Philip Carteret

Posted by Roger Leslie on Friday 16th of June 2023 08:54

At the very end of James Mitchell’s account of the voyage to India (1745 to 1749), there is this short update on Captain Carteret:

“ Capt. Carteret and his Wife came Passengers in the Winchester, and as he was far gone in a decline he was advised to go to Bristol for the benefit of the Waters where he soon after died, and his wife returned to India and was again married.”

So, it seems that he did make it back to England, but died shortly afterwards in Bristol. No date is given, but assume 2nd half of 1749, since Mitchell says they arrived back in England in July.

Posted by Roger Leslie on Thursday 15th of June 2023 08:52

At the very end of James Mitchell’s account of the voyage to India (1745 to 1749), there is this short update on Captain Carteret:

“ Capt. Carteret and his Wife came Passengers in the Winchester, and as he was far gone in a decline he was advised to go to Bristol for the benefit of the Waters where he soon after died, and his wife returned to India and was again married.”

So, it seems that he did make it back to England, but died shortly afterwards in Bristol. No date is given, but assume 2nd half of 1749, since Mitchell says they arrived back in England in July.

Posted by Roger Leslie on Wednesday 14th of June 2023 12:18

According to the journal written by James Mitchell, who was clerk to Captain Carteret, Philip Carteret married a young woman while based in India in 1747/48. He met her while on the voyage to India, while she was travelling to stay with a relative in India - she was 16 when they met. The marriage came as a great surprise to everyone who sailed with Captain Carteret, including senior officers, and it seems as if there was some resentment - he was sent on a month-long trip on the day his wife was to join him, although other ships were available for the task.

According to James Mitchell, Carteret’s mood and personality changed after that, and he became distant and dispirited. In addition to this, the marriage seems to have upset his relative, Lord Granville (John Carteret), who had always favoured Captain Carteret, and held him in high esteem. It is also thought that Lord Granville had hope Carteret would marry his youngest daughter.

Again, according to James Mitchell’s journal, when Captain Carteret was sent back to England to give evidence at a court-martial, his spirits declined further, resulting in his death after a short time. Maybe suicide? It doesn’t say. Nor does it say whether he reached England, although James Mitchell says that the disapproval of Lord Granville affected him badly, so maybe he had reached England to be received rather coldly by someone who had always previously supported him and looked after his welfare.

Posted by Cy on Sunday 28th of February 2021 10:06

Albert, I can't find any issue with the search, he appears for me. Can you let me have more details via email?

Posted by Albert Parker on Sunday 28th of February 2021 06:20

Searching for his name in the "People" section doesn't find him, but he is linked to the last ship he commanded. BWAS-14 confuses his death with that of his successor in command of Harwich, Capt. William Adams, who died at Pondicherry on September 28 or 29, 1748. Other reference sources, such as Charnock (Biographia Navalis, V, 139) and Hardy (A Chronlogical Lit of the Captains of His Majesty's Royal Navy, 1784) give England as his place of death. But he was with the Indian Ocean squadron in June 1748 according to testimony at the court-martial of its commander, Vice-Adm. Thomas Griffin, and if he did not give up the command until August 1 he could not have been in England two months later on September 29. His date of death may be confused with Adams' (he might have died later, actually in England), or he might have died on the way home to England, presumably of whatever condition induced him to resign his command.