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Admirals in Court: Discipline, Honour and Naval Justice, 1778-1814

Admirals in Court: Discipline, Honour and Naval Justice, 1778-1814

Author: John Morrow
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN: 9781350467279
Published In: July 2025
Format: Hardback
Jurisdiction: U.K. ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only

HKD 1,130.50

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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.

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