George St. Lo (1655–1718) British naval officer and politici...

Estimate

£100 - £150

George St. Lo (1655–1718) British naval officer and politician, Commissioner of the Royal Navy. Autograph letter signed, Plymouth Dockyard, January 17th, 1702/3, folio, two sides, with further written precis to the reverse, in a neat and legible hand, document torn at long fold. The content concerns confirmation of a receipt of an order from the Lord High Admiral to send ships from Plymouth to act as convoys for merchant vessels. St. Lo has, to this end, instructed the Captain of the Dreadnought bound for Portsmouth from New England to spare as many men as able without disabling himself but expresses concern that he might not have enough to protect the ships, which are ‘ … of good value and extremely wanted’. The letter further goes on to discuss Captain Elliot of HMS Granado’s need for a suitable carpenter and difficulties hiring the right person for the job. The left-hand side of the document further lists those vessels currently in Dock, including HMS Suffolk, HMS Nonsuch and HMS Kingfisher. St. Lo served with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean and rose to the rank of Captain. His career was blighted by several controversies, including a murder charge investigation when he was a Lieutenant, and he was a keen supporter of the Glorious Revolution in 1688. His active Naval service was ended by a wound sustained when his ship was captured by a French warship in 1689. After spending time as a French Prisoner of War, St. Lo returned to England to take up various political positions and naval administrative posts. As commissioner at Plymouth, he had an important role in constructing the first Eddystone Lighthouse but caused another stir when he sent the project’s guardship away, allowing the crew and lighthouse architect to be captured by a French privateer. The men were eventually released but St. Lo was reprimanded for his error in judgement.