urn:taro:rice.wrc.00042 Guide to Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth Correspondence with Vice-Admiral Charles Stirling, 1803-1810 Lee Pecht Woodson Research Center
Rice University, Houston, Texas
August 5, 1999 Finding aid encoded by Robert Estep, Fondren Library 01/14/2003 Finding aid written in English. 20030505 Edited with XMetal 3 by Mandy York, according to instructions in TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. Descriptive Summary Woodson Research Center,
Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX
Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth Correspondence with Vice-Admiral Charles Stirling 1803-1810 2 linear inches MS 305 Materials are in English. The collection consists of 3 folders of correspondence dating from 1803-1810, between British Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth as Naval Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica and Vice-Admiral Charles Stirling (1760-1833), Resident Commissioner at Jamaica relating to repairs to ships, stores, defenses and surveys. Biographical Note

John Thomas Duckworth, distinguished naval officer, son of Sarah Johnson and Rev. Henry Duckworth, born in Letherhead, Surrey, England, began his naval career as a midshipman in the royal navy in 1759. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on the Princess Royal, based in the West Indies station in 1770; Commander in 1779; Post Captain in 1780. Aboard the Orion (attched to the Channel fleet), Duckworth saw action in three battles during latter May and early June, 1794, and was one of eighteen Commanders honored with a gold medal and ribbon and thanks of both Houses of Parliament. Se served as Commodore in Santo Domingo in 1796; Commodore at the taking of Minorca in 1798; Rear-Admiral of the White Squadron in 1799; Commander-in-Chief at Barbados and Leeward Islands, 1800-1802; Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica, 1801-1805. Duckworth was nominated a Knights Companion of the most Honourable Military Order of the Bath in 1801 and installed in 1803. He was also briefly a Colonel of Marines. He succeeded in capturing numerous enemy vessels and was promoted to Vice-Admiral of the Blue Squadron in 1804 and remained in Jamaica until 1805. On his return to England he was appointed second in command of the Mediterranean fleet.

Duckworth married Anne Wallis in 1776 and had two children, George and Sarah Anne.

Excerpted from "Biographical Memoir of Sir John Thomas Duckworth, K.B., Vice-Admiral of the White Squadron," The Naval Chronical for 1807, Volume 18.

Vice AdmiralCharles Stirling (1760-1833): Resident Commissioner at Jamaica, 1803-1804; [British] Naval Commander of the South American expedition to Buenos Aires in 1806; Commander-in-Chief of the Cape, 1807; Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica from 1811-1813. He distinguished himself with the capture of the American privateer "Congress" in 1781 and at that time was rewarded with a promotion to the rank of Captain.

 Scope and Content

The collection consists of 3 folders of correspondence dating from 1803-1810, between British Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth as Naval Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica and Vice-Admiral Charles Stirling (1760-1833), Resident Commissioner at Jamaica relating to repairs to ships, stores, defenses and surveys.

 Preferred Citation

Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth Correspondence with Vice-Admiral Charles Stirling, 1803-1810, MS 305, Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

 Acquisition Information

The collection was purchased from Myers & Company and Francis Edwards, Ltd., Booksellers in London in 1953 and 1965.

 Access Restrictions

No access restrictions; this material is open for research.

 Use Restrictions

Permission to publish from the Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth Correspondence with Vice-Admiral Charles Stirling must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

 Related Material

A detailed biography of Duckworth's naval career may be found in the control folder.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Duckworth, John Thomas, Sir. Stirling, Charles, 1760-1833. Subjects (Organizations) Great Britain. Royal Navy--History--18th century. Great Britain. Royal Navy--History--19th century. Places Caribbean area--History, Naval. Detailed Description of the Collection 1 Correspondence, misc., 1786-1810 2 Vice-admiral Charles Stirling to Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, with some replies, 1803-1804 3 Vice-Admiral Charles Stirling to Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, with some replies, 1804