Downs Station

The Downs Station [1] also known as the Commander-in-Chief, the Downs [2] or Admiral Commanding at the Downs[3] was a former formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain and then the United Kingdom's Royal Navy based at Deal it was considered a major command [4] of the Royal Navy from 1626 until 1834.

Downs Station
Active	1626–1834
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Fleet
Role	Patrol
Part of	Royal Navy
Garrison/HQ	Deal, Kent, England

History

The Downs station was the name an naval area of sea during the 17th to 19th centuries. It served as permanent base for the navy operating out of Deal.[5] for warships patrolling the North Sea during the age of sail. The command generally covered an area in the southern North Sea near the English Channel off the east Kent coast it is primarily known in Naval History for the earlier Battle of the Downs that took place in 1639. The station lasted until 1815, when it was absorbed into the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore's control, whose role and geographic area of responsibility was re-defined by the Admiralty.

Commander in chiefs

Incomplete list includes:[6]

• Rear-Admiral Sir John Penington, 1626-1631
• Vice-Admiral Sir John Penington, 1638-1645 [7]
• Vice-Admiral Sir John Mennes 1645-1649 [8]
• Rear-Admiral, Richard Badiley, 1649-1650
• Vice-Admiral, John Lawson, 1650-1656
• Vice-Admiral, Richard Badiley, 1656-1657
• Admiral Sir Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich July 1657 – 1663 [9]
• Commodore, Thomas Allin, 1663-1664 [10]
• Admiral Sir William Penn, November 1664 – 1666 [11]
• Rear-Admiral Sir John Holmes, 1667-1677 [12]
• Vice-Admiral Sir John Holmes, 1677-1679 [13]
• Vice-Admiral, Sir Edward Spragge, 1685 [14]
• Commodore: Stafford Fairborne, 7 January 1695 – 17 January 1697 [15]
• Commodore, Gerard Ellwes, 1707-1708 [16]
• Commodore, Tudor Trevor, 1711-1712 [17]
• Rear-Admiral, Sir Charles Wager, 1712-1714 [18]
• Commodore Philip Cavendish, 1716 [19]
• Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon, 1744 [20]
• Vice-Admiral Thomas Smith, 1755-1756
• Admiral Thomas Smith, 1757
• Commodore, William Boys, 1759 [21]
• Commodore, John Moore.1761-1766 [22]
• Rear-Admiral, John Montagu, 1771 [23]
• Commodore John Elliot, 1777-1778 [24]
• Vice-Admiral Matthew Buckle, 1778-1779 [25]
• Vice-Admiral Francis William Drake, 1779-1782 [26]
• Rear-Admiral John Evans, 1780-1781 *
• Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, 1781-1782 * [27]

Station not active 1782 to 1790

• Rear-Admiral Sir Richard King, 1790-1791[28]

Station not active 1791 to 1793

• Rear-Admiral John MacBride, 1793-1794 [29]
• Vice-Admiral Joseph Peyton, 1794-1799 [30]
• Rear-Admiral John Bazely, 1796-1797 *
• Vice-Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge, 1799-1802 [31]
• Rear-Admiral Edward Thornbrough, 1803 [32]
• Vice-Admiral Philip Patton, 1803-1804 [33]
• Vice-Admiral John Holloway, 1804-1807 [34]
• Vice-Admiral Bartholomew Rowley, 1807-1808 [35]
• Vice-Admiral George Campbell, 1808-1811 [36]
• Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Foley, 1811-1815 [37]
• Rear-Admiral, William Hall Gage, 1833.[38]

Temporary command in absence of senior officer *

References

1. Clarke, James Stanier; McArthur, John (2 September 2010). The Naval Chronicle: Volume 27, January-July 1812: Containing a General and Biographical History of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom with a Variety of Original Papers on Nautical Subjects. Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 9781108018661.
2. Papers, Relative to Correspondence between Sir Home Popham and the Admiralty, between 1 January 1787 and 31st December 1792. Oxford University. 1808. p. 198.
3. Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis; or, Impartial memoirs of the lives of officers of the navy of Great Britain from 1660 (Volume 1 ed.). pp. 29–31.
4. Lee, Christopher (20 November 2014). Nelson and Napoleon: The Long Haul to Trafalgar. Faber & Faber. pp. Chapter 7. ISBN 9780571321681.
5. Robson, Martin (2005). The Battle of Trafalgar. Conway Maritime Press. pp. 29, 36, 158. ISBN 0-85177-979-4.
6. Hiscocks, Richard (1 February 2016). "Downs commander-in-chief 1777-1815 - more than Nelson". more than Nelson. Richard Hiscocks. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
7. Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis; or, Impartial memoirs of the lives of officers of the navy of Great Britain from 1660, Volume 1. London England. pp. 29–31.
8. Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis; or, Impartial memoirs of the lives of officers of the navy of Great Britain from 1660, Volume 1. London England. pp. 29–31.
9. Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis; or, Impartial memoirs of the lives of officers of the navy of Great Britain from 1660, Volume 1. London England. pp. 29–31.
10. Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis; or, Impartial memoirs of the lives of officers of the navy of Great Britain from 1660, Volume 1. London England. pp. 29–31.
11. Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis; or, Impartial memoirs of the lives of officers of the navy of Great Britain from 1660, Volume 1. London England. pp. 29–31.
12. Schomberg, Isaac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, Volume 5. London, England: T Egerton. p. 224.
13. Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis; or, Impartial memoirs of the lives of officers of the navy of Great Britain from 1660, Volume 1. London England. p. 106.
14. Luke, John (1958). Tangier at High Tide: The Journal of John Luke, 1670-1673. Librairie Droz. p. 239. ISBN 9782600034678.
15. Harrison, Simon. "Stafford Fairborne (d.1716)". threedecks.org. Simon Harrison 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
16. Harrison, Simon (2010–2018). "Commander-in-Chief at The Downs". threedecks.org. S.Harrison. Retrieved 16 February 2019.CS1 maint: date format (link)
17. Harrison Commander-in-Chief at The Downs
18. Harrison Commander-in-Chief at The Downs
19. Harrison Commander-in-Chief at The Downs
20. Schomberg, Isaac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, Volume 5. London, England: T Egerton. p. 224.
21. Harrison Commander-in-Chief at The Downs
22. Harrison Commander-in-Chief at The Downs
23. Harrison Commander-in-Chief at The Downs
24. Harrison Commander-in-Chief at The Downs
25. Harrison Commander-in-Chief at The Downs
26. Schomberg, Isaac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, 1802. T. Egerton. p. 243. Rear-Admiral John Evans, Downs Station.
27. Marshall, John (18 November 2010). Royal Naval Biography: Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-Officers, Superannuated Rear-Admirals, Retired-Captains, Post-Captains, and Commanders. Cambridge University Press. p. 10. ISBN 9781108022712.
28. Papers, Relative to Correspondence between Sir Home Popham and the Admiralty, between 1 January 1787 and 31st December 1792. Oxford University. 1808. p. 198.
29. O’Byrne, William R. (6 February 2012). A Naval Biographical Dictionary - Volume 1. Andrews UK Limited. p. 38. ISBN 9781781502778.
30. Harrison Commander-in-Chief at The Downs
31. Archives, The National. "Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge, Commander-in-Chief in the Downs, Order to Captain Portlock of the Arrow. Copy. Paper No 6". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 1799 May 26, HO 69/5/6. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
32. Burke, John (1838). A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland. Henry Colburn, London. p. 302. Rear-Admiral Edward Thornbrough Downs Station.
33. O’Byrne, William R. (6 February 2012). A Naval Biographical Dictionary - Volume 2. Andrews UK Limited. p. 875. ISBN 9781781502792.
34. Goodman, Alfred Edwin (1916). Goodman, a Family History. A.H. Timms, Printer. p. 404.
35. Urban, Sylvanus (1811). Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. E. Cave, London. p. 586.
36. The Annual biography and obituary. A & R Spottiswoode, London. 1827. p. 448. Vice-Admiral George Campbell Rowley Downs Station.
37. Marshall, John (18 November 2010). Royal Naval Biography: Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-Officers, Superannuated Rear-Admirals, Retired-Captains, Post-Captains, and Commanders. Cambridge University Press. p. 220. ISBN 9781108022682.
38. Laughton, John Knox. "Gage William Hall". Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. Retrieved 15 March 2017.

Sources

• Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis; or, Impartial memoirs of the lives of officers of the navy of Great Britain from 1660, Volume 1. London England.
• Ireland, Bernard (2001), Naval Warfare in the Age of Sail - War at Sea 1756–1815, 1st Ed, WW Norton & Co. ISBN 9780393049831.
• Marshall, John (18 November 2010). Royal Naval Biography: Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-Officers, Superannuated Rear-Admirals, Retired-Captains, Post-Captains, and Commanders. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108022682
• Rodger, N.A.M. (2004), The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649–1815. New York and London: W.W. Norton and Company. ISBN 9780393060508.
• Schomberg, Isaac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, Volume 5. London, England: T Egerton.