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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: miracleboy on Monday 24 June 19 18:42 BST (UK)
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Hi everyone,
I'm trying to find more detail about my 4th great-grandfather Robert Forbes. The only fact I have about him so far is from his son's (Robert Charles Forbes) marriage certificate. It is dated 22nd Dec 1842 and lists his father as Robert Forbes and his occupation as Commander in the Navy.
Does anyone know how I would go about following this up. Presumably if he was a commander, his name should appear somewhere in the Royal Navy record?
Thanks,
Matt
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Your first port of call should be the National Archives, in the naval records held there.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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There's a baptism of Robert Charles Forbes in Perranuthnoe,Cornwall 21 August 1818, son of Robert Miller Forbes and Ellen.
Robert Miller Forbes was a Commander in the Royal Navy according to his 1841 Will (proved in 1847). Looks like he died in Canada.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D137580
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Burial in Peterborough, Ontario 28 January 1842 (page 29): https://trentvalleyarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/1-Heritage-Gazette-May-2005.pdf
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The will mentions wife Ellen, children Robert Charles, Louisa, John
Fitzhenry Field Henry, and Charles Magineau Raguenau Pecco Forbes.
Robert Miller Forbes married widow Ellen Bush in Portsmouth in 1816.
Obituary https://tinyurl.com/y5jh8tbw
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Robert Forbes is in the Navy lists 1822 to 1838 as a Lieutenant with a seniority date of 12 July 1797.
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Transcript of the Lord Henry Paulet court martial https://tinyurl.com/y39fpwod
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Bio https://www.trentu.ca/library/archives/14-001
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Wow - that's great Shaun! Would be great if this was my Robert Forbes. Need to tie him down for sure as the father of Robert Charles Forbes. Is it too much of a coincidence that in 1847 he states his occupation as Commander, would I be safe in assuming this is my man?
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I think the circumstantial evidence is strong. Your man Robert Charles was born in France, so was Charles Ragueneau Pecco Forbes. There was no other Robert Forbes serving as an officer in the Royal Navy in the 1820's/1830's.
Here is Robert Charles in the 1860 Liverpool Directory:
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It's interesting that the obituary in the United Service Magazine (which also appears in some newpapers) refers to him as "Commander Robert Forbes", but says further down that "Lieut. Forbes.... was never promoted".
It is clear that he had command of some small ships as a Lieutenant:
The hired armed cutter Griffin in 1804/5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hired_armed_cutter_Griffin
The gun brig Exertion in 1806 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/16131/page/439
The hired armed cutter Duke of York in 1807 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/16119/page/236
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"September 22d, in Canada, at the residence her son-in-law, J. Wallis, Esq., Ellen Forbes, formerly of Hastings, Sussex, relict of the late Lieut. Robert Forbes, R.N., aged 82 years"
Hastings and St Leonards Observer 21 October 1871
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the obituary in the United Service Magazine (which also appears in some newpapers) refers to him as "Commander Robert Forbes", but says further down that "Lieut. Forbes.... was never promoted".
relict of the late Lieut. Robert Forbes, R.N
There's also an 1842 newspaper mention that he was on a Lieutenant's pension. I think that in this case "commander" was a courtesy title that he was entitled to use by virtue of having had independent command in the Navy, notwithstanding that his substantive rank was Lieutenant.
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Been doing some more digging on Robert. Appears he had several children, some born in France and one born in Valparaiso, Chile. The most famous of his children was indeed Charles Rageneau Pecco Forbes. I have reference to Charles in Robert's will of 1847 as one of his four children. I also have a copy of Charle's service record in which he served over 27 years in the Navy and retired with a yearly pension of £400 in around 1873. The list of ships he served on is extensive - most as Master, including the Victory and Spiteful. It seems that he was one of three captains that undertook a daring mission in Crimea that saw his awarded a 5th class (Knight) Legion D'Honour by the French. Very interesting and humbling to have such a great man as an ancestor.