Richard Lestock

Posted by Albert Parker on Wednesday 21st of September 2022 22:25

Regarding Lestock's appointment as c-in-c at Jamaica, Daniel Baugh writes in Lestock's entry in the /Oxford Dictionary of National Biography/,
"contrary winds delayed his departure [from England] until 29 April. Just three weeks later, however, Sir Chaloner Ogle was appointed as commander-in-chief at Jamaica and on 15 June a letter written by the lords [of the Admiralty] themselves ordered Lestock to strike his flag and return to England. No reason was assigned . . . Why he was suddenly superseded in this way remains a mystery, but it may be connected with his being passed over for flag-rank in 733 and 1734, when five captains of lesser seniority were promoted."

Although Lestock acted as c-in-c in the Mediterranean after the physical and mental breakdown of Rear-Adm. Nicholas Haddock in early 1742, Thomas Mathews came out of retirement from the active list of captains (he was the Commissioner for the Chatham Dockyard) and was promoted to directly to vice-admiral (the rank he would have had if he had remained on the active list and been promoted to flag rank when he reached the top) to take over the Mediterranean command. It has generally been assumed that resentment by Lestock at *NOT* getting the Mediterranean command in 1742 was a factor in his sabotage of Mathews' attack on the Franco-Spanish fleet on February 11/22, 1744, along with other personal disagreements between Lestok and Mathews. On that occasion, Lestock commanded one of the three squadrons on the fleet, about 1/3 of the ships, and contrived to keep them all out of the action.