Giles Farndale (1713 to 1742)

Press ganged into the navy, Giles served on HMS Experiment in the Spanish Main during the Wear of Jenkins Ear where he did and was buried at sea

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Press Ganged into the Royal Navy at 27

Giles Farndale was baptised at Whitby on 18 October 1713, the son of Thomas and Sarah (nee Perkins) Farndale. His father was a Whitby carpenter.

Giles Farndale served in the Royal Navy. He was press ganged probably at Whitby in 1740 when he would have been 27 years old.

The Muster Book for HMS Experiment, a brig with a compliment of 130 officers and men, shows Giles Farndell as No 101 Able Seaman, impressed (press-ganged) and coming onto the ship’s muster on 29 Jun 1740. Since Giles was not recorded as from…another ship this was probably his first experience in the Royal Navy.

Press gang in the mid eighteenth century

HMS Experiment was commissioned under Captain Hughes at Deptford between March and June 1740. So this was its maiden voyage. Thirteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Experiment. HMS Experiment of 1740 was a 24 gun, sixth rate ship, of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1740 and sold in 1763.

She later captured the French privateer, Telemaque in 1757 and had the young John Jervis serving on board her.

On 29 June 1740 the Experiment was at The Nore, where Giles Farndell (also Farndale, he is listed under both names in different Muster Books) came on compliment.

The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary. It marks the point where the River Thames meets the North Sea, roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. The Nore gave its name to the anchorage used by the Royal Navy's North Sea Fleet and to the Royal Navy Command based there. It was the site of a notorious mutiny in 1797. The Nore is a hazard to shipping, so in 1732 the world's first lightship was moored beside it. The Nore has been the site of a Royal Navy anchorage since the age of sail, being adjacent to both the city and port of London and to the Medway, England's principal naval base and dockyard on the North Sea.

From Nore the Experiment sailed for Port Royal, Jamaica where she arrived on 15 September 1740. From there until June 1741 the ship was either in Port Royal, at sea, or in Cartagena.

Giles Farndale was present every day until 9 May 1741 when he was marked Discharged Dead. No circumstances are recorded which probably means that he died of sickness. The Captain was Captain Hughes.

Giles Farndale had thus joined the Experiment at The Nore from where she sailed to the West Indies and was at Port Royal on 15 September 1740. From there she was either at sea, at Port Royal or at Cartagena.

The muster records that Giles was discharged dead on 9 May 1741.

His probate registration recorded that Giles Farndale of Whitby, a mariner, died onboard the HMS Experiment in January 1742. It seems likely that the ship muster roll would have provided the actual date of his death, and the later January 1742 date was presumably when his death was formally recorded.

1741/2. January. Farndale, Giles of Port Whitby, but dying in board the Experiment, Mariner. Acual 20 L.

His father recorded, as his will, Know all men that we Thomas Farndale of Whitby in the County of York, carpenter, Robert Easton of Whitby aforesaid Master Mariner and Edward Brand of Whitby aforesaid Mariner………£31…….dated 25 Jan 1741/2. The condition of this obligation is that the above bound Thomas Farndale, father, next of kin and administrator of all goods, chattels and credits of Giles Farndale, late of the Parish of Whitby, in the Diocese of York, Mariner deceased, who died at sea in His Majesty’s service belonging to HMS Experiment.

Signed Thomas Farndalle

INVENTORY:

Apparel £2.10s 0d

Wages £13. 0s 0d

The ship was part of a squadron sent to the Caribbean to support Admiral Vernon's operations against the Spanish during the War of Jenkins' Ear.

Pirateland

Port Royal lies at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518 by the Spanish, it was once the largest settlement in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and commerce by the end of the seventeenth century. The settlement was destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami on 7 June 1692. It regularly suffered hurricane damage.

Port Royal had been a launch site for privateers to attack Habsburg Spain's vessels when smaller European powers did not dare to make war on Spain directly. As a port city, it was notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals. It was a popular homeport for the English and Dutch-sponsored privateers to spend their treasure.

When those governments abandoned the practice of issuing letters of marque to privateers against the Spanish treasure fleets and possessions in the later sixteenth century, many of the crews turned pirate. They continued to use the city as their main base during the seventeenth century. Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal, coming from waters as far away as Madagascar.

An 18th-century pirate flag (Calico Jack Rackham).

Buccaneers found Port Royal appealing. It was close to lucrative trade routes and to the only safe passages giving access to the Spanish Main from the Atlantic. The harbour was large enough to accommodate their ships and provided a place to repair their vessels.

From Port Royal, Christopher Myngs had sacked Campeche and Henry Morgan attacked Panama, Portobello, and Maracaibo. The buccaneers Roche Brasiliano, John Davis and Edward Mansvelt used Port Royal as a base of operations.

The Jamaican governors eventually turned to the pirates to defend their city. By the 1660s the city had, for some, become a pirate utopia and had gained a reputation as the Sodom of the New World, where most residents were pirates, cutthroats, or prostitutes. When Charles Leslie wrote New and Exact Account of Jamaica, 1740, he included a description of the pirates of Port Royal.

Following Henry Morgan’s appointment as lieutenant governor, Port Royal began to change. Upstanding citizens disliked the reputation the city had acquired. In 1687, Jamaica passed anti-piracy laws. Consequently, instead of being a safe haven for pirates, Port Royal became noted as their place of execution. Gallows Point welcomed many to their death, including Charles Vane and Calico Jack, who were hanged in 1720. About five months later, the famous woman pirate Mary Read died in the Jamaican prison in Port Royal. Two years later, 41 pirates met their death in one month.

Under British rule the Royal Navy made use of the wharf at Port Royal and rented a building on the foreshore to serve as a storehouse. From 1675, a resident Naval Officer was appointed to oversee these facilities, though they were damaged by the 1692 earthquake.

By 1735, Port Royal had once more became the focus of the Admiralty's attention. New wharves and storehouses were built and housing for the officers of the Yard. Over the next thirty years, more facilities were added including cooperages, workshops, sawpits, canteen and accommodation for the crews of ships being careened there. A Royal Naval Hospital was also established on land a little to the west of the Naval Yard.

The War of Jenkins Ear on the Spanish Main

Admiral Vernon was a Royal Navy officer and politician who lived from 1684 to 1757. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years of service. He was known for his bold and aggressive actions against the Spanish and the French during the War of the Spanish Succession, the War of Jenkins' Ear, and the War of the Austrian Succession.

He was also famous for introducing grog, a mixture of rum and water, to his sailors to prevent scurvy and drunkenness. He earned the nickname of Old Grog because he wore coats made of grogram cloth. He was a member of parliament for Penryn and Ipswich, and was controversially outspoken on naval matters in parliament.

He was a friend and patron of James Cook, the explorer and navigator, who served under him as a master's mate on HMS Pembroke during the capture of Louisburg in 1758. George Washington's estate Mount Vernon was named after him by Washington's brother Lawrence who had served under him in the Caribbean.

Admiral Vernon was the leading commander in the War of Jenkins' Ear, which was a conflict between Britain and Spain over trade and colonial disputes in the Caribbean and North America. He was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Jamaica Station in 1739, with orders to attack Spanish commerce and settlements.

He achieved his most famous victory in November 1739, when he captured the port of Porto Bello in Panama with only six ships, against a much larger Spanish force. This exploit made him a national hero in Britain, and he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London and a medal by Parliament.

Let’s roll out our charts and study the area a bit. Jamaica is circled in red and it lay to the north of the Spanish main.

Port royal was to the southeast of Jamaica at the mouth of the bay to Kingston.

On the north coast of South America, at the edge of the Spanish Main, was the Spanish town of Cartagena.

Let’s remind ourselves that Giles Farndale was present at every muster until 9 May 1741 when he is marked DD (Discharged Dead).

Admiral Vernon suffered his most humiliating defeat in March 1741, when he led a large amphibious operation against the port of Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. Despite having a superior naval and land force, he was unable to overcome the strong Spanish defences led by Blas de Lezo, and was forced to withdraw after losing thousands of men to disease and combat.

He also attempted to invade Cuba in 1741, but failed to take Santiago de Cuba and Havana. He then returned to Jamaica, where he remained until 1742. He was recalled to Britain in 1746, and retired from active service.

The Battle of Cartagena de Indias, which started on 13 March 1741 and lasted for two months, was a major naval and land engagement during the War of Jenkins' Ear. It was part of Admiral Vernon's attempt to capture the Spanish port city of Cartagena de Indias, which was a key trading and military centre in the Caribbean.

Vernon had a large force of 29 ships of the line, 22 frigates, 71 sloops-of-war, 80 troop ships, and 50 merchant ships, carrying about 12,000 soldiers and 15,000 sailors. He also had the support of 4,000 colonial troops from Virginia and Jamaica.

HMS Experiment, with 20 guns, then commanded by James Rentone, took part in the battle.

The Spanish defenders were led by Admiral Blas de Lezo, a veteran officer who had lost an eye, an arm, and a leg in previous battles. He had only 6 ships of the line and about 2,700 soldiers and 600 sailors, but he also had the advantage of strong fortifications around the city and the bay. He also had the help of 600 native archers and some local militia.

The battle lasted for more than two months, and involved several naval and land attacks by the British, as well as counterattacks by the Spanish. The British managed to capture some of the outer forts and batteries, but they failed to breach the main defences of the city. They also suffered heavy losses from disease, especially yellow fever and malaria.

Cartagena's defensive fortifications had been repaired and improved over the past year. Given overwhelming force against them, the Spanish conducted a fighting withdrawal to delay the British until the start of the rainy season at the end of April. The tropical downpours would delay campaigning for another two months. The longer the enemy had to remain, mostly crowded on ships at sea and in the open on land, the more likely that insufficient supply, discomfort and disease would mar the British threat.

The rains came and the British had to board their ships, where close quarters made disease even more deadly. By 25 April 1741, Vernon and the council decided to retreat to Jamaica, and by mid-May they were gone. By 7 May 1741, only 1,700 men of the land forces were fit for service and no more than 1,000 in condition to land against the enemy. Within a month of leaving Cartagena, another 1,100 died. British strength was reduced to 1,400 and American to 1,300.

Giles Farndale succumbed on 9 May 1741. We don’t know how he died, but we might imagine he died in appalling circumstances, perhaps of disease. Presumably Giles took part in the Battle for Cartagena de Indias and died shortly before the end of the Cartagena engagement.

The expedition and battle lasted for 67 days and ended with the British fleet withdrawing in defeat, with 18,000 dead or incapacitated, mostly by disease

The British finally gave up on 20 May 1741, after a failed assault on the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the largest fort in the city. They retreated with about 9,500 to 11,500 dead and 7,500 wounded. The Spanish lost about 800 dead and 1,200 wounded.

The battle was a decisive victory for Spain, and a major setback for Britain. It prevented Britain from gaining control of the Caribbean trade and colonies, and it boosted the morale and prestige of Spain. It also showed that Spain could defend its interests against a superior naval power.

How does Giles Farndale relate to the modern family?

Giles Farndale died at sea and had no offspring. Giles was part of the branch of the family called the Whitby 1 Line and his brother John Farndale had a family, the Whitby 2 Line and there were no Farndale descendants of either line.

However Giles was the great grandson of Richard Farndale (1604 to 1685), of the Moorsholm family recently settled in Cleveland, so this was a branch of the wider family.

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Go Straight to Act 15 – the Mariners of Whitby

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Learn more about the history of Whitby.

Meet Giles’ brother, John Farndale, who sailed with James Cook.

The Warren Papers, 1736 to 1752, Entry from the Squirrel, Jamaica, 5 March 1741

The webpage of Giles Farndale includes a chronology and research notes.