Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 2 clasps, Basque Roads 1809, Eurotas 25 Feby 1814 (C. G. Randolph, Lieut. R.N.) with original ribbon, toned, nearly extremely fine £6000-8000

Approximately 32 clasps for ‘Eurotas 25 Feby 1814’. Charles G. Randolph is confirmed as Midshipman aboard Donegal at Basque Roads 1809, and as Lieutenant in Eurotas at the capture of the French 40-gun frigate Clorinde.

Charles Grenville Randolph was born in 1793 and educated at Westminster until he entered the Navy in May 1806, as First Class Volunteer on board the Enterprise tender, lying in the river Thames. From June following until February 1811 was employed, chiefly in the capacity of Midshipman, in the Donegal 74, Captain Pulteney Malcolm. He escorted Sir Arthur Wellesley’s army, in consequence, from Cork to Portugal in 1808; witnessed the destruction, 24 February 1809, of three French frigates under the batteries of Sable d’Olonne; was present, in the ensuing April, at Lord Cochrane’s destruction of the enemy’s shipping in Basque Roads; and on 15 November 1810, assisted in an attack made by Captain Charles Grant of the Diana on the two French frigates Amazone and Eliza, protected by the fire of several strong batteries near Cherbourg. After serving for three years and a half on the Mediterranean and Home stations, in the Hotspur 36, Captain Hon. Josceline Percy, Thisbe 28, flag-ship of Sir Charles Hamilton, Royal Oak 74, Captain P. Malcolm, and San Josef 110, flag-ship of Lord Keith, he was made Lieutenant, 14 August 1812, into the Impétueux 74, bearing the flag off Lisbon of Vice-Admiral George Martin, and next, 13 July 1813, appointed to the Eurotas of 38 guns and 320 men, Captains John Phillimore, Hon. Edmund Sexton Pery Knox, Robert Bloye, and James Lillicrap.

On 25 February 1814, the thirty-eight gun frigate Eurotas, Captain J. Phillimore, discovered the French forty-gun frigate Clorinde on her way to Brest, after a cruise. The British frigate gave chase and being faster, at five p.m. passed under the stern of the Clorinde, and gave her her starboard broadside. Then getting alongside her antagonist, a furious contest of twenty minutes followed, in which the mizzen mast of the Eurotas was shot away, and the fore top-mast of the Clorinde. The French frigate then shot ahead, but the Eurotas luffing up, the ships were again side by side and the action continued with re-doubled ardour. At twenty minutes past six the Eurotas lost her main mast, and about the same time the mizzen mast of the Clorinde came down. Ten minutes later the foremast of the Eurotas went overboard, which was followed by the fall of the mainmast of her opponent. The British ship was now totally dismasted and unmanageable, and at 7.30 p.m. the Clorinde with her fore yard only standing, set the remains of her foresail, and her fore stay-sail, and stood away out of gunshot. Captain Phillimore having been severely wounded by a grape shot in the shoulder, Lieutenant R. Smith took the command of the Eurotas, the wreck was cut away, and every exertion made during the night to get up jury masts and keep after the enemy. Soon after six the next morning, the Eurotas with three effective masts, again made sail after the enemy, then about four miles distant, and in the same dismasted state as on the previous evening. At about noon, while evidently gaining on the chase, to the mortification of everyone on board the Eurotas, a British thirty-six gun frigate and a sixteen gun sloop appeared on the horizon, the Dryad and the Achates. The crew of the Eurotas could only watch on as the Dryad and Achates completed the formalities of their hard-fought action. However, upon Captain Galway of the Dryad being offered the sword of the French Captain in surrender, he honourably refused it, observing that it was only due to Captain Philimore. The Eurotas had two Midshipmen and nineteen men killed, and her Captain, two officers and thirty-six men wounded. The Clorinde had thirty killed, and forty wounded.

Lieutenant Randolph was mentioned in Captain Phillimore’s despatch for the able assistance he afforded in this action (London Gazette 5 March 1814). He was advanced to the rank of Commander on 13 June, 1815, and was employed in that capacity in the Pandora 18, on the Cork station, from 26 January 1819 until paid off in June 1822. He attained the rank of Captain on 20 April 1827, and did not afterwards go afloat. He became Rear-Admiral on the Retired List on 13 July 1854; Vice-Admiral on 7 November 1860; and Admiral on 15 June 1864. Admiral Randolph died at Great Camps, near Sevenoaks on 1 May 1871.