Thomas Garth (Royal Navy)
Encyclopedia
Captain Thomas Garth RN was a Napoleonic era British Naval Commander. Garth, whose seat was Haines Hill at Hurst
in Berkshire
, was the son of Charles Garth
MP for Devizes and the government agent for South Carolina, Georgia and Maryland. He was also nephew to General Thomas Garth
, Colonel of the first dragoons and Principal Equerry to George III
.
HMS Imperieuse with which he subsequently sailed in an expedition against Antwerp. After the reduction of Flushing, Garth was engaged in various operations on the river Scheldt.
On 16 August 1809, whilst again in command of the Impérieuse, Garth in ascending the Scheldt after the other frigates, entered by mistake the Terneuse, instead of the Baerlandt channel, and became in consequence exposed to the fire of the Terneuse battery (located in Terneuzen, The Netherlands). In returning that fire, the frigate discharged from her carronades some Shrapnel shells; one of which, bursting near the magazine of the fort, containing 3000 barrels of powder, and a great quantity of cartridges, caused an explosion that killed 75 men. The battery fired no more, and the Impérieuse passed on.
In the spring of 1810, Garth was put under the orders of Sir George Cockburn who had been sent to Quiberon Bay
to work with Baron De Kolli who was trying to arrange the release of Ferdinand VII of Spain who was being held at Valençay
. Garth commanded the 22 gun HMS Cossack
and the 32 gun HMS Cerberus
and successfully captured various armed ships and merchant men in the Mediterranean.
. They had two daughters one of whom, Charlotte Harriet Garth married Philip William Godsal of Iscoyd Park in Shropshire. Garth was grandfather of Philip Thomas Godsal
the author and inventor of the Godsal anti-tank rifle. His second daughter, Selina, married Mr Frederick Lewis Scrymgeour Wedderburn. His only son, Thomas Colleton Garth, was the founder of the Garth Hunt in Berkshire.
Captain Garth died at Leamington in November 1841.
Hurst, Berkshire
Hurst is a village in the civil parish of St Nicholas Hurst in the English county of Berkshire.-Geography:The parish of St Nicholas Hurst is situated at , north of Wokingham and south of Twyford in the county of Berkshire...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, was the son of Charles Garth
Charles Garth
Charles Garth, Member of Parliament, Colonial Agent in pre revolutionary America was born in about 1734, son of John Garth MP, and Rebecca, daughter of John Brompton and granddaughter of Sir Richard Raynsford, Lord chief justice of the Kings bench.-Career:...
MP for Devizes and the government agent for South Carolina, Georgia and Maryland. He was also nephew to General Thomas Garth
Thomas Garth (General)
General Thomas Garth was a British Army officer and chief equerry to King George III of the United Kingdom.He was the son of John Garth MP, and Rebecca, daughter of John Brompton and grand-daughter of Sir Richard Raynsford, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench.He is believed to have been the...
, Colonel of the first dragoons and Principal Equerry to George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
.
Career
Garth became a naval Commander on 3 March 1804 and was given the command of the 38 gun frigateFrigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS Imperieuse with which he subsequently sailed in an expedition against Antwerp. After the reduction of Flushing, Garth was engaged in various operations on the river Scheldt.
On 16 August 1809, whilst again in command of the Impérieuse, Garth in ascending the Scheldt after the other frigates, entered by mistake the Terneuse, instead of the Baerlandt channel, and became in consequence exposed to the fire of the Terneuse battery (located in Terneuzen, The Netherlands). In returning that fire, the frigate discharged from her carronades some Shrapnel shells; one of which, bursting near the magazine of the fort, containing 3000 barrels of powder, and a great quantity of cartridges, caused an explosion that killed 75 men. The battery fired no more, and the Impérieuse passed on.
In the spring of 1810, Garth was put under the orders of Sir George Cockburn who had been sent to Quiberon Bay
Quiberon Bay
The Baie de Quiberon is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département.-Geography:The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the narrow peninsular of Presqu'île de Quiberon providing...
to work with Baron De Kolli who was trying to arrange the release of Ferdinand VII of Spain who was being held at Valençay
Valençay
Valençay is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-Geography:Valençay is situated in the Loire Valley on a hillside overlooking the River Nahon.-History:...
. Garth commanded the 22 gun HMS Cossack
HMS Cossack (1806)
HMS Cossack was a Royal Navy Banterer-class post ship of a nominal 22 guns, launched in 1806 at South Shields, England. She was ordered in January 1805 as HMS Pandour and launched under that name but her name was altered to Cossack during 1806....
and the 32 gun HMS Cerberus
HMS Cerberus (1794)
HMS Cerberus was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She served in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars in the Channel, the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, and even briefly in the Baltic against the Russians. She participated in one boat action that won for her crew a clasp to...
and successfully captured various armed ships and merchant men in the Mediterranean.
Family
Garth married in 1820, Charlotte Maitland, daughter of General Frederick MaitlandFrederick Maitland
General Frederick Maitland was the youngest son of the hon. Sir Alexander Maitland Baronet and Penelope, daughter of Martin Madan and Judith Madan the poet...
. They had two daughters one of whom, Charlotte Harriet Garth married Philip William Godsal of Iscoyd Park in Shropshire. Garth was grandfather of Philip Thomas Godsal
Philip Thomas Godsal
Major Philip Thomas Godsal, Soldier, gentleman, marksman, historian and inventor of a gun mechanism was born at Plas Fron, Wrexham in 1850, the son of Philip William Godsal, of Iscoyd Park and Charlotte Harriet Garth...
the author and inventor of the Godsal anti-tank rifle. His second daughter, Selina, married Mr Frederick Lewis Scrymgeour Wedderburn. His only son, Thomas Colleton Garth, was the founder of the Garth Hunt in Berkshire.
Captain Garth died at Leamington in November 1841.