Thomas Mathews Thomas Mathews ( October 1676 – 2 October 1751 ) was a British officer of the Royal Navy , who rose to the rank of admiral . Mathews joined the navy in 1690 and saw service on a number of ships , including during the Nine Years ' War and the War of the Spanish Succession . He interspersed periods spent commanding ships with time at home at the family estate in Llandaff . He distinguished himself with service with Sir George Byng ' s at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718 , and went on to command squadrons in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean , before largely retiring from naval service . He returned to active service in 1741 , following Britain ' s entry to the War of the Austrian Succession , and took command of the fleet in the Mediterranean . The usual difficulties of performing delicate diplomatic duties were further exacerbated by the fact that he was on bad terms with his second in command , Richard Lestock , on whom he relied to manage the fleet . The pivotal moment of his naval career came in 1744 , when he attempted to intercept a Franco - Spanish fleet at the Battle of Toulon . The action was fought in confused circumstances , with poor communications and the breakdown of the chain of command . Despite possessing the superior force , Mathews was unable to secure a decisive result , and the enemy were able to escape with the loss of one ship , while Mathews ' s fleet lost one and had several others badly damaged . The failure to secure a victory incensed the British public , and a series of courts - martial and a public inquiry led to several officers being cashiered . Mathews ' second in command , Lestock , was tried but acquitted , blaming the outcome on Mathews ' poor planning and ill - tempered and unwise attack . Mathews was tried and convicted of the charges , and dismissed from the navy . He returned to his estates at Llandaff , before moving to London and dying there in 1751 . Family and early life . He was born at Llandaff Court , Llandaff , the son of Colonel Edward Mathews ( died 1700 ) , and grandson on his mother ' s side of Sir Thomas Armstrong ( 1624 – 1684 ) ( who was executed in 1684 , for his part in the Rye House Plot ) . Mathews was also a descendant of the Welsh knight Sir David ap Mathew and King Louis VI of France . Mathews joined the navy in 1690 , serving aboard , which was then under the command of his uncle , Sir Francis Wheler . Mathews served during the Nine Years ' War , and may have been present at the Battle of Beachy Head , and was likely in action at the Battle of Barfleur . Mathews went on to serve aboard under Captain James Littleton in 1697 , and on 31 October 1699 Vice - Admiral Matthew Aylmer appointed him lieutenant aboard his flagship , . Mathews served with Aylmer in the Mediterranean , before being moved to in 1700 . Mathews went on to serve with John Graydon in the West Indies , being promoted by him to command , a position he took up on 24 May 1703 . Command . He commanded in the English Channel from 1704 , and in October 1708 took command of . His next ship was the newly built , which was attached to the Channel fleet under Lord Berkeley . The fleet encountered a small French squadron under René Duguay - Trouin in early 1709 . The British gave chase , re - capturing one of Duguay - Trouin ' s prizes , , and capturing another of his ships , " Gloire " . Mathews and " Chester " were then assigned to the fleet sent to reduce and capture Nova Scotia under Commodore George Martin in 1710 , and took over command of the forces after Martin ' s return to England . He joined Sir Hovenden Walker at Boston in summer 1711 , after which he escorted a convoy to New York . " Chester " was badly damaged by heavy storms during this mission , and returned to Britain for repairs . Mathews then moved ashore , and spent the next few years at the family seat of Llandaff Court . Mathews returned to active service in January 1718 , following the outbreak of war with Spain , with a temporary appointment to command HMS " Prince Frederick " , while a new ship , , was being fitted out . He took command of " Kent " on 31 March 1718 , and joined Sir George Byng ' s fleet in the Mediterranean . He participated in the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718 , and was then detached in command of a squadron assigned to blockade Messina and hopefully intercept Vice - Admiral George Camocke , a British national serving with the Spanish navy . Camocke managed to evade the British and escape in a small boat in January however , and the British squadrons were occupied with blockading Sicily until autumn 1720 , when Mathews returned to Britain with Byng . From 1722 to 1724 he was in command of a small squadron sent to the East Indies to expel the Indian Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Angre of the Malabar Coast . The presence of his ships caused Angre ' s activity to be much reduced , but their strongholds remained impregnable . Mathews ' squadron supported Portuguese troops from Goa in an attack on the Maratha fortress at Vijaydurg & Kolaba , but this was repulsed . Mathews returned to Britain in 1724 and thereafter largely retired from the navy , and received no further promotions . It was not until 1736 that he rejoined the service in any capacity , becoming commissioner at Chatham , though the appointment was considered a civil one . War of the Austrian Succession . The outbreak of war with Spain and the imminent threat of war with France during the early stages of the War of the Austrian Succession led to Mathews ' return to active service , with a promotion directly to vice - admiral of the red on 13 March 1741 . He was given a command in the Mediterranean , and made plenipotentiary to Charles Emmanuel III , king of Sardinia , and the other courts of Italy . The appointment was somewhat unexpected , Mathews was not especially distinguished , and had not served in the navy for a number of years . His second in command in the Mediterranean was Rear - Admiral Richard Lestock , a man Mathews knew from his time as commissioner at Chatham , when Lestock had commanded the guardship s stationed in the Medway . The two had not been on good terms , and on receiving the Mediterranean posting , Mathews requested that Lestock be recalled , a request the Admiralty declined to act upon . The two men continued their disagreements during their time in the Mediterranean , though Mathews ' continued distractions with diplomatic duties meant that they did not break out into an open argument . In 1742 Mathews sent a small squadron to Naples to compel King Charles , later the King of Spain , to remain neutral . It was commanded by Commodore William Martin , who refused to enter into negotiations , and gave the king half an hour in which to return an answer . The Neapolitans were forced to agree to the British demands . In June 1742 a squadron of Spanish galleys , which had taken refuge in the Bay of Saint Tropez , was burnt by the fire ships of Mathews ' fleet . In the meantime a Spanish squadron had taken refuge in Toulon , and was watched by the British fleet from Hyères . On 21 February 1744 ( N . S . , 10 February O . S . ) the Spaniards put to sea in company with a French force . Mathews , who had now returned to his flagship , followed , and an engagement took place on the 22 and 23 February . Battle of Toulon . The fleets had become scattered in the light winds as they approached , and as they began to form up for the Battle of Toulon on 22 February , Mathews signalled for the formation of the line of battle . The line had still not been formed as night fell , leading Mathews to hoist the signal to come to , intending for his ships to first finish forming the line . The van and centre squadrons did so , but Lestock commanding the rear obeyed the order to come to , without having formed the line . By daybreak on 21 February , the rear of the British fleet was separated by a considerable distance from the van and centre . Mathews signalled for Lestock to make more sail , reluctant to start the attack with his ships still disorganised , but the slowness of Lestock to respond caused the Franco - Spanish force to start to slip away to the south . Mathews feared that they would escape him , and pass through the Straits of Gibraltar to join the French force gathered at Brest for the planned invasion of Britain . Knowing that his duty was to attack , Mathews hoisted the signal to engage the enemy aboard his flagship , and at one o ' clock left the line to attack the Spanish rear , followed by Captain James Cornewall aboard HMS " Marlborough " . In doing so , the signal to form the line of battle was left flying . The two signals flying simultaneously created confusion , though a number of British commanders , including Captain Edward Hawke , followed Mathews ' example . Heavily outnumbered and unsupported , with his other commanders either too uncertain , or in the case of Lestock , possibly pleased to see Mathews in difficulty and unwilling to help him , " Namur " and " Marlborough " managed to defeat their opposite numbers in the enemy line , but suffered considerable damage . The French ships came about at 5 o ' clock to aid the Spanish , a manoeuvre interpreted by some of the British commanders to be an attempt to double the British line and surround them . With no orders from Mathews and a lack of clear instructions or command structure , the British line broke , and began to flee to the northwest . The Spanish , still on the defensive , neglected to capture the defenceless " Marlborough " , though they did retake the " Poder " , which had previously surrendered to the British . The Franco - Spanish fleet then resumed their flight to the southwest , and it was not until 23 February that the British were able to regroup and resume the pursuit . They caught up with the enemy fleet again , which was hampered by towing damaged ships , and were able to retake the " Poder " , which Mathews ordered to be burnt . By now the British had closed to within a few miles of the enemy fleet but Mathews again signalled for the fleet to come to . The following day , 24 February , the Franco - Spanish fleet was almost out of sight , and Mathews returned to Hyères , and sailed from there to Port Mahon , where he arrived in early March . Enquiry and dismissal . The failure of the British fleet to bring a decisive action against an inferior foe had significant consequences . The opposing fleet was able to deliver troops and supplies to the Spanish army in Italy , swinging the war in their favour . This was widely remarked on back in Britain . The House of Commons petitioned King George II for a public enquiry , and a dozen captains were tried by court - martial and cashiered . Lestock was also tried , but was able to place the blame on Mathews , and with the help of powerful supporters in government , was acquitted and offered further employment . Mathews was tried by court - martial in 1746 , on charges of having brought the fleet into action in a disorganised manner , of having fled the enemy , and of having failed to bring the enemy to action when the conditions were advantageous . In his defence it was shown that he had fought bravely , but in June 1747 the court judged the charges were proven , and Mathews was dismissed from the service . Mathews had devoted himself to work at his estate at Llandaff , and did not appear to be affected by the result of the trial . He regarded the outcome as down to factional party politics , rather than as a reflection on his conduct . Mathews moved to Bloomsbury Square in 1749 , and died there on 2 October 1751 . He was buried at St . George ' s Church , Bloomsbury . Personality . Mathews ' personality was the subject of particular study during the controversy over Toulon , with his detractors claiming that he was hot - headed , intemperate , and incapable of managing the complex task of commanding a fleet in battle , which had led to the defeat . Horace Walpole , in his correspondence with Sir Horace Mann , noted that " Mathews believes that Providence lives upon beef and pudding , loves prize - fighting and bull - baiting , and drinks fog to the health of Old England . " In a speech in the Commons Walpole declared " Mathews remains in the light of a hot , brave , imperious , dull , confused fellow . " Mann , who was strongly opposed to how Naples ' neutrality had been violated during Mathews ' tenure as commander in the Mediterranean , declared " ' Tis wonderful how void Admiral Mathews is of common sense , good manners , or knowledge of the world . He understands nothing but Yes or No , and knows no medium . " Walpole and his correspondents often referred to Mathews as " Il Furibondo " . Despite their criticism , those who knew Mathews personally , while admitting that he could be hot - tempered , described him as " warm - hearted , kindly and affectionate ; a clear - sighted magistrate , a capable farmer , and a keen sportsman " . Family and issue . Mathews married Henrietta Burgess , of Antigua , in 1705 . The couple had a son , Thomas , who became a major in the army . Henrietta died about 1740 , and Mathews remarried about 1745 , to Millicent Powell .