- Edward Falkingham
Commodore-Governor Edward Falkingham (1683 (England )-September 18 1757 ) was an officer in theRoyal Navy and theGovernor of Newfoundland .Falkingham received his first commission in 1703 when he was promoted to Lieutenant. On
26 February 1713 he was promoted to the rank of captain in command of HMS "Weymouth". Falkingham in charge of HMS "Gibraltar" along with CommodoreThomas Kempthorne aboard of HMS "Worcester" was charged with overseeing the enforcement of Treaty of Utrecht when it came to the fishing grounds of Newfoundland in 1715. A major concern to the merchants of England was the over-wintering of fisherman in Newfoundland andWilliam Arnold , aNew England trader, was suspecting of enticing those fisherman to over-winter in New England. Falkingham was assigned the duty of observing Arnold in the summer of 1715.Falkingham went on to command various vessels in both the Baltic and the Mediterranean. In 1718 he commanded HMS "Orford" with distinction at the
Battle of Cape Passaro , off the coast ofSicily .On May 5, 1732, Falkingham was commissioned as the governor of Newfoundland. Finding that there was only one prison, in St John's, Falkingham ordered the construction of other prisons in Ferryland, Bonavista and Carbonear. Falkingham retired from sea service in 1742, and when his health began to fail him in 1755, from the Navy altogether.
See also
* Governors of Newfoundland
*List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador References
External links
* [http://www.heritage.nf.ca/govhouse/governors/g03.html Biography at Government House "The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador"]
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=1340 Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online]
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