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Captain John MacKellar and the Terpsichore
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chasbaz



Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 38
Location: Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

Post Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 9:21 pm    Post subject: Captain John MacKellar and the Terpsichore Reply with quote

My ggggfr Joseph served on the Terpsichore(32), a gallant frigate with a fine history, as an Able from 14 Jan 1801 to 9 Mar 1801, and as a Midshipman from 10 Mar 1801 to 30 May 1802. Captain William Hall Gage, who had commanded the Terpsichore since October 1797, was given the Urania in March 1801 and replaced by Capt John MacKellar, whose first assignment was the blockading of Boulogne and Calais.

"In June 1801, Terpsichore was ordered to the East Indies with despatches and specie, and on the second of the month ten of her seamen were tried for desertion by a court martial on board GLADIATOR at Portsmouth. They were sentenced to receive six dozen lashes each and to lose all their pay.

TERPSICHORE was under repair at Bombay during December 1801 when a French squadron threatened Portuguese settlements on the coast. Capt. MACKELLAR sailed with 1000 troops in the MARQUIS CORNWALLIS,48, and a number of Hon. E. I.Co. vessels to reinforce them. TERPSICHORE sailed from Bombay on 27 March 1802, collected some of the troops under Sir William Clarke that were blockading Goa and, seven days later, landed 3000 men at Surat to rescue Governor Jonathan Duncan who was besieged there. "

I’m interested in more of what happened on the Terpsichore at this time, when Joseph was serving on her. The first story about the desertions – was that to do with something Mackellar did? It appears that he was dismissed the service by sentence of court-martial on May 26, 1802 for ‘scandalous, cruel and oppressive conduct’. However, for his services on the East India Station in 1801-2 he ‘elicited the high approbation and thanks of the Bombay Government'.

He was reinstated at some point though, and in 1804 he was appointed agent for prisoners of war and governor of the naval hospital at Halifax, Nove Scotia, where he remained for about six years, was then given the command of the Romney(50) in 1815 and went on to become an admiral.

Interestingly, accounts I have seen of his life omit to mention the court martial and dismissal, so that makes me even more interested to know what happened on the Terpsichore.

Charles Bazalgette

STOP PRESS
I just ordered the court martial papers online at ADM 1/5361, so will let you know more when I get them. Still interested in any information anyone can add though. I will probably order the seamen's court martial papers too.
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chasbaz



Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 38
Location: Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

Post Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 2:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have received ten pages of Mackellar's court martial proceedings, so that's great. I will be transcribing them as time allows. If anyone knows if these have been transcribed anywhere else that would save a great deal of work!

The NA say there are a hundred pages of it, so there must be some interesting stuff there. If I want it all, rather than pay the standard digitisation fee of £8.50 per 10 pages, I can request an estimate for the whole job, which may(?) work out cheaper than the £85 it would cost this way. Sorry if this is obvious to most readers, but I'm just learning, and for other tyros like me this may be of use.

Watch this space for more details of the doings on the Terpsichore!

Charles
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chasbaz



Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 38
Location: Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

Post Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The summary of MacKellar's court martial is below:
..........

SUMMARY OF COURT MARTIAL
At a Court Martial held on board His Majesty’s Ship Intrepid in Madras Roads the 20th day of May 1802 ands every day afterwards (Sunday excepted) till the 26th May 1802 inclusive.
Present
William Hargood Esq Captain of His Majesty’s Ship Intrepid and senior Captain of His Majesty’s Ships and Vessels in Madras Roads, President.

Captains
Thomas Surridge
Edward James Foote
Pultney Malcolm
Charles Adam
Walter Bathurst
Peter Heywood

The Court in pursuance of an Order from Peter Rainier Esq Vice Admiral of the Blue and Commander in Chief of His Majesty’s Ships and Vessels in the East Indies dated the 10th day of May 1802 and directed to Wm Hargood Esq., Captain of His Majesty’s Ship Intrepid to try Captain John MacKellar of His Majesty’s Ship Terpsichore on charges exibited against him by Lieut John Hornsey of the said Ship for violating the Second and Thiry Third Articles of the Articles of War, on the 1st of August 1801, on the Twenty third of February 1802, on the Twenty first and Twenty second of March 1802 and other different times.
And the Court having heard the evidence on the part of the prosecution and what Captain MacKellar had to offer in his defence; and having most maturely, seriously and deliberately weighed & considered, the whole are of opinion that the charges of the first of August 1801 are not proved.
That the Charge of a breach of the 33rd Article of War on the 23rd of February 1802, on the 21st & 22nd of March 1802, and other different times, is fully proved; & that a breach of the 2nd Article of War on the 22nd of March 1802 is proved.
The Court do therefore adjudge the said Captain John MacKellar, to be dismissed his Majesty’s Service, and he is hereby dismissed his Majesty’s Service accordingly.
[Signed by all, and Moses Hawker(?), Deputy Judge Advocate]

[Articles of war in question:

Article 2 All flag officers, and all persons in or belonging to His Majesty's ships or vessels of war, being guilty of profane oaths, cursings, execrations, drunkenness, uncleanness, or other scandalous actions, in derogation of God's honour, and corruption of good manners, shall incur such punishment as a court martial shall think fit to impose, and as the nature and degree of their offence shall deserve.

Article 33 If any flag officer, captain, or commander, or lieutenant belonging to the fleet, shall be convicted before a court martial of behaving in a scandalous, infamous, cruel, oppressive, or fraudulent manner, unbecoming the character of an officer, he shall be dismissed from His Majesty's service. ]
......

According to the proceedings that I have transcribed so far, MacKellar seems mainly to have been accused of unjustified punishments (i.e., floggings), one being of a man suspected but not proved to have robbed the liquor stores, and another of not punishing his servant enough.
Quote: "Capt. MacKellar said that Reed had not beat his Servant with a Ropes end sufficiently & he gave him Six Dozen".

As you can imagine, it makes for grim reading, but as a historical document I expect it to be very illuminating.

Charles
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chasbaz



Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 38
Location: Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

Post Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just received a response from the NA to my request for an estimate for copying the rest of this 100+ page court martial - £340.00 - phew!

So I guess I will go for another 10 pages for £8.50 whenever I can afford it. That way only seems to add up to around £85.00, so I don't get it.
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PMarione
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 883

Post Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Before the blessed time of digital picture, I asked them for photocopies of exam certificates and they quoted me a price of 100,000 (one hundred thousand) GBP.

I answered that I didn't intend to buy the whole building and it was kept to that.

@+P
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chasbaz



Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 38
Location: Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

Post Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 4:35 pm    Post subject: Transcript Reply with quote

For any insomniacs out there I have been downloading and transcribing these court martial proceedings. I have 35 pages so far, which you can look at if you have nothing better to do....

http://www3.telus.net/public/chasbaz/courtmartial.doc

Best wishes,
Charles

Edited to change the URL since I messed up the filename uploading a few more pages - now up to 40 and just received 41-50
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