page_title: John Gell (Royal Navy officer)
section_title: Admiral Gell
hierarchical_section_title: John Gell (Royal Navy officer) / Biography / Admiral Gell
caption_attribution_description: Naval Temple, The Kymin in Monmouthshire Dedicated to Elizabeth Boscawen, the wife of Henry Somerset 5th Duke of Beaufort; and daughter of Admiral Edward Boscawen&#91;1&#93; The square Naval Temple has round plaques or medallions, four on each face, for each Admiral and the victory with which he was most closely associated and its date. The named Admirals are: Vice Admiral Charles Thompson, Rear Admiral Adam Duncan, Vice Admiral Edward Boscawen, Vice Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, Admiral Howe, Admiral John Warren, Admiral John Gell (was retired locally near Crickhowell when this was built, Admiral Lord Nelson, Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, Vice Admiral George Rodney, Admiral Hawke who was also First Lord of the Admiralty, Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Hood, Vice-Admiral William Cornwallis, Admiral Sir Peter Parker, Admiral George Elphinstone, Admiral Andrew Mitchell See Wikipedia article
context_page_description: Admiral John Gell was from the Gell and Eyre families of Hopton Hall in Derbyshire. He served with the Royal Navy, fighting in India and taking part in the occupation of Toulon.
  Gell was a commander in the Royal Navy for over thirty years starting in 1762 following two years as a lieutenant. He was promoted to the
  rank of admiral in 1799 after completing duties in Nova Scotia, Portugal, Genoa, the East Indies and Toulon.
  In 1793, Gell's squadron captured a Spanish ship which contained two million dollars and packages valued at over 200,000 pounds.
context_section_description: On 1 February 1793 he was appointed to be Rear-Admiral of the Blue, and raised his flag on HMS St George. The St George was under the command of Captain Foley, later Sir Thomas Foley and "Hero of the Nile". Whilst in the Mediterranean with his division of the fleet, on 14 April 1793 he was able to seize a French Privateer and its Spanish registered prize the St Jago. These ships were said to be one of the most valuable prizes ever brought to England. The prize was said to contain two million dollars and packages to the value of 200,000 to 300,000 pounds. The capture of this ship and its condemnation as a prize of war (rather than being returned to its Spanish owners) was said to be one of the causes for the subsequent war with Spain.
  The ownership of the Spanish ship was a matter of some debate and was not settled until 4 February 1795, when the value of the cargo was put at £935,000. At this time all the crew, captains, officers and admirals could expect to share in this prize, but it was Gell who had commanded the squadron. Admiral Lord Hood's share was £50,000. The ships that conveyed her to Portsmouth were the St George, HMS Egmont, HMS Edgar, HMS Ganges and HMS Phaeton.
  In October 1793 at the Raid on Genoa, his division of the fleet was able to obtain the surrender of a French frigate, the Modeste, which had abused the neutrality of the port of Genoa. The battle was small and resulted in the death of one Frenchman from musket fire. The authorities at Genoa approved that the Modeste was taken as a spoil of war. After this he had to return to England for the last time due to ill health. The capture of the Modeste was to have repercussions as again in 1794 the crew of the merchant ship Betty were murdered by French forces.
  Hughes commissioned Gell's portrait from Sir Joshua Reynolds. He bequeathed the picture to Sir Hugh Palliser, who gave the painting to the Greenwich Hospital only a few years later, on his death in 1796. Gell was also involved in Hood's occupation on Toulon.
  Gell also sat for a portrait in 1785, when he completed his captaincy of the Monarca. This time the portrait was full length and by the visiting American painter, Gilbert Stuart. Stuart was attempting only his second full-length portrait under the guidance of Sir Joshua Reynolds.
caption: The Naval Temple - In honour of sixteen admirals
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