King 1066 (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,
1966); Greene, Parnell, On the Banks of the Dee: A Legend
of Chester Concerning the Fate of Harold... (London: F.
V. White & Company, 1886); Ashdown, Margaret, “An
Icelandic Account of the Survival of Harold Godwinson,”
in The Anglo-Saxons: Studies in some Aspects of their History
and Culture, Presented to Bruce Dickins, edited by Peter
Clemoes (London: Bowes & Bowes, 1959), 122–136.
Hawke, Edward, first baron Hawke of Towton
(1705–1781) English admiral
Considered the “founding father” of the modern Royal
Navy, Edward Hawke was born in London, England,
on 21 February 1705. One early biographer noted that
Hawke’s family could only be traced through his grand-
father, a London merchant, who had settled at Treriven
(or Treraven), St. Cleather, Cornwall. His father, Ed-
ward Hawke, was a barrister (lawyer) who had studied
at Lincoln’s Inn, one of the four Inns of Court of English
law. In February 1720, when he was only 15 years old,
Hawke joined the English navy as a volunteer on board
the Seahorse. He served for several years, eventually qual-
ifying for a commission as a lieutenant.
In 1739, when Spain declared war on England,
Hawke served as the captain of the Portland, which sailed
in the West Indies looking for Spanish ships to attack.
However, the ship was rotten and nearly foundered sev-
eral times, and while it sailed into Boston in 1741, a gale
struck its masts and tore them off. In 1742, it was taken
out of commission and destroyed, upon which Hawke
took over a new craft, the Berwick. He took this ship
against the Spanish and their French allies at the Battle
of Toulon (11 February 1744), where he attacked several
ships, succeeding against overwhelming firepower. He re-
mained at sea for the next 18 months, and in 1745 Sir
William Rawley, commander of the English fleet, trans-
ferred him to serve on the Neptune, which was ordered to
return to England. In 1747, Hawke was placed in com-
mand of 14 ships to attack a French convoy. On 14 Octo-
ber 1747, he set upon the French fleet at the Bay of Biscay
and captured six of the eight ships. Following this action,
he returned home to England, where he was elected as a
member of Parliament for Portsmouth and promoted to
rear admiral, along with Lord George anson.
Hawke served in the navy almost continuously
until his death, although he did not see action in every
year. From 1748 to 1752, he commanded the Home
Fleet. In 1755, he was made commander of the Western
Fleet of the British navy. In June 1756, he was ordered
to the Mediterranean to replace Admiral John Byng fol-
lowing Byng’s defeat at Minorca. Hawke immediately
sailed for Minorca to see if it could be saved, but, find-
ing it fallen to the Spanish, he sailed for home. Return-
ing to England in January 1757, he was promoted to the
rank of full admiral.
By 1759, the French were planning a full-scale in-
vasion of the British Isles. Hawke was sent to Brest to
blockade the Bay of Biscay in case any French ships tried
to move on England. After sitting in the bay for a period
of six months, Hawke was forced to withdraw to Torbay
because of strong winds and a storm. This allowed the
French admiral, Hubert de Brienne, the comte [count]
de Conflans, to try and run the blockade. Conflans
moved along the French coast for six days, but on 20
November 1759, Hawke, with 23 ships in his fleet,
caught up to the French vessels just west of Belle Isle.
Conflans decided to retreat to the safety of Quiberon
Bay, which, with its rocky coast, is one of the most dan-
gerous bays in the world. Hawke later wrote:All the day we had very fresh gales at N.W. and
W.N.W. with heavy squalls. Monsieur Conflans
kept going off under such sail as all his squad-
ron could carry and at the same time keep to-
gether, while we crowded after him with every
sail our ships could bear. After about half-past 2
p.m., the fire beginning ahead, I made the sig-
nal for engaging. We were then to the southward
of Belle Isle; and the French admiral headmost
soon after led round the Cardinals, while his rear
was in action. About 4 o’clock the Formidable
struck, and a little after the Thésée and Superbe
were sunk. About 5 the Héros struck and came
to an anchor, but it [the wind] blowing hard, no
body could be sent on board her. Night was now
come, and being on a part of the coast among
islands and shoals, of which [we] were totally ig-
norant, without a pilot, as was the greatest part
of the squadron, and blowing hard on a lee shore,
I made the signal to anchor.When the battle was over, Hawke had taken or destroyed
only five French ships, but the others ran aground, while
the British lost only two vessels. Conflans later wrote, “I
had no reason to believe that if I went in first with shipshAwke, eDwARD, FiRSt bARon hAwke oF towton