User:TattooedLibrarian/Peter Lascelles

Peter Lascelles was a naval Captain in the East India Company and a director of the same company. He was a contemporary of Laurence Sterne (who gave him the nickname 'Bombay Lascelles') and sometime attendee at Skelton Castle. He was a member of the Lascelles family of Yorkshire, and was distantly related to the Earls of Harewood.

Family

He was born in 1721, the son of William Lascelles and Alice Woodmas and baptised at St Margaret's church in Durham. He was the great-grandson of Thomas Lascelles of Mount Grace Priory, whose brother Francis gave rise to the line of the Earls of Harewood. He was one of five siblings - Thomas, William, Robert, Dorothy and Peter. The two eldest brothers died whilst children, leaving the Rev. Robert 'Panty' Lascelles to dispose of Mount Grace Priory in 1744.

Peter Lascelles had two daughters, Jane and Alice. Jane married Nathaniel William Wraxall, the first Baron Wraxall, whilst Alice married Captain George Hoar Blake RN.

Honourable East India Company

Career at Sea

Peter Lascelles joined the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) and served as mate before becoming Captain of the York in 1756. The the HIEC used four vessels bearing the name York ; Lascelles captained two of them.

York Indiaman (2)

In 1757 he became Captain of the York and in April of that year he was granted Letters of Marque against the French. In the Admiralty records for the letters, the vessel is shown as being a 99 ton ship with a crew of 99 and six carriage guns. The officers included Lieutenant James Dewar, Gunner James Robinson, Boatswain Peter Sarradine, Carpenter James Williams, Surgeon William Draper and Cook Hugh German. The owners are listed as David Lascelles, Henry Lascelles, John Hallett, Edward Ward, Edmund Godfrey and William Godfrey of London.

Following its final voyage to India, the York was lost to an act of sabotage by a false pilot in the straits of Tralee.

York Indiaman(3)

In 1760 he took command of the new York and, in April, was again granted Letters of Marque against the French. In the Admiralty records for the letters, it now appears that he is not only the captain but the owner of the vessel. The new York is shown as being much larger and better armed than its predecessor : it was a 499 ton ship with a crew of 99 and six carriage guns. The officers included Lieutenant George Hetter, Gunner James Robertson, Boatswain John Gascogne, Carpenter John Millson, Surgeon George Hopper and Cook Duncan Campbell. The owner is listed as Peter Lascelles of London - Mariner.

Whilst captaining York (3) he made voyages to India and China before handing the ship over to George Hayter (possibly the a varied spelling of George Hetter, his Lieutenant).

Directorship of the East India Company

After he retired as a Captain, he purchased an estate in County Durham and was elected to the Court of Directors of the East India Company for 1770, 1772, 1773/4 and 1775. During this time, he was one of a small group selected by the company to oversee affairs in India, but was (along with the other nominees) prevented from doing so by the Parliament, which was engaged in limiting the writ of the EHIC at the time.

Sinking of the York

On 29th October 1758 Captain Lascelles was bringing the second incarnation of the HEIC's ship York back from a trip to Bombay via St Helena, when it was sabotaged and caused to run aground on the Maharee Islands in Tralee Bay, County Kerry.

The purser of the York Indiaman, who was sent to London, gave the following report :

On the night of the 26th October 1758 the York was 26 leagues from Cape Clear and a gale parted them from the Prince Edward and the Lord Anson. At seven a.m. on the 29th it was still blowing hard and the York was at a latitude of 52.44 N and within ten leagues (to the west) of Eire. The Captain and the first and second officers agreed that they would steer (south-east) for the mouth of the River Shannon, which the chart set down as between latitude 52.24 and 52.25. They anticipated reaching it by noon on the same day.

At half past ten they sighted land and took a bearing at noon which showed them to be at 52.28.N. They stood in until two o'clock, and then discovered that the location of the entrance of the Shannon was improperly shown on the chart, as the land in sight was Tralee Bay. The draught showed them that they were at the point immediately to the s.w. of the mouth of the Shannon. They signaled for a pilot but, when their flags were unanswered, they took in their topsails intending to stand in for the night.

At half past two they saw a vessel bearing down on them, flying English colours. All hands were called to their posts and a gun fired to leeward. The vessel came in close under the York's stern and told the officers that he was from London bound for Limerick. The Captain asked if he knew the River and would undertake to pilot him in and he answered, "Fear nothing and follow me - I will carry you in with safety". He then behaved exactly as a pilot who was doing a job with which he was very familiar, bringing in the vessel properly.

Lascelles remained on the forecastle giving the necessary orders and directing the York, relaying the "pilot's" instructions and making arrangements for lights after dark.

The York was now under a double-reefed fore-topsail and reefed mizzen-topsail ; the other vessel was under fore-topsail. The vessels were sailing before the wind with a depth of water fifteen fathoms when the strange vessel suddenly clewed up her topsail and let go her anchor. Lascelles called for the York to do the same but then reflected that dropping the anchor might bulge the York ordered the crew to back the sails in hope of bearing her off.

The Pinnace was sent for the Master of the other ship, which was also aground, so that he might give an account of his actions and provide assistance. The Master of the vessel arrived and informed Lascelles that he had been at Cape-Breton and taken on French prisoners for La Rochelle. There he delivered them and received forty Irish prisoners in return. En route to Plymouth, whilst passing the Scilly Isles the prisoners escaped and imprisoned the ship's master and those of the crew who refused to mutiny. They took possession of the vessel and threatened several times to throw the Master overboard, before deciding to head for the Shannon. When the mutineers saw the York, they took the vessel for a British Man of War and were determined to run ashore if they were unable to escape the York. They held the Master at gunpoint and threatened to kill him if he did not go along with their plan.

Lascelles, "...with the greatest calmness and presence of mind..." did all he could to save the York, attempting to heave her off using an anchor and cutting away the masts to prevent her going to pieces. He kept morale high and remained with the vessel until day break before (with the full agreement of his crew) going ashore to arrange rescue and security. He obviously made a good impression on his crew, as the Purser reports that, "...never was any Captain more beloved by his Ship's Company than he and his conduct was greatly the means of saving the lives of his own people and those of the other Vessel...". Although he was unable to save the cargo, he lost no hands from either ship.

(The Purser further reported that those with responsibility for sailing vessel might like to note that the charts were wrong, showing the mouth of the Shannon to be at 52.24 N rather than its true position of around 52.36 N, and missing the Maharee Bay entirely.)

Durham

Lascelles was brought up in the Durham area (although the family owned Mount Grace Priory, they did not reside there) and moved back to the area, coming to Marske during November 1766. owned an estate near to Skelton Castle, the home of John Hall-Stevenson. He socialised with the country set which included Robert Jackson, the writer of copious diaries that are now in the hands of the Northumbria museums. He gains many a mention, alongside his clergyman brother, Robert mostly for being involved in hunting, and once for a nasty tumble from his horse. Whilst there he associated with Stearn, who gave him his nickname of 'Bombay Lascelles'. Despite apparantly seeking his company, Stearn appears to dislike Lascelles, due to the latter's tales of the rigours of life on the high seas. During the time he was living in Durham, his younger daughter was born.