Admiral John Thomas
A monument at Llanllwni remembers a swashbuckling Royal Navy frigate captain in the American War of Independence
John Thomas joined the Royal Navy at the age of eleven in 1762.
He was the born in 1751, the son of the vicar of Llandysul, Revd. John Thomas and his wife Sage. Why he joined the navy is unknown, but his career was to be one of great distinction and also brought him considerable wealth.
He first joined HMS Hero, the flagship of Admiral Sir Charles Hardy, who had recently been Governor of New York. The ship’s captain was the Hon. Samuel Barrington, brother of Viscount William Barrington, Treasurer of the Navy and of Revd. Shute Barrington, in turn Bishop of Llandaff, Salisbury and Durham (see also Lampeter vicar Eliezer Williams).
Such influence was essential for advancement in the eighteenth-century navy, but John Thomas was a very able officer who saw action in north American waters during the American War of Independence, winning a great amount of prize money, but losing a leg in capturing the French frigate Surveillante. He saw further service during the French Revolutionary War and eventually reached the rank of Admiral.
He used some of his prize money to buy an estate at Llanfechan near his birthplace and died there in 1810. He was buried in a mausoleum in Llanllwni’s churchyard, and a fine monument to him can be seen within the church.
Another local character associated with the American War of Independence was Reverend Eliezer Williams (1754-1820) who became vicar of Lampeter in 1805. He had previously served as Chaplain of HMS Cambridge, an eighty-gun battleship, and was present at the Relief of Gibraltar in 1782 and the Battle of Cape Spartel in the same year.
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Situated in the hamlet of Maesycrugiau, north-west of Llanllwni on A485.
Postcode SA39 9LT
OS Grid Ref SN47344130
- Coflein (National Monuments Record)
- Stained Glass in Wales Catalogue
Monument to Admiral John Thomas
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