held the seat until 1780, when he sought the governorship of Greenwich Hospital. Unsuccessful, he returned as member for Thirsk in April 1784, but died in November of that year. He had inherited the baronetcy from his older brother in 1768.
The Frankland Islands off Queensland were named after him.
He married Sarah Rhett (of South Carolina
, d. 1808) in May 1743 and had a large number of children, of whom nine survived him:
Henry Frankland
Henry Frankland was an administrator of the English East India Company. He served as President of Bengal in the eighteenth century. He was a younger son of Sir Thomas Frankland, 2nd Baronet and was the father of Sir Charles Frankland, 4th Baronet, and Sir Thomas Frankland, 5th Baronet.Henry...
and Mary Cross. Frankland was born in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
(probably India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
), his father being a member of the East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and briefly Governor of Bengal
Governor of Bengal
From 1690, a governor represented the British East India Company in Bengal, which had been granted the right to establish a trading post by the local rulers, the nawabs of Murshidabad, who were nominal vassals of the Mughal emperor in Delhi....
.
He entered the navy in 1731, serving in HMS York
HMS York (1706)
HMS York was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Plymouth Dockyard and launched on 18 April 1706.York was lengthened in 1738, and remained in service until 1750, when she was sunk to form part of a breakwater....
under Capt. Philip Vanbrugh
Philip VanBrugh
Philip VanBrugh naval officer and Commodore Governor of Newfoundland, born Chester England and baptised there 31 January 1681/2.-Family:...
, HMS Scarborough, and HMS Oxford
HMS Oxford (1674)
HMS Oxford was a 54-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Francis Baylie in Bristol and launched in June 1674. Her guns comprised twenty-two 24-pounders on the lower deck, with twenty-two large sakers on the upper deck and ten smaller sakers on the quarter deck.On 23...
before becoming a 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...
in 1737. On 23 February 1738, he was sent to HMS Chatham
HMS Chatham (1691)
HMS Chatham was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 20 October 1691 at Chatham Dockyard.In 1705 she captured the French 60-gun Third Rate Auguste built in Brest in 1704. The British took her into service as Auguste.She underwent a rebuild according to the 1719...
, again under Capt. Vanbrugh, where he served for two years. He was briefly transferred to HMS Cumberland
HMS Cumberland (1739)
HMS Cumberland was an 8-gun fire ship, previously the civilian Alex Roberts. She was purchased in 1739 and was broken up by 1742....
in March 1740 before promotion to captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
on 15 July 1740 aboard HMS Rose.
He was promptly assigned to carry the newly appointed Governor of the Bahamas, John Tinker to the islands, and remained in the Bahamas until 1746, fighting Spanish privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s and taking a number of prizes. He then returned home and was given command of HMS Dragon
HMS Dragon (1736)
HMS Dragon was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment at Woolwich Dockyard, and launched on 11 September 1736.In February 1744, she took part in the Battle of Toulon....
and sent to the West Indies. On 31 July 1755, he was given command of the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
as a Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
, arriving aboard HMS Winchester
HMS Winchester (1744)
HMS Winchester was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Rotherhithe to the dimensions prescribed by the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment, and launched on 3 May 1744.Winchester was sold out of the navy in 1769....
in October. Able but stubborn and of a difficult temper, he was involved in quarrels with his predecessor, Thomas Pye
Thomas Pye
Sir Thomas Pye was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American War of Independence...
, and the local authorities in Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
. He was promoted rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
while there, but refusing to accede to the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
’s wish to control some of the patronage at his disposal (declaring in a letter to the secretary “I have friends of my own to provide for”) fell into immediate disfavour with his superiors. On 5 May 1757, he was replaced by Commodore John Moore
Sir John Moore, 1st Baronet
Sir John Moore, 1st Baronet KB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War. He eventually rose to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...
, and returned to England in October, never to return to active duty. His promotions, however, continued in the usual manner as he gained seniority, culminating in the rank of Admiral of the White. During his stay in the West Indies he profiteered actively from slave trade.
He had entered Parliament for the family's borough of Thirsk
Thirsk (UK Parliament constituency)
Thirsk was a parliamentary borough in Yorkshire, represented in the English and later British House of Commons in 1295, and again from 1547. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832, and by one member from 1832 to 1885, when the constituency was abolished and absorbed into the new...
in 1747, and held the seat until 1780, when he sought the governorship of Greenwich Hospital. Unsuccessful, he returned as member for Thirsk in April 1784, but died in November of that year. He had inherited the baronetcy from his older brother in 1768.
The Frankland Islands off Queensland were named after him.
He married Sarah Rhett (of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, d. 1808) in May 1743 and had a large number of children, of whom nine survived him:
- Sir Thomas Frankland, 6th Baronet (1750–1831)
- Roger Frankland (d. 1826), canonCanon (priest)A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Wells, married in 1792 Catherine Colville, daughter of John Colvill, 8th Lord Colville of Culross and had issue - Mary Frankland, married Sir Boyle Roche, 1st BaronetBoyle RocheSir Boyle Roche, 1st Baronet was an Irish politician. After a distinguished career in North America with the British Army, Roche became a member of the Irish House of Commons in 1775, generally acting in support of the viceregal government...
- Anne Frankland (d. 1842), married first John Lewis (by whom she bore Thomas Frankland Lewis), second Rev. Robert Hare
- Dinah Frankland, married William Bowles
- Catharine Frankland, married Thomas Whinyates, once captain of HMS FrolicHMS Frolic (1806)HMS Frolic was a 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was built by Boole, of Bridport and was launched on 9 February 1806. In 1812 the American sloop captured her after a fierce fight, but later that day the British recaptured Frolic and captured Wasp...
- Charlotte Frankland, married Robert Nicholas
- Grace Frankland (d. 1801), married Matthew Gosset (d. 6 Sept 1842)
- William FranklandWilliam FranklandWilliam Frankland was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1628 to 1629 and in 1640.Frankland was the son of Ralph Frankland of Carlton, near Thirsk, and his wife Margaret...
(d. 10 June 1816), no issue
Other sources
- A. W. H. PearsallA. W. H. PearsallAlan William Halliday Pearsall, was a naval and railway historian, who served for thirty years from 1955 to 1985 on the staff of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich....
, ‘Frankland, Sir Thomas, fifth baronet (1718–1784)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 16 Sept 2006