Overview

The authoritative biographies of merchant mariners and naval officers in one of Britain's leading seafaring families ""A tour de force. Judy Purcell brilliantly brings to life a remarkable dynasty of seafarers and naval officers at the heart of British maritime history for four centuries, setting their stories in the political, naval, and commercial contexts of their time. Deeply researched and richly illustrated, this is family history at its very best."" --Bernard Capp, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Warwick, and author, Cromwell's Navy and British Slaves and Barbary Corsairs From their origin in 1327 as farmers in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, the Haddock seafarers rose to become commanders and owners of merchant ships and officers in the English (later British) navy. From the 15th to the 20th centuries, 38 men in the extended family were seafarers. Political and religious radicals during the English Civil wars, they served as respected officers in the Royal Navy and advisors to kings and queens after the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy. Over a 300-year span (1641 to 1941), 24 family members served in the navy, including four admirals, nine captains or commanders, and two lieutenants. One naval captain later became a commander of ships for the English East India Company. These adventurous seafarers survived: storms and shipwreck on the world's oceans capture by pirates in the Mediterranean Sea enemy fire during numerous naval battles arduous trading voyages to India and China Now for the first time the stories of their careers and family lives have been collected in a richly illustrated, full-color book. The Haddock Family of English Seafarers: Merchant Mariners and Naval Officers 1327-1941 draws on hundreds of personal, naval, historical, and genealogical records, providing well documented portraits of the Haddock seafarers and their Holworthy and Thruston descendants. An appendix lists nearly 20 wars and naval actions in which Haddock family members served their country. This is a valuable reference for maritime and naval historians, enthusiasts, descendants, and anyone interested in the Age of Sail, the Royal Navy, World War II, or ships and the sea. Includes 47 illustrations, 15 maps, a timeline, a detailed family chart, a glossary of maritime terms, and an index.

Full Product Details

9798999039217

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Reviews

[This is] ""a remarkable book considered just as a genealogy, but it incorporates a whole scholarly library of related studies which taken together compose a rich and eloquent story spread over a remarkably long and diverse period. I have very much enjoyed reading it, and I am sure many other people ... will be equally impressed."" -N.A.M. Rodger, Emeritus Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford, and prize-winning author of The Price of Victory and The Command of the Ocean ""This is an excellent, incredibly detailed, and well researched account of the Haddock dynasty over several centuries of its seagoing involvements. It goes much further back in time than I would have imagined possible.""-Rif Winfield, author, British Warships in the Age of Sail, 4 vols.""I am impressed, especially by the accomplished way in which you've mastered the intricacies of British naval history in several different time periods and even some of the more obscure byways of English and Welsh law! Terrific mastery of the sources, too ...""-J.D. Davies, Chair, The Society for Nautical Research, and prize-winning author, Kings of the Sea: Charles II, James II and the Royal Navy""Few surnames are more ubiquitous in English maritime history than Haddock. With origins in the coastal town of Leigh, Essex, the Haddock men became admirals, captains, East India Company commanders, and revolutionaries; they sailed, fought, and traded from Ireland to Smyrna and from the Caribbean to the East Indies. This book does a fine job of showing who these men were, how their careers fit in the larger scheme of English history, and explaining why family and lineage made such a difference.""-Margaret R. Hunt, Professor Emerita of History, Uppsala University, Sweden, and co-author, The English East India Company at the Height of Mughal Expansion: A Soldier's Diary of the 1689 Siege of Bombay

Author Information

The book was written by Judy S. Purcell, a former award-winning business journalist, who became fascinated by maritime history and spent nine years researching the Haddock seafarers.

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