On 29 July 1780 a convoy of 63 ships were bound for the East Indies and West Indies. It left Great Britain under the care of Captain Moutray, in the 74-gun HMS Ramillies, and was accompanied by the 36-gun frigatesHMS Thetis and HMS Southampton. On 8 August unusual sails were seen, but Moutray ignored them. Later and belatedly[5] Moutray signalled his ships to alter course and follow him close to the wind. They paid no attention to his orders, and by daylight that day a combined Franco-Spanish fleet had captured the bulk of the convoy.[3][4]
The warships escaped with eight of the convoy; the other 55 merchantmen were captured, with the loss of their cargoes worth a million and a half, and 2,805 prisoners. It was a blow to British commerce, and especially to the forces in the West Indies, which lost a vast quantity of military stores.[3][4]
The merchants at home were so enraged, Captain Moutray had to be tried by court-martial. He claimed that others had falsified records for an unknown motive.[5] He was dismissed him from his ship. However, before long he was again employed.[3][4] Later historians have noted that there should have been a larger escort if the cargo was so valuable.[5]
Moutray was buried at Bath Abbey four days later. He left his estate to his wife and children. His will also refers to two children he had by a woman named Elspeth London.[8]
His wife petitioned for a pension and despite having Royal support the request was denied. Nelson took an interest in their son John and when he died he paid for a memorial. John and Mary's daughter Katherine (aka Kate) married the Thomas de Lacy archdeacon of Meath in 1806.[5]
Memorials
John Moutray Epitaph in Bath Abbey
Buried at Bath Abbey, His epitaph reads:
Under this place are deposited the remains of John Moutray Esq of Roscobie in Fifeshire in the Kingdom of Scotland twenty eight years a post captain and late a Commissioner of His Majesty's Navy in Antigua. In his public character he was valuable to his country for his long and faithful services and universally beloved for the integrity of his principles and the distinguished sincerity of his heart. He died 22 Nov 1785 in the 63rd year of his age".[9]
^ abcdCourt Martial of Captain John Moutray. Great Britain Navy Court. 1990.
^ abcdeWilliam Laird Clowes (1899). The Royal Navy: A History From the Earliest Times to the Present. On July 29th, a convoy of sixty-three valuable ships, bound for the East and West Indies, left Great Britain under the care of Captain John Moutray in the BamiUies, 74, with the frigates Thetis and Southampton, both of 36 guns.' On August 8th, in lat. 36^ 40' N., long. 15' W., strange sails were seen, and Captain Moutray signalled his ships to alter course and follow him close to the wind. They paid no attention to his orders, and by daylight of the 9th the bulk of the convoy found themselves close to the enormous combined Franco-Spanish fleet. The warships, watch eight of the convoy, alone escaped; the other fifty-five merchantmen, with 2805 prisoners, and cargo worth a million and a half, were captured. It was a terrible blow to British commerce, and especially to the forces in the West Indies, which lost a vast quantity of military stores. The merchants at home were so enraged that Captain Moutray had to be made a scapegoat. He was tried by court-martial and dismissed his ship, but w'as again employed before long. Early in July, the outward bound Quebec fleet was attacked on the Newfoundland Banks by privateers, and about fourteen of its richest ships were carried off.
^"Monument of the Month". Archived from the original on 20 November 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010. Moutray's health was already failing, and he and his wife returned to England. He died at Bath on 22nd November 1785, at the age of sixty-two. Although he left his estate to his wife and their children, his will also refers to two illegitimate children he had by a woman called Elspeth London.
