Thomas Mathews

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Thomas Mathews : biography

October 1676 – 2 October 1751

Knowing that his duty was to attack, Mathews hoisted the signal to engage the enemy aboard his flagship , and at one o’clock left the line to attack the Spanish rear, followed by Captain James Cornewall aboard HMS Marlborough. In doing so, the signal to form the line of battle was left flying. The two signals flying simultaneously created confusion, though a number of British commanders, including Captain Edward Hawke, followed Mathews’ example. Heavily outnumbered and unsupported, with his other commanders either too uncertain, or in the case of Lestock, possibly pleased to see Mathews in difficulty and unwilling to help him, Namur and Marlborough managed to defeat their opposite numbers in the enemy line, but suffered considerable damage. The French ships came about at 5 o’clock to aid the Spanish, a manoeuvre interpreted by some of the British commanders to be an attempt to double the British line and surround them. With no orders from Mathews and a lack of clear instructions or command structure, the British line broke, and began to flee to the northwest. The Spanish, still on the defensive, neglected to capture the defenceless Marlborough, though they did retake the Poder, which had previously surrendered to the British. The Franco-Spanish fleet then resumed their flight to the southwest, and it was not until 23 February that the British were able to regroup and resume the pursuit. They caught up with the enemy fleet again, which was hampered by towing damaged ships, and were able to retake the Poder, which Mathews ordered to be burnt. By now the British had closed to within a few miles of the enemy fleet but Mathews again signalled for the fleet to come to. The following day, 24 February, the Franco-Spanish fleet was almost out of sight, and Mathews returned to Hyères, and sailed from there to Port Mahon, where he arrived in early March.

Notes

Command

He commanded in the English Channel from 1704, and in October 1708 took command of . His next ship was the newly-built , which was attached to the Channel fleet under Lord Berkeley. The fleet encountered a small French squadron under René Duguay-Trouin in early 1709. The British gave chase, re-capturing one of Duguay-Trouin’s prizes, , and capturing another of his ships, Gloire.

Mathews and Chester were then assigned to the fleet sent to reduce and capture Nova Scotia under Commodore George Martin in 1710, and took over command of the forces after Martin’s return to England. He joined Sir Hovenden Walker at Boston in summer 1711, after which he escorted a convoy to New York. Chester was badly damaged by heavy storms during this mission, and returned to Britain for repairs. Mathews then moved ashore, and spent the next few years at the family seat of Llandaff Court.

Mathews returned to active service in January 1718, following the outbreak of war with Spain, with a temporary appointment to command HMS Prince Frederick, while a new ship, , was being fitted out. He took command of Kent on 31 March 1718, and joined Sir George Byng’s fleet in the Mediterranean. He participated in the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718, and was then detached in command of a squadron assigned to blockade Messina and hopefully intercept Vice-Admiral George Camocke, a British national serving with the Spanish navy. Camocke managed to evade the British and escape in a small boat in January however, and the British squadrons were occupied with blockading Sicily until autumn 1720, when Mathews returned to Britain with Byng.

From 1722 to 1724 he was in command of a small squadron sent to the East Indies to expel the Indian Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Angre of the Malabar Coast. The presence of his ships caused Angre’s activity to be much reduced, but their strongholds remained impregnable. Mathews’ squadron supported Portuguese troops from Goa in an attack on the Maratha fortress at Vijaydurg & Kolaba, but this was repulsed. Mathews returned to Britain in 1724 and thereafter largely retired from the navy, and received no further promotions. It was not until 1736 that he rejoined the service in any capacity, becoming commissioner at Chatham, though the appointment was considered a civil one.