Overview

Exploring the role that courts martial played in the professional lives of flag officers in the late Georgian Royal Navy, this book examines the genesis, proceedings and outcomes of nine trials faced by British admirals in the American and French wars. Despite only one admiral being found guilty as charged, the implications of facing trial were highly significant on all of these officers’ careers and their surrounding political climates. For some officers, courts martial provided them a means of preserving their honour and professional reputations in the face of perceived mistreatment or criticism. This study sets the experiences of these nine admirals in the context of the naval courts martial system and considers their charging and conviction rate with other naval personnel in the period to understand how the naval justice system worked at the top of society. Drawing on a range of sources, from Admiralty records in the National Archives to official and personal papers, publications of the Naval Records Society and press literature, it sheds new light on prominent individuals’ careers and key moments in 18th century naval history.

Full Product Details

Author:   Professor John Morrow (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, The University of Auckland, New Zealand)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN:  

9781350467279

ISBN 10:   1350467278
Pages:   264
Publication Date:   10 July 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Part I: The Naval Courts Martial System The Framework Procedures and Practices Divergent Pathways Part II: Duty, Obedience and Respect The Keppel-Palliser Affair: a question of appropriate zeal The Palliser-Keppel Affair: a question of obedience The limits of discretion: Vice Admiral William Cornwallis versus Lord Spencer Judgements and Misjudgements: Vice Admiral Sir Robert Calder Accuser and Accused: Sequels to Admiral Lord Gambier’s action of Basque Roads Part III: Wealth without Honour A Hostage to Enmity: Vice Admiral Sir William Parker versus Earl St Vincent ‘For the Use of the Ship?’: Vice Admiral Sir John Duckworth’s extraordinary baggage ‘Guilty in Part’: Vice Admiral Charles Stirling’s Misadventures in the West Indies Conclusion Notes Index

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Author Information

John Morrow is Emeritus Professor at University of Auckland, New Zealand. He is the author of British Flag Officers in the French Wars, 1793-1815 (2018) and The Naval Government of Newfoundland in the French Wars 1793-1815 (2023).

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