Edward Rotheram

Captain Edward Rotheram, CB (27 December 1753 – 6 November 1830) was a Royal Navy officer who served in American War of Independence and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. During his service, Rotheram saw action at several major naval engagements, including the Glorious First of June in 1794 and the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Although he was highly praised for his actions at both battles, he was not well regarded in the service, being once described by his superior at Trafalgar, Cuthbert Collingwood, as "a man of no talent as a sea officer" and "a stupid man".

Rotheram gained a reputation as a difficult officer to serve with, and he rapidly alienated both his fellow officers and the sailors who served under him. Ultimately this resulted in his removal from service and being overlooked for promotion in 1808 after being court martialled for inappropriate behaviour towards junior officers. The rest of his life was spent requesting the Admiralty, often in an aggressive manner, for both further service and the rewards he felt were his due.

Early career Rotheram was born in 1753 at Hexham in Northumberland the son of Dr. John Rotheram, a local physician, and his wife Catherine Roberts. Rotheram was the second of the couple's seven children, his older brother being John Rotherham.

He was educated, with his brothers, at Head School in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where the family moved when Edward was seven. His elder brother John Rotheram was later a senior professor in natural philosophy at St Andrew's University. Edward Rotheram went to sea at a young age, joining a collier sailing from Newcastle and serving aboard merchant ships for several years. In 1777 however, Rotheram joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman during the American Revolutionary War.

Initially serving on HMS Centaur, Rotheram moved to HMS Barfleur in 1780 and HMS Monarch shortly afterwards as a lieutenant, serving under Lord Howe. Culloden was part of the Channel Fleet under Rotheram's old commander Lord Howe, and the ship was captained by Isaac Schomberg during the Atlantic campaign of May 1794, in which Howe pursued a French fleet deep into the Atlantic, bringing it to battle at the Glorious First of June. Rotheram, however, gained acclaim in the battle's aftermath by organising the Culloden'''s boats and the boats of other nearby ships into a rescue party that saved hundreds of French sailors from the sinking Vengeur du Peuple. In recognition for this operation, Rotheram was promoted commander on 6 July 1794 and given command of the storeship HMS Camel in the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1797 Rotheram moved to the sloop HMS Hawke, which he commanded in the West Indies until 1800, returning to Britain in 1800 aboard HMS Lapwing to be made a post captain. In 1802 Rotheram returned to reserve ashore during the Peace of Amiens. This retirement lasted until 1804, when Rotheram was recalled up to service as flag captain of HMS Dreadnought, a second rate ship of the line that flew the flag of Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood. Collingwood and Rotheram had a poor relationship, Collingwood commenting by letter to his brother that "He [Rotheram] is a man of no talent as a sea officer, and of little assistance to me." Nelson was aware of the personal conflict between the men, and invited both Collingwood and Rotheram to dinner in a partially successful effort to reconcile them. Bellerophon escorted Victory carrying Nelson's body back to Britain, and Rotheram carried the guidon behind the coffin at Nelson's funeral in London. Rotheram was presented with a gold medal and sword of honour in recognition of his services in the action, and continued in command of Bellerophon.

Retirement Rotheram remained in command of Bellerophon'' in the English Channel and the North Sea until 1808, when he was court martialled and reprimanded for unacceptable conduct towards his ship's junior officers and chaplain. Rotheram remained in the service, but was never again employed at sea. Collingwood summed the situation up in a letter to his sister, stating "Though I think him a stupid man I was in hope he might have gone on in the ship I put him in, which I believe was the only chance he had of being in a ship". He retired to Bildeston in Suffolk and from there continued to request appointments, finally being made one of the captains of the Greenwich Naval Hospital in 1828. Rotheram was never awarded any further honours or promoted to admiral, having lost his seniority in the court martial of 1808.