Oxford

Posted by Jon Miller on Wednesday 27th of May 2026 02:14

London, 25 January 1752: On Thursday evening was heard before the Lords of Appeal for Prizes, &c, a cause which has been many years depending, between the officers and seamen of the Oxford man of war and the owners of the Dutchess Teresa privateer, concerning a right to the Marie Anne, a French prize taken off Malta; when their Lordships were pleased to determine the same to the privateer. [Kentish Post, 29 January 1752]

Posted by Cy on Monday 16th of May 2022 06:45

Albert, I don't have a record for Tyrwit Cayley commanding the Marlborough. As far as I am aware he was commanding the Lancaster during the period. Commission date of 15th May 1738 ADM 6/15/116.There is a letter  ADM 354/119/150 dated  dated 8th September 1742 at Spithead.  "Extract of letter from Captain Cayley of the Lancaster. Arrived at Spithead yesterday with the Portsmouth Storeship and 13 transports with the regiments from Minorca and Gibraltar with a list of transports and a copy letter from William Wilde, Master of the Matilda Transport." The ship was paid off 12th Nov 1742.

Posted by Albert Parker on Sunday 15th of May 2022 21:56

Cy, That's strange about Russell's appointment to the Marlborough because Tyrwit Cayley, Marlborough's previous commander, was recorded as present at the council of war Haddock held with his 8 senior captains when he encountered both the Spanish and French fleets off Cartagena on December 8/19, 1741; Russell was also present. Powlett was was not senior enough. Perhaps Cayley had asked to be relieved but remained on the flagship, but if he was going to go home, it's odd that he did not stay at Gibraltar when the fleet sailed on December 1/12, so that he could take passage on the next ship for England. It looks like Powlett moved up from the Folkestone, 20. Haddock enclosed the council of war's minutes with a report to Secretary of the Admiralty Corbett dated December 9 (ADM 1/380).

Posted by Cy on Sunday 15th of May 2022 08:05

Hi Albert
There are two Thomas Griffins, probably related although I can't confirm that, they served concuurently at one point, but by 1740 the captin had move on and was commanding the Princess Caroline (80).

John Russell was issued a commission to command the Oxford on 19th August 1740, the Marlborough on 25th Nov 1741, the Somerset on 30 July 1741 and the Namur on 21 Sep 1742. These commissions, ADM 6/16/424 were issued locally by R.A. Nicholas Haddock C-in-C Mediterranean, all confirmed 15 Jan 1744, so the dates of issue are likely to be the dates the post was taken up.

Posted by Albert Parker on Sunday 15th of May 2022 01:33

I recently obtained through a researcher in London some pages from the captain's journal of /Oxford/. The title page photographed by the researcher reads, "A Journal of His Majs Ship ye Oxford between the 30th May 1740 & 7th Apl 1742" and is signed "Thos Griffin". This might be a lieutenant's journal that got mixed in with the captains' journals (perhaps the captain's wasn't received?), but . . .

The captain's journal for /Marlborough/ for time period of interest (Dec. 12–24, 1741, in the British calendar) is labelled "Marlborough Capn Jno Russell" followed by a date of "Nov 1741", which might be the end month of the journal or the month it was received at the Admiralty. But Russell could not have been captain of both ships.