Samuel Goodere

Notes on Officer

GOODERE, SAMUEL (1687–1741), captain in the navy, was third and youngest son of Sir Edward Goodere, bart., of Burhope in Herefordshire, by his wife, daughter and heiress of Sir Edward Dineley, bart., of Charleton in Worcestershire, and on the mother's side granddaughter of Lewis Watson, first lord Rockingham. The eldest son having been killed in a duel, the second son, John Dineley, who had been brought up at sea in the merchant service, and had served as a volunteer on board the Diamond in 1708, quitted his profession by desire of Sir Edward Dineley, who acknowledged him as his heir. Samuel entered the navy in 1705 as a volunteer on board the Ipswich, with Captain Kirktowne; served in a subordinate rank and afterwards as a lieutenant through the war of the Spanish succession, and on 12 Jan. 1718–19 was appointed first lieutenant of the Preston with Captain Robert Johnson, whom, on 28 Feb., he accompanied to the Weymouth, in which he served during the summer, in the operations on the north coast of Spain; and on 6 Nov. 1719 was, with Johnson and the greater part of the officers, turned over to the Deptford. A few weeks later, however, Johnson preferred against him a charge of misconduct at St. Sebastian's on 23 June, the attack having, it was alleged, failed in consequence. On this charge Goodere was tried by court-martial on 24 Dec. 1719, was found guilty of ‘having been very much wanting in the performance of his duty,’ and was dismissed his ship (Minutes of the Court-Martial), which, in the reign of comparative peace then beginning, was almost equivalent to being dismissed the service. It is very doubtful whether he served again at sea till November 1733, when, consequent apparently on some electioneering job, he was posted to the Antelope of 50 guns. It was, however, for rank only, and he was superseded in a fortnight. So far as conflicting accounts enable us to judge, he lived at this time with his father, now a very old man and at variance with his elder son, the heir to the baronetcy, who is spoken of as rough, uncouth, and of no education. It would seem that Samuel, taking the father's side, was already on bad terms with his brother; and these became worse when John, having quarrelled with his wife, found that she too was supported against him by Samuel. Sir Edward died on 29 March 1739, leaving more to Samuel than John (his successor in the baronetcy) thought was a second son's share, but less than Samuel had expected. An angry quarrel was the result. John, joining with his son who was of age, cut off the entail, and, on his son's death shortly after, announced his intention of leaving the property to one of the sons of his eister Eleanor, wife of Mr. Samuel Foote of Truro and mother of Samuel Foote the comedian [q.v.] Goodere's rage was excessive, and for some months the brothers held no communication. In November 1740 Samuel was appointed to the command of the Ruby, then lying in King's Road, Bristol, and she was still there on Sunday, 18 Jan., when Samuel, being on shore, learned that his brother, Sir John, was dining with a Mr. Smith, an attorney of the city. On this Samuel sent a note to Smith, saying that, having heard his brother was there, he would be glad to meet him if Smith would allow him to come in. Accordingly in the evening he went to Smith's house, and the two brothers smoked and drank together, and to all appearance made up their quarrel. But, as John was walking towards his lodgings, be was seized by Samuel's orders, carried down to the boat, taken on board the Ruby, and confined in a spare cabin, the captain telling the men on deck not to mind his cries, as he was out of his mind, and would have to be watched to prevent his attempting his own life. Three men were chosen to attend the prisoner, and these three men, after being well primed with brandy, and on the promise of large rewards, went into the cabin early next morning( 19 Jan. 1741), put a rope round Sir John's neck, and strangled him, Samuel meanwhile standing sentry at the door with a drawn sword to prevent any interference. He had apparently intended to put to sea at once, but Smith, having had information the previous night that a gentleman resembling guest had been taken a prisoner on board the Ruby, applied to the mayor for an investigation. This was mode at once. Goodere and his vile tools were apprehended on a charge of wilful murder, were tried on 26 March, found guilty, and sentenced to death. They were all four hanged on 15 April 1741.

Goodere married Miss Elizabeth Watts of Monmouthshire, and by her left issue three daughters and two sons. Of the daughters two died unmarried; the third, Anne, married John Willyams, a commander in the navy, and was the mother of the Rev. Cooper Willyams [q. v.] Of the two sous, twins, born in 1729, the elder, Edward Dineley, died a lunatic in 1761; the other, John Dineley, died a poor knight of Windsor in 1809. Samuel, on the death of his brother John, should have succeeded to the baronetcy. He appears, however, to have been indicted as Samuel Goodere, esq., and Ralph Bigland, in his manuscript collections in the Heralds' College (information supplied by Mr. A. Scott Gatty, York Herald), speaks of his sons Edward Dineley-Goodere and John Dineley-Goodere as successive baronets, following their murdered uncle. But Burke thinks that the baronetcy descended in due course to Samuel and to his sons after him. Collins (Baronatege 1741 ) speaks of the baronetcy as extinct; so also does Wotton (Baronetage.ed. 1771),specifying' 'attainted.' Nash (Hist. of Worcestershire, i. 972) says that Sir Edward Dineley-Goodere succeeded his grandfather, which is certainly wrong, and was succeeded by his brother, Sir John Dinelev-Goodere. It is probable that Collins and Wotton are right; that the baronetcy became extinct in 1741, on the sentence of Samuel Goodere, though the twins may have been allowed the title by courtesy.