Charles Wager

Born in Rochester, Kent, after the death of his father Captain Charles Wager (b. 1630), on 24 February 1666. His father had started life in the merchant service and then gained advancement in the navy of the Commonwealth. His mother was Prudence (b. 1640/41), daughter of Vice-Admiral William Goodsonn, who became a renowned officer in the navy of the time. Wager remarked in 1731, "On both sides I am related to the navy".^[1] His paternal grandfather was John Wager (died 1656 when captain of the Greyhound which blew up in action with Spanish pirates) of St Margaret's, Rochester, who became a mariner after migrating from Charlton Kings, Cheltenham.^[2]

His father commanded the

Wager was apprenticed to a Quaker merchant captain of New England named John Hull of Barnstable, Massachusetts who operated a transatlantic shipping service. Wager's mother was a witness when John Hull married Alice Teddeman in the London Quaker Meeting in 1684. When Dr Teddeman Hull, their oldest son, visited London in 1742 he had a letter of introduction from Governor Richard Ward of Rhode Island which stated that he was "the son of Captain John Hull, late of this colony, under whom Sir Charles Wager was educated".^[6] It was while working with the Quaker John Hull that Wager displayed the strength of character that ultimately brought him to the attention of the Navy. During one of many transatlantic voyages the vessel which Hull was commanding with Wager as understudy was waylaid by a French privateer and told to "strike". Hull could not fight due to his religious convictions but equally was loath to surrender his valuable vessel and cargo and so he turned to his right-hand man. The young Wager did not share his patron's religion and had no such compunctions, and so it was Wager, "who accepted the encounter, and falling to work with the Frenchman, soon obliged him to sheer off."^[7]

Early naval career (1689–1709)

The earliest record of Wager's naval service is his listing as lieutenant of the frigate

The year 1693 saw Wager in command of the Samuel and Henry (44 guns), in which he convoyed the New England trade. He was captain of the

As a senior captain, who had commanded detached squadrons, Wager was a logical choice for the

Despite a

Wager resumed his regular attendance at the Admiralty board, but again in May 1729 he was ordered to take command of thirty-three ships, which were soon joined by fourteen Dutch. This huge squadron never left Spithead and was popularly ridiculed as the "stay-at-home fleet". It was assembled because the court of Spain was acting as if the convention meant nothing; the fleet remained in readiness until it was learned that Spain would sign a firm treaty.[5]

The provisions of

In 1732, in a letter to a Gloucestershire acquaintance from the Admiralty office, he remarked that for many years he had been inclined to retire. "But", he continued, "I have been sent on several expeditions (not by my own choice), wherein I have succeeded so well, as to have the King's approbation, and very like may be put, in case of a Vacancy, at the head of this Board."[15]

First Lord of the Admiralty

When

One of the great unsolved problems of Wager's term in office was the manning of the fleet. In May 1731 Wager had remarked, "we have no difficulty but in getting men; ... our Country being such a free Country, that every man does what he pleases: by reason of which, this Nation will be lossd [sic] one time or other, if it won't admit of a remedy".[20] Upon the outbreak of the so-called “War of Jenkins' Ear” in 1739 the problem rapidly grew severe, and Wager, strongly encouraged by Admiral Sir John Norris, pressed for legislative measures; the government introduced bills to facilitate naval manning and Walpole supported them, but Parliament would not pass anything meaningful. The strategy for defeating Spain, insisted the Duke of Newcastle, called for capturing a major objective in the West Indies. This meant that a large fleet and army had to be sent to a region where tropical diseases were rife. Wager was not confident, as he well knew the price of delay in that climate; his preferred strategy was to threaten the Peruvian coast from the "South Sea". Hence the famous voyage of Commodore George Anson, who sailed from England in 1740, was a result of Wager's advocacy. Even before the expedition to the West Indies left England the typhus epidemic of 1740, the worst of the century, ravaged newly recruited seamen and spread through the fleet, seriously aggravating the manning problem and delaying departure. Predictably the assault on Cartagena failed mainly because the forces succumbed to further tropical disease.^[21]

Reputation

It has been claimed that the navy was ill prepared for war prior to 1739 and that the lack of preparation was mainly due to Wager’s incompetence because of his age. Typical of these criticisms, the 1959 History of the British Navy states: "The leading figures in 1739, at the top because they were old, were Sir Richard ('sic') Wager and Sir John Norris .... [Wager] was seventy four – a great age for those heavy-drinking, smallpox ridden days – and he had not worn particularly well".^[22]

These claims, which seem to have emerged long after his death, seem doubtful. A captain who attended the great debate of 13 February 1741 on whether to petition the king to remove Walpole from office observed: 'Sir Charles Wager is as Hearty as I ever knew Him, spoke in the motion ... at four in the morning, tho He had been there from seven the morning before'. On that occasion Wager issued a challenge, saying that if there were any mismanagements 'in the Office of Admiralty, He and the rest of the Board ought to answer it at their own peril, and not Sir Robert'^[23] Wager was fit enough to command the king's channel crossings in 1740 and 1741, and his decision to turn back to Holland on a stormy night in December 1736 probably saved the whole entourage.^[24]

As so often happens in history an abundance of skill is turned, by fate, into the final instrument of downfall. The king insisted on having Wager see him across the channel in May 1741, which this was unfortunate politically because the voyage coincided with the Westminster election. Wager was still popular and his presence during the polling might have prevented the surprise nomination of Edward Vernon who was in the West Indies and knew nothing about it. As it happened the bailiff pre-emptively closed the poll, thus provoking a riot and inviting a challenge. The fiasco, which culminated in a voiding of the election on a very close vote in the House of Commons, contributed notably to Walpole's loss of parliamentary control and the subsequent resignation by Wager as first lord in January 1742 when it became clear that Walpole was arranging to leave office.^[10]

Marriage

On 8 December 1691 he married Martha Earning (1664/1666 - 1748), daughter of Anthony Earning, a Commonwealth navy captain who went into the East India Company's service after 1660 and died while captain of the George in the Indian Ocean. Wager left no children^[5]

Final years

In December 1742 Wager was appointed Treasurer of the Navy, a handsome sinecure which served as a pension. He remained in parliament, having been elected for West Looe.^[10] He was reportedly living at Stanley House, Chelsea, when he died, peacefully, on 24 May 1743 and was buried in the north transept of Westminster Abbey on 30 May 1743.^[25]

In 1747, Francis Gashry, long his right-hand man of business, erected a monument by the sculptor Peter Scheemakers in Westminster Abbey, and the bas-relief shows his famous naval engagement, with the inscription "The destroying & taking the SPANISH GALLEONS A.D. 1708". Lady Wager died on 7 April 1748 and was buried next to him.^[25]

His chief heir was Charles Bolton, son of his sister Prudence, to whom his estate at Kilmenath, near West Looe, Cornwall passed. His widow, Martha, was executor. They had no children, but numerous relatives, many stemming from his half-sisters, all of whom he is said to have helped financially or by appropriate patronage recommendations.^[5]

Philanthropist

Wager was known for spreading his generosity very widely, to individuals in need as well as philanthropic organizations, for example he was patron of the "Cockney Feast" held in the east end of London. An inscription on the ninth bell at the church of St Dunstan's, Stepney reads "To the honour of Sir. Chas. Wager Knt., First Lord of the Admiralty 1729, Patron of the Stepney or Cockney's Feast, instituted at Ratcliff in the year 1674, and discontinued 1784. John Matthews, Esq., Treasurer, T. Mears & Sons fecit. 1806".^[26]

Obituaries

When Wager died

The British warship HMS Wager was named for Charles Wager. Geographical features named for Charles Wager include Wager Island, which became the location of the Wager Mutiny.^[30]

References

Sources

Printed

• A Society of Gentlemen (1780). The Biographical Dictionary, Or, Complete Historical Library: Containing the Lives of the Most Celebrated Personages of Great Britain and Ireland, Whether Admirals, Generals, Poets, Statesmen, Philosophers, Or Divines : a Work Replete with Instruction and Entertainment. F. Newbery.
• Austin, J. O., The Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island: comprising three generations of settlers who came before 1690 (1887)
• Baugh, D. A., "Sir Charles Wager", in Precursors of Nelson: British Admirals of the Eighteenth Century, ed. P. Le Fevre and R. Harding (2000), 101–26
• Bishop Burnet
  's History
• Capp, B. Cromwell's Navy: the fleet and the English revolution, 1648–1660 (1989)
• Chance, J. F., The Alliance of Hanover (1923)
• Chester, J. L., ed., The Marriage, Baptismal and Burial Registers of the Collegiate Church or Abbey of St Peter, Westminster, (Harleian Society, Register series; 10 (1876)
• Coxe, W. Memoirs of the Life and Administration of Sir Robert Walpole, Earl of Orford, 3 vols. (1798)
• Cruickshanks, E. 'Wager, Charles', History of Parliament, Commons, 1715–54
• Cundall, Frank (1915). Historic Jamaica. West India Committee.
• Davies, J. D., Gentlemen and Tarpaulins: the officers and men of the Restoration navy (1991)
• Gloucestershire Notes and Queries
• Kimball, G. S., ed., The Correspondence of the Colonial Governors of Rhode Island, 1723–1775, 2 vols. (1902–3)
• Lediard, T., The Naval History of England, 2 vols. (1735)
• M. Lewis, The History of the British Navy, (George Allen & Unwin, 1959)
• The Diary of Samuel Pepys,
• Quaker Anecdotes
• ISBN 0900963948
  .
• [Vernon, E.], Some Letters to an Honest Sailor (1746)

Archives

• Library of Congress, manuscript division, Vernon–Wager MSS, Peter Force collection
• Manuscripts of the earl of Egmont: diary of Viscount Percival, afterwards first earl of Egmont, 3 vols., HMC, 63 (1920–23)
• Cambridge University Library, Cholmondeley (Houghton) MSS, 1784, 1786, 1807, 1881
• British Library, corresp. and papers, Add. MSS 19028–19031
• BL, official corresp., King's MSS 57–59
• L. Cong., corresp. and papers | BL, corresp. with duke of Newcastle, Add. MSS 32688–32992
• CUL, Cholmondeley (Houghton) MSS, letters to Walpole
• CUL, letters to Sir Robert Walpole
• L. Cong., Vernon–Wager MSS, Peter Force collection
• NMM, corresp. with Edward Vernon
• NRA, priv. coll., letters to first Earl Waldegrave
• TNA: PRO, SP 42/81–83

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles Wager.

• Action off Cartagena : the wreck of the San Jose. Royal Geographical Society of South Australia

Military offices
Preceded by Sir John Jennings	Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station 1707–1709	Succeeded by James Littleton
Preceded by Richard Haddock	Comptroller of the Navy 1715–1718	Succeeded by James Mighells
Preceded by Sir John Norris	Senior Naval Lord 1730–1733	Succeeded by Lord Archibald Hamilton
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Sir Thomas Littleton George Churchill	Member of Parliament for Portsmouth 1710–1711 With: George Churchill 1710 Sir John Jennings 1710–1711	Succeeded by Sir James Wishart Sir William Gifford
Preceded by Sir Charles Hedges	Member of Parliament for West Looe 1713–1715 With: John Trelawny	Succeeded by Thomas Maynard George Delaval
Preceded by Sir James Wishart Sir Thomas Mackworth	Member of Parliament for Portsmouth 1715–1734 With: Sir Edward Ernle 1715–1722 Sir John Norris 1722–1734	Succeeded by Thomas Lewis Philip Cavendish
Preceded by Sir John Strange	Member of Parliament for Westminster with The Lord Sundon 1734–1741	Succeeded by John Perceval Charles Edwin
Preceded by Sir Charles Hedges	Member of Parliament for West Looe 1741–1743 With: Benjamin Keene	Succeeded by Benjamin Keene John Frederick
Political offices
Preceded by The Viscount Torrington	First Lord of the Admiralty 1733–1742	Succeeded by The Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham
Preceded by Thomas Clutterbuck	Treasurer of the Navy 1742–1743	Succeeded by Sir John Rushout, 4th Baronet