Hon. Thomas Charles Lumley-Saunderson

1758-82. Born on 3 May 1758, he was the third of seven sons of Richard Lumley-Saunderson, the 4th Earl of Scarborough, and of his wife, Barbara Savile.

Captain Lumley lost his life at the Battle of Trincomale in 1782

Lumley was commissioned lieutenant on 3 July 1778 and promoted commander on 25 July 1780. After commissioning the Porto 16 he joined Commodore George Johnstone s Cape-bound squadron shortly after it had fought the Battle of Porto Praya on 16 April 1781, and he was posted captain on 25 April and appointed to the Isis 50 in place of the arrested Captain Evelyn Sutton. In July he was present at the attack upon a Dutch East Indian squadron in Saldanha Bay.

Following Johnstone s failure to capture the Cape the Isis was sent to reinforce the fleet in the East Indies, and Lumley commanded her at the Battles of Sadras on 17 February 1782 where she suffered casualties of one man killed and three wounded. He was subsequently at the Battle of Providien on 12 April where losses were six men killed and fifty-one wounded, and where following the battle his command became entangled with the French frigate Fine 40 in the night but separated before she could be boarded, and at the Battle of Negapatam on 6 July where he lost nine men killed and nineteen wounded. During the Battle of Trincomale on 3 September 1782, he was killed when his ship was heavily attacked in her position of second in the line of battle.

Shortly before his death Lumley had discovered that he could not lay claim to any prize money as captain of the Isis because the suspended Captain Sutton had not faced a court martial and was thus deemed still to be the ship s commanding officer.