Robert Man

Admiral Robert Man (died 1783) was a Royal Navy officer. He commanded the third-rate HMS Lancaster at the Siege of Louisbourg in June 1758 during the French and Indian War. He went on to become commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands Station, then Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet and finally First Naval Lord.

Robert Man
Died	1783
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1740–1780
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	HMS Launceston HMS Lynn HMS Anson HMS Porcupine HMS Prince Frederick HMS Lancaster HMS Cornwall Leeward Islands Station Mediterranean Fleet
Battles/wars	French and Indian War

Naval career

Robert Man was born in 1721 and baptised at St Mary’s, Chatham on 2 July of that year. He is listed in three ships commanded by his father, Captain Robert Man (1675-1745), these being a mixture of the usual fiction and fact. His passing certificate is dated 12 March 1739.[1] Man officially joined the Royal Navy on 17 September 1740.[2] Promoted to post-captain on 22 June 1745, he took command of the fifth-rate HMS Launceston in June 1745, the fifth-rate HMS Lynn in June 1746 and the fourth-rate HMS Anson in February 1755.[2] He went on to command the sloop HMS Porcupine in April 1757, the third-rate HMS Prince Frederick in 1758 and the third-rate HMS Lancaster later that year.[2] He commanded Lancaster at the Siege of Louisbourg in June 1758 during the French and Indian War.[2] He then transferred to the command of the third-rate HMS Cornwall in 1760.[2] Whilst in command of Cornwall, he took on board the orphaned son of his cousin, another Captain Robert Man (1720-1762), and did much to promote his career. The boy, later Admiral Robert Man (1745-1813), was described by Nelson as 'a good man in every sense of the word'.[3]

Man became commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands Station in 1769[4] and established a naval hospital at Antigua.[5]

Promoted to rear admiral on 18 October 1770,[2] Man went on to be commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1774[6] and, having been promoted to vice admiral on 31 March 1775,[7] he joined the Board of Admiralty as First Naval Lord[8] in the North ministry in April 1779.[9] He retired from the Admiralty Board in September 1780[9] and, having been promoted to full admiral on 26 September 1780,[2] died in 1783.[2]

References

1. Daphne Austin and Barry Jolly: “Admiral Robert Man: Scion of A Naval Dynasty” Milford-on-Sea Historical Record Society Occasional Magazine NS 6 2019
2. "Robert Man". Three Decks. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
3. Daphne Austin & Barry Jolly: “‘A Man’s a Man for A’ That: A clarification of the identity of each Robert Man” Topmasts No. 27, The Quarterly Newsletter of The Society for Nautical Research, August 2018
4. Haydn, Joseph (13 June 2008). The Book of Dignities: Containing Lists of the Official Personages of the British Empire ... from the Earliest Periods to the Present Time ... Together with the Sovereigns and Rulers of Europe, from the Foundation of Their Respective States; the Peerage of England and Great Britain Original 1851 Digitized by the University of Michigan. Longmans, Brown, Green, and Longmans. p. 279.
5. "The Health of British Seamen in the West Indies, 1770 - 1806" (PDF). Exeter University. p. 178. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
6. "Mediterranean Fleet". More than Nelson. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
7. "No. 11549". The London Gazette. 1 April 1775. p. 1.
8. Rodger, p. 69
9. "Sainty, JC, Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660-1870, Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660-1870 (1975), pp. 18-31". Retrieved 4 September 2009.

Sources

• Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Offices of State. Lavenham: T. Dalton Ltd. ISBN 0900963948.