Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 3 clasps, 14 March 1795, St. Vincent, Nile (Thomas Dench, Midshipman.) carriage damaged and cracked between first two clasps and some impact damage to clasp facings, otherwise good very fine £6,000-£8,000

Provenance: Spink 1930; bought Seaby, November 1971.

Confirmed as ‘present and entitled’ to clasp for ‘14 March 1795’ but not shown in Admiralty Claimant’s List. However, he is shown as having received the medal with three clasps in the Navy List for 1852 so must have made a late claim. His presence at this action is further confirmed by his entry in O’Byrne’s Naval Biography, and by his services as shown in the aforementioned Navy List which read:

‘T. Dench, Mid. of Ardent at St. Fiorenzo, and served on shore during the occupation of Toulon, in 1793; of St. George in Hotham’s two actions, in 1795; of Britannia off Cape St. Vincent; of Goliath at the bombardment of Cadiz, and at the Nile; and commanded a boat, cutting out a gun vessel from under the Castle of Aboukir. Commander of Nautilus from 1808 to 1814 on the Lisbon and Mediterranean stations; and captured six privateers, and destroyed a seventh near Cape Bon.’


Thomas Dench entered the Navy in April 1793, as Midshipman, on board the Ardent 64, Captain Robert Manners Sutton; while in which ship he served on shore at the occupation of Toulon, and was in warm action with the batteries of St. Fiorenza during the siege of Corsica. In April 1794, when the Ardent took fire and blew up, with all hands on board, this officer had the good fortune to be absent in charge of a prize. We next find him, in the St. George 98, flag-ship of Sir Hyde Parker, taking part in Hotham’s actions of 14 March and 13 July, 1795; and, on 14 February 1797, serving under the flag of Vice-Admiral Charles Thompson, in the Britannia 100, at the battle off Cape St. Vincent. Removing then, with Captain Thomas Foley, to the Goliath 74, he was present, in July following, at the bombardment of Cadiz; and on 1 August 1798, he further officiated at the battle of the Nile. A few days after that tremendous conflict he assisted, as a Volunteer, in cutting out a heavy gun-vessel from under the castle of Aboukir. On his return to England he was appointed, at the recommendation of Captain Foley, Master’s Mate of the Prince 98, bearing the flag of Sir Charles Cotton, to whom he became Signal-Lieutenant, in the Prince George, 23 January 1801, and afterwards, for nearly four years, in the San Josef. From May to December 1807, Mr. Dench was next employed in a similar capacity under Rear-Admiral Thomas Wells in the Zealand 64, at the Nore. He then, as before, rejoined Sir C. Cotton in the Hibernia 110, off Lisbon; to which ship he continued attached until promoted, 24 April 1808, to the command of the Nautilus 18. In May 1809, Captain Dench brought home Sir Arthur Wellesley’s despatches, announcing the defeat of Marshal Soult, and the capture of a fourth of his army, with all his artillery and baggage; after which he cruized with great success in the Mediterranean, where, among other vessels, he captured – 21 July 1812, Le Brave of 5 guns and 112 men – 7 February 1813, La Léonilde of 14 guns and 83 men – and, 24 May following, La Colombe of 4 guns and 40 men. For these and other services he received the public thanks of Sir Edward Pellew, the Commander-in-Chief. He was compelled to invalid home in November 1814, and has not since been afloat. He was promoted to Captain on 4 June 1828.