eeeeee pelllew eeeeeee.

[quigonejinn]

The C. Northcote Parkinson biog of Pellew is an absolute delight, for the record. Pellew is delightful, and Parkinson is delightful, and

Edward underwent some schooling at Penzance, and later at the grammar schol at Truro, under Mr. Conon. He can have learnt little beyond reading and writing, and such tales as there are of his schooldays do not uggest that he ever had any taste for books. He eventually ran away to avoid a flogging. One of his schoolfellows has left the following description of him as a schoolboy: 'Pellew was one of the most daring of Conon's boys. I confess I rather stood in awe of him; though with his high spirit he had a very kind heart. Pellew would never suffer the weak to be trampled upon, but would fight their battles totis viribus. But I think he once thrashed me.' The unfortunate biographer, comparing the meagreness of information about Pellew in the Rev. R. Polwhele's Reminicences with the amount he was clearly in a position to give, cannot suppress a deep regret that Pellew did not go further and kill him outright. Polwhele, a contentious divine and the author of an enormous number of prolix and rambling works in verse and prose, rather boasts than imparts his knowledge of ellew's early life. As the suitor, at one time, of Constantia, one of Edward's sisters, he must have known more about him than most of his contemporaries at Turro grammar school. But there is exasperatingly little to be gained from his works

The short and sum of it was that the family of Pellew is old and established in Cornwall, that Pellew's grandfather was rich for a while from a tobacco plantation in Maryland, but that by the 1721 (36 years before E's birth), the prosperity was gone. E's father didn't marry until he was forty, and as a result, he left beyond a widow and six kids, four boys and two girls. The eldest of the brat pack was eleven, so the mother re-married, the kids got farmed out to relatives, and E was brought up by his grandmother in a "cottage" as Parkinson puts it. There wasn't a lot of money, and what little there was went to getting E's older brother, Samuel, (E was #2, three years behind and eight years old when his father died) training as a surgeon.

However, the family was in good with the famous (Cornish) Navy family of the Boscawens AKA Earls of Falmouth, and Lord Falmouth gets third brother Eddie to get the boys into service. Our hero, at the age of 13 and a half, gets packed off a Captain's Servant to Old Dreadnaught's old bosun, Stott, now become captain. Adventures with fowl ensue.

The 18th-century English Navy was a profession open to talent, especially middle-class talent. Influence played its part, but the most important form of it was professional in character -- it was the influence of admirals rather than that of politicians. For rapid promotion it was probably better ot be the son of an admiral than the son of a duke. And this kind of nepotism often had excelltne results. But apart from being related to a flag-officer the best way to gain the benefit of influence was to deserve it. The most prevailing forms of influence were closely connected with merit. In war time, at least, lack of influence ashore never hindered any officer's promotion. Those men who remained midshipmen until they were grey-headed, or whose dotage found them in the rank of lieutenant, were not held back by lack of influence but by incomptence or drink. Influence could assist promotion but the lack of it could not hold back a man of real ability. Pellew had practically no influence in the Service, but he was in this respect mostly in the position of most of his brother officers. In so far as lack of influence could retard his rise in the ervice, it did; but his career well illustrates how soon a reputation for efficiency could overcome that difficulty. It would be a mistake to suppose that he started his naval career under peculiar difficulties of any kind. His social position was rather above than below the average. He was poor but only moderately so. He had little influence, but he was not altogether without it. The interest, in short, of his life is that he was typical of his profession in social origin, in education, and in character; typical of his century in his virtues and vices; superior to most of his contemporaries not by differing from them but by carrying their pecularia qualities to an extreme. His genius was not of an original sort. It was, rather, intensive. He didnot do the unexpected. But he did the obvious unexpecteldy well.

Comments

[quietcontrary.livejournal.com]

Is this that "Life and Times of HH" book? The one that has the "confession" by Hornblower at the end? Cos I confess it irritated/bored me :( (I will also confess that I read it at 3am and skipped most of the book, so mine really isn't a reliable testimony.)

Those men who remained midshipmen until they were grey-headed, or whose dotage found them in the rank of lieutenant, were not held back by lack of influence but by incomptence or drink.

...? What does that say of Mr Bush? He was lieutenant wayyy after Hornblower was made captain, and he was some years older than Hornblower too. (Just how many is being debated in navalchronicle, I see :D) And I think Hornblower had a part to play in his promotion to Captain, as well.

I'm random. It's 2:30am. I'm very determinedly avoiding homework....

[black-hound.livejournal.com]

n war time, at least, lack of influence ashore never hindered any officer's promotion. Those men who remained midshipmen until they were grey-headed, or whose dotage found them in the rank of lieutenant, were not held back by lack of influence but by incomptence or drink. Influence could assist promotion but the lack of it could nto hold back a man of real ability.

Has this guy every read any 18th century social history? XD

[lamis-p.livejournal.com]

Influence could assist promotion but the lack of it could not hold back a man of real ability.

One does wonder how you would show these real abilities if you were never put into a position to demonstrate them. Perhaps he means that in comparison to the rest of society (or the army say) promotion was not entirely due to who daddy was and how much money he had?

God and being a woman back then – 6 kids – shit my very much older hubby is dead – quickly find new husband and say farewell to my very young children!?!

[cleverthylacine]

I have to get this damn book :)

[hlglne.livejournal.com]

sorry to post and delete, but I was merely spewing the equivalent of japanese emoticons, there. When I read further, my points had already been made by others.

Sure, they were all sitting round the club discussing the propriety of referring to Bush as Mrs. Hornblower in public, certainly. Is there such a thing as a Navy toff? or merely upperclass twits at their level of incompetence?

*has nothing to say*

[randomalia.livejournal.com]

I have nothing sensible at all to had, having just come home from class and words aren't making sense, but I just like to muscle in and say hi. I'll bookmark these links, so thank you. And I thought HH pushed Sawyer, too (in both book and movie).

[thehappyreturn.livejournal.com]

Oh, all I want to do is join in the conversation and lovingly spam you to death, but I'm at work and have real life things like events to organise.

Just to quickly say that I haven't read C Northcote Parkinson for ages, and so my abiding memory is one of general amusement that the cod-portrait of Hornblower is uncannily like a young and slightly more preposessing version of C Northcote Parkinson, a photo of whom is is printed VERY LARGE on the back cover of my copy. *chortle*