- John Tyrrell (Oakley)
Captain John Tyrrell (1646-1692) of
Oakley, Buckinghamshire , son ofSir Timothy Tyrrell and Dame Elizabeth, his wife, was made byCharles II of England the Second Admiral in theEast Indies .John Tyrrell served in the Restoration navy, including a long period as a lieutenant. In 1665, he was appointed lieutenant of the 3rd Rate "Resolution". In 1672, he was appointed lieutenant of the "Leopard". In 1674, the King appointed him lieutenant of the 4th Rate "Dragon". Finally, on 16 January 1678 (under the old system, they called it 1677), the King appointed him as captain of the 6th Rate "Drake". On 3 April 1680, he was given command of the prize "Orangetree". On 13 April 1682, he was reappointed to command the "Orangetree". On 18 April, he was switched to the "Mermaid". On 23 February 1684 (again, they called it 1683), he was appointed to command the "Oxford". On 1 June 1684, the King appointed John Tyrrell to command the "Phoenix" (42 guns). On 19 September 1685, he caught and sank a "Zanganian"
pirate ship in an action notable for the boarding and survival of then LieutenantJohn Byng . Then on 4 September 1688, he was appointed to command the "Mordaunt" (46 guns). He took part in the action on 4 October 1689, when a group of English cruisers fell in with 12 French warships, and the 6th Rate "Lively" prize was lost. He commanded the 3rd Rate "Anne" (70 guns) when she was beached and burnt after the Battle of Beachy Head in 30 June 1690, "where he withstood the violence of the whole French navy". He had been assigned to the rear (Blue) squadron. He fought at theBattle of Barfleur , where he commanded the 2nd Rate "Ossory" (90 guns).He died 6th December 1692, aged 46, and according to his memorial in Oakley he was "a true lover of his country, a valiant and skilful Commander".
References
*William Laird Clowes, "The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present", Vol.II, 1898.
*J.R. Tanner, "A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts" in the Pepysian Library atMagdalene College, Cambridge , Vol.I, 1903.
*Memorial tablets within Oakley Church.
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