THE WAR BY SEA AND LAND, 1705 CLARKE (George, 1661-1736, Lawyer, Secretary at War, 1689-1702, Joint Secretary to the Lord High Admiral, 1702-1705, M.P. for Oxford, Architect & Bibliophile)

Autograph Letter Signed 'G.C.', with transcription, to Admiral George CHURCHILL (c. 1654-1710, of the Lord High Admiral's Council, 1702-1708, and brother of John, Duke of Marlborough), saying he "had the favour of your's with the office's desire to have Orders to put Coll: Hills Regt. ashore", ('Jack', d. 1735, later Major-General, Colonel, May 1705, of the former Lord Stanhope's regiment and brother of Abigail Hill), "I told Mr St Johns off it", (Henry, 1678-1751, appointed Secretary at War, April 1704) "& he has gott the Queens & Princes directions in that point", Clarke hopes "Sir Geo: Byng's letter reachd you soon enough, to prevent the Cumberland & Dorsetshire's goeing to looke for him, off of Fornehead: the letter Sir Geo: sent to the Office, was read tonight at Cabinet, where it was thought necessary he should goe to sea again, as soon as he can, & that the ships should be dispatched to him, which they were glad to hear would be ready by Tuesday. I believe the Prince", the Queen's consort Prince George of Denmark (1653-1708, Lord High Admiral), "will give Sir Geo: quickening Orders by tomorrow. The New [Admiralty] Commission is signd, & tomorrow Mr Walpole", Robert, (1676-1745, the future Prime Minister), "will be sworne - The Prince has made Savery (Thomas, c.1650-1715, the mining and naval engineer and inventor), Treasurer to the Sick & Wounded - Dr Adams", (John, 1662-1720, chaplain and a great favourite with Queen Anne), "who is sitting by mee kisses your hands, & so does Israel ...", with a postscript of the latest news on land, "There has been no fight with Villars, but your brother remains in his old Camp, where forage is very scarce, & the German troops not come up. Huy is surrendered" to Villeroy "& the Garrison prisoners of Warr - Wee are very angry with the Portugueze who could not be prevaild with, to march to Alcantara where they might have taken all the Magazines the Spaniards have, as Lord Treasurer", Sidney, Lord Godolphin, (1645-1712), "told mee this morning: his Lordship repeated what he sayd at the Cockpitt against your going to Sea. and is still very much of the same Opinion: I sayd, what if Mr Easney should come into the Channell? His answer was, it would be time enough for you, to goe then - Pray my service to Syd:", probably Colonel Sydney Godolphin, "and your Landlord: tell the latter, I can't give him any account of Ned Nicholas but that he was yesterday at London, & will be here on Wensday", 3 sides 4to, Windsor, (Sunday) 10 July light remains of guard in blank edges of fold

(Transcription)
Windsor, [Sunday] 10th June 1705
Dear Sir
I had the favour of your's with the office's desire to have Orders to put Coll: Hills Regt. ashore: I told Mr St Johns off it, & he has gott the Queens & Princes directions in that point. I hope Sir Geo: Byng's letter reachd you soon enough, to prevent the Cumberland & Dorsetshire's goeing to looke for him, off of Fornehead: the letter Sir Geo: sent to the Office, was read tonight at Cabinet, where it was thought necessary he should goe to sea again, as soon as he can, & that the ships should be dispatched to him, which they were glad to hear would be ready by Tuesday. I believe the Prince will give Sir Geo: quickening Orders by tomorrow.
The New Commission is signd, & tomorrow Mr Walpole will be sworne - The Prince has made Savery Treasurer to the Sick & Wounded - Dr Adams who is sitting by mee kisses your hands, & so does Israel. I am all ways
Yr &c
G C
There has been no fight with Villars, but your brother remains in his old Camp, where forage is very scarce, & the German troops not come up. Huy is surrendered, & the Garrison prisoners of Warr - Wee are very angry with the Portugueze who could not be prevaild with, to march to Alcantara where they might have taken all the Magazines the Spaniards have, as Lord Treasurer told mee this morning: his Lordship repeated what he sayd at the Cockpitt against your going to Sea. and is still very much of the same Opinion: I sayd, what if Mr Easney should come into the Channell? His answer was, it would be time enough for you, to goe then - Pray my service to Syd:, and your Landlord: tell the latter, I can't give him any account of Ned Nicholas, but that he was yesterday at London, & will be here on Wensday.

Sir George Byng, currently in the Channel, had at least three tasks - to convoy British shipping passing to or from, say, the East Indies, Virginia or the West Indies; to convoy the Victualling ships from Portsmouth going to supply Peterborough and Shovell at Lisbon, Gibraltar or the Mediterranean; and to find out what the French at Brest were doing. Were they still there? If they were to come out, were there British ships enough to beat them? And if they had slipped out, to get Sir John Jennings to give chase.
Byng had orders to cruise between the jaws of the Channel - the Lizard and Fornehead, the extreme north-west point of Brittany, off Portsall and Kersaint, and the Cumberland and Dorsetshire set off on the 9th to reinforce him. With bad weather the previous Wednesday and Thursday (6th and 7th June), they were to look in for him at Torbay. In fact Byng had written on the 7th to say he had put in at Plymouth.
Although both the Queen and Prince George were very attentive to business, Prince George was often at Windsor or Bath. So George Churchill was essential to him at the Admiralty, and Clarke the chief communicator. There is fine double portrait by Kneller of Clarke at work with Prince George.
For these events and Clarke's constant involvement, see The Byng Papers, Navy Records Society Vol. 67, 1930, especially pp. 71-79.
Villars and Marlborough faced each across across the valley where a tributary joins the Moselle at Sierck. With supplies at Trier suddenly removed, dilatory allies and forage scarce, Marlborough was forced to abandon the last chance he ever had to force a direct way to Paris.
'Syd:' is probably Colonel Sydney Godolphin, 1652-1732, of Thames Ditton, Cornish M.P. for nearly 50 years and 'Father of the House'. 'Ned' is Edward Nicholas (1662-1726, like Clarke made DCL of Oxford in 1702, Paymaster of Queen Anne's Pensions and Bounties, 1702-1707 and 1713-1714, Treasurer to Prince George of Denmark, 1702-1707). Both were Clarke's lifelong friends.
Clarke himself was a Fellow of All Souls, 1680, and always maintained his connection with Oxford. From about 1706 he became deeply involved with the many new classical buildings there, as at All Souls, Radcliffe Square, Queen's and Christ Church, advising or supplying sketches.

Item Date:  1705

Stock No:  56565      £1750

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