François Thurot François Thurot ( 22 July 1727 at Nuits - Saint - Georges near Dijon in eastern France – 28 February 1760 off the Isle of Man ) was a French privateer , merchant naval captain and smuggler who terrorised British shipping in the early part of the Seven Years ' War . Early years . Modern sources tend to agree that he was the son of the postmaster at Nuits - St - Georges ( although some continue to support the claim that one of his grandfathers was an O ' Farrell from Ireland who had served in the Irish Brigade of the French army ) . As a teenager Thurot rebelled against a Jesuit education , and was apprenticed in 1743 to a surgeon in Dijon . His father had died in 1739 , and to help pay his mother ' s debts he pawned some silver he found at his aunt ' s house . It did not belong to his aunt , and he decided to leave Dijon to keep out of the way of the angry owner , a town councillor . Since March of that year , 1744 , France and Britain had been on opposite sides in the War of the Austrian Succession , and François enrolled as surgeon aboard the " Cerf Volant " , a privateer at Le Havre . In August , on its first cruise , the " Cerf " was captured by the British . After some months in captivity , during which he acquired an excellent grasp of the English language , Thurot met the Maréchal de Belle - Isle , a key member of the French government , who had been captured in Hanover , but was being released in exchange for British military officers captured on 11 May 1745 at the Battle of Fontenoy . Many French army and navy personnel were also released in the same prisoner exchange during that summer , but privateers were not eligible . In August , Thurot , who was being held aboard a " prison hulk " at Dover , escaped , stole a small boat , and crossed to France . Joining another privateer as a common sailor , he swiftly proved his skill , and became captain , first of that vessel , then , aged twenty , of a new , very well - armed privateer operating out of Dunkirk , in which he captured a large number of enemy merchant ships before the war was ended by the Treaty of Aix - la - Chapelle in 1748 . For a time he worked as a merchant captain , beginning with a little six - ton lugger , the " Levrette " . Some biographers claim that about 1750 he married a Miss Sarah Smith , daughter of a London apothecary , but there is no surviving evidence of this . It seems that François also acquired a reputation as a skilful smuggler , too smart for the Customs officers . In July 1753 , while he was moored off the well - known smuggling coast near Baltimore in south - west Ireland , they boarded his cargo vessel , the " Argonaute " , searched it and seized it . Although there was insufficient evidence to charge him , the vessel was impounded , and Thurot spent over two years unsuccessfully trying to get it released . Seven Years ' War . " Friponne " . According to the 1791 biography which is the principal source for this article , the vengeful François went back into privateering in 1755 , after France and Britain had again come into conflict over their colonies in America ; this may be untrue , as the war was confined to the west side of the Atlantic until May 1756 . In that month , thanks to the influence of the Maréchal de Belle - Isle , Thurot was appointed captain of the " Friponne " , a corvette in France ' s " Marine Royale " , and , by the time he returned to port in September for repairs , is said to have captured or sunk some sixty British vessels . " Maréchal de Belle - Isle " , first mission , 1757 - 59 . HMS " Southampton " . Although a plan he proposed to attack the Royal Navy ' s facilities at Portsmouth was rejected , in 1757 he was promoted to captain of a 44 - gun frigate , named after his patron , the " Maréchal de Belle - Isle " ( hereafter " Belle - Isle " for short ) . At the head of a small squadron including another frigate , the " Chauvelin " ( Capt . Desages ) , and two corvettes , " Bastien " and " Gros Thomas " , he sailed from St . Malo on 16 July , and renewed his campaign against British shipping , with the ultimate aim of disrupting a convoy from Russia as it passed the Orkney Islands in early autumn . Very early in the cruise , " Bastien " was captured ; shortly afterwards , on 25 July , while still in the English Channel , the remaining vessels , with a small prize in company , met the brand - new British frigate ( Capt . James Gilchrist ) . Thurot engaged " Southampton " in a half - hour gun battle , then his consorts came up and made several attempts to board . After those attempts failed , the French tried to sink the British vessel , but eventually they abandoned the attack , as larger ships were seen approaching . " Southampton " , though leaking badly , and with 24 of the crew dead or mortally wounded , managed to reach Weymouth and was soon back at sea . About 14 of the " Belle - Isle " ' s crew also died in the action . Autumn 1757 : the dwindling squadron . Before the " Belle - Isle " could be properly repaired , a storm broke two of the weakened masts . Shortly afterwards , the British caught up with them , and a battle ensued , from which the French barely escaped into the Dutch port of Flushing , where they stayed some time , making repairs . " Chauvelin " and " Gros Thomas " went out on raids , but on their second such excursion they met two large British frigates , and " Gros Thomas " was captured . " Belle - Isle " and " Chauvelin " continued the mission , maintaining uncertainty about their position by never accepting a ransom for ships they captured ; any which were not sent for sale were sunk . It seems that the French vessels visited Gothenburg in Sweden during this period , for it is claimed that in 1757 François was introduced there to Carl Björnberg , then the only member in Sweden of the mariners ' society called the Order of Coldin — of which Thurot happened to be a senior member , so he was able to promote Friherr Björnberg to a higher grade , which permitted him to recruit new members ( the Order was still operating in Sweden in 2007 ) . On 5 October , under British flags , they even sheltered from bad weather at Findhorn in the Moray Firth . The shelter proved inadequate , and " Chauvelin " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s mooring cables snapped . Driven out to sea , Captain Desages never managed to rejoin his commodore , for when he set out in pursuit the next day , Thurot met the full force of the storm and " Belle - Isle " was once again dismasted , then driven north , almost unsteerable , to the Shetland Isles . Adopting the Dutch flag on this occasion , Thurot fired guns to call for assistance , and pilots came to help the crippled frigate into " Connestienne " ( Lunnasting , north east coast of the main island - often just called VIdlin today , after its harbour , Vidlin - voe , where Thurot landed ) bay . After staying a few days for repairs , and learning that the convoy from Russia had passed weeks earlier , François headed for Bergen . On 19 October , " Belle - Isle " encountered a 26 - gun frigate flying the English flag , so Thurot pretended that he was also British , until he was in a perfect position to attack , firing great guns and small arms simultaneously ( naval historian John Knox Laughton made it very clear that this easy capture , oddly unnamed in biographies of Thurot , was not a Royal Navy vessel , but presumably a British privateer ) . Arriving at Bergen on 30 October , he attempted unsuccessfully to obtain a second vessel to replace the " Chauvelin " , and tried to avoid diplomatic problems , while simultaneously talking - up the morale of his tired crew . Early 1758 : battle off the Firth of Forth . The " Belle - Isle " put to sea , fully repaired , on 25 December , and ran straight into another storm . Dismasted again , the frigate was driven far to the north , finally finding calm weather in the vicinity of Iceland . With the crew on short rations , " Belle - Isle " struggled back to Norway , but the Captain , fearing mass desertion , avoided Bergen and pressed on to Gothenburg , which he reached on 1 February 1758 . Repairs took over three months , and the cruise resumed on 11 May . Off the north - east coast of England , the revitalised crew captured several coal ships , then gradually headed north again . On 21 May , word of Thurot ' s activities reached the port of Leith in the Firth of Forth . Two Royal Navy sloops of war there , ( 24 guns , Capt . Benjamin Marlow ) and ( 20 guns , Capt . Robert Craig ) , accompanied by two small reconnaissance vessels , went out to track down the intruder , catching sight of the " Belle - Isle " off Red Head ( between Arbroath and Montrose ) early on the morning of 27 May . They were some distance apart , and Thurot at first thought they were merchant vessels , so he went to engage the " Dolphin " . As the " Belle - Isle " easily outgunned the British vessel , he continued the attack even after discovering the true nature of his opponent , and action commenced about 8 a . m . " Dolphin " fought alone for about an hour and a half , suffering considerable damage ; and when " Solebay " arrived , Marlow was no longer able to offer much help . Casualties aboard " Solebay " were heavier than aboard " Dolphin " - including a serious wound to Captain Craig ' s throat . In the end , though , Thurot could not force either of the Royal Navy vessels to surrender , so the battle ended about noon with both sides limping away . Nineteen men were dead , and thirty - four wounded aboard the " Belle - Isle " , while " Dolphin " and " Solebay " reported six killed and twenty - eight wounded between them . Captain Craig ' s wound did not heal well , and he retired on 25 January 1759 ; Captain Marlow went on to a successful career , and became an admiral in 1779 - 80 . Spring 1758 : preying on the Baltic trade . On 30 May , Thurot captured a small sloop , which he took to Mandal in southern Norway ; hearing that some merchant ships were in the area , he hastily armed this vessel , renamed it " Houmar " and sent it out to find them , with another small French armed vessel , the " Emérillon " , which happened to be in the harbour . Remarkably , they captured two merchant vessels on their own , which " Emérillon " took to Christiansand to be sold . From 4 June , Thurot and the newly promoted Captain Payen in " Houmar " roamed the Kattegat , between Denmark and Sweden , taking numerous British merchant vessels . Rejoined by " Emérillon " , and a schooner , the " Coureur " , from 12 June Thurot got in among British vessels gathering to form a protected convoy , and captured several of them by pretending to be Danish , before the convoy escorts chased him away . Late 1758 : diversion to Ireland , and home . After a relatively quiet period following the convoy ' s departure , in mid - July Thurot headed westward into the Skagerrak , where he encountered a flotilla of 17 small British armed vessels . By his officers ' advice , " Belle - Isle " went right in among them , and the British began a concerted artillery attack . Eventually , having studied their tactics , the Captain made an effective counter - attack and scattered them , capturing one before bad weather obscured visibility . By this time , Royal Navy vessels had been sent out specifically to stop the " Belle - Isle " , but by taking advantage of winds and mists he avoided four potentially lethal encounters , and headed northward in late August . Revisiting Shetland , François learned of the scale of the forces sent out against him , and headed for the Faroe Islands to replenish his supplies , before sailing southward round the west of the British Isles . Near Ireland , " Belle - Isle " sprang a leak , so , pausing only to take a couple of brigantines off Tory Island , Thurot hastened to the shelter of Lough Swilly , Co . Donegal . Repairs were completed on 31 August , and a very short new campaign began , taking British merchant vessels in the channels leading to the River Clyde and the Irish Sea . Having given the Royal Navy time to hear of his new exploits , Thurot then returned to Bergen via the Faroes , arriving on 13 September . After a couple of months ' shore time , " Belle - Isle " set sail again on 25 November , and headed south , taking more prizes on the way . Thurot spent most of December at Ostend selling the various prizes , and finally reached Dunkirk at the beginning of January 1759 . " Maréchal de Belle - Isle " , second mission , 1759 - 60 . Preparation and departure . To the government at Versailles , the Captain next proposed a variant of the Portsmouth attack plan — making raids on less well - defended British coastal towns . This was seen as a good fit with plans for a full - scale invasion , serving as a very useful diversion . Beginning in spring 1759 , a new squadron was prepared at Dunkirk , led again by the " Maréchal de Belle - Isle " , with four other frigates : " Begon " ( Capt . Grieux ) , " Blonde " ( Capt . La Kayce ) , " Terpsichore " ( Capt . Defrauaudais ) & " Faucon " ; a corvette , " Amarante " ; and a little reconnaissance vessel , the " Faucon " . Simultaneously , large numbers of troop - carrying barges were prepared at both Dunkirk and Le Havre for the main invasion , and a war fleet assembled at Brest . Recruiting was initially very slow , as the British had had a great deal of success against the Dunkirk privateers in the early years of the war ; also Thurot had legal problems over money he owed in Holland . Intelligence reports suggested that the squadron was to attack the Hanoverian town of Stade and link with French forces pushing northward , but the latter were defeated at Minden on 1 August . The plan then seems to have been changed , with a proposal that Thurot should ferry Bonnie Prince Charlie to Scotland , to arouse a new Jacobite rebellion ; it seems the Prince did not like this idea , and at one point it was suggested that an imitator could be sent instead . Finally , with news arriving that the fleet assembling at Le Havre was being bombarded to destruction by the British , and that the French Mediterranean fleet had been defeated by the Royal Navy at Lagos Bay off the Portuguese coast , it was decided that any diversion from the main invasion in south - west England would be useful . In the last week of August , the squadron , with some 1300 infantry troops led by Brigadier General Flobert crammed in alongside the sailors , moved from the harbour at Dunkirk to stand just offshore , ready to sail at a few hours ' notice . The British were most concerned with the main fleet at Brest , which they believed would now be used to invade Wales or western Scotland , but a Royal Navy squadron under Commodore William Boys was also blockading Dunkirk . On 5 September , the squadron was ordered to depart , but could not get past the blockade . This was not entirely unpleasant for François , as on 15 September his wife Henriette bore him a daughter , Cécile - Henriette , his only known child . Eventually , after a storm blew the British ships off - station , Thurot ' s squadron got away on 15 October and spent the next night at Ostend , dropping off a cheeky letter to the Belgian press , announcing that they were heading northward . Gale - force winds then drove the squadron rapidly northward , a fact which appeared to be confirmed by another letter published in the Brussels " Gazette " , dated 21 October , allegedly from aboard the Belle - Isle . Royal Navy ships had already been diverted by Boys from the Dunkirk blockade to defend the Scottish coast , though the British resisted the urge to arrest Jacobite clan chiefs in Scotland , on the grounds that most of the best Scottish fighters were already serving overseas with the British Army . The British press tried to make light of the situation : " EPIGRAM on THUROT ' s Squadron . Conflans , de la Clue , and such great Men as those , < br > We send Hawke and Boscawen ( great Men ) to oppose ; < br > When Thurot ' s small Squadron this Island annoys , < br > We think it sufficient to send only Boys ! " Autumn 1759 , another dwindling squadron . After eleven days at sea , the squadron reached Gothenburg in Sweden , and stayed 19 days to make repairs ; they were also rejoined by " Houmar " , Thurot ' s partner from the previous cruise . Gossip in the port , swiftly relayed to the British government ( along with complaints about the lack of a Royal Navy presence in the area ) indicated that the planned destination was not Scotland but Ireland . Departing on 14 November , they again ran into foul weather , which separated them the next day , so Thurot had to put in at their prearranged rendezvous of Bergen in Norway two days later . Unfortunately , " Begon " , carrying 400 of the soldiers , had been damaged in the storms and driven far off course , so had to limp back to Dunkirk ; the little " Faucon " and " Houmar " were also unable to rejoin the squadron . Far to the south , though , the bad weather had done some good for the French , breaking up the British blockade at Brest ; the French fleet there escaped on 14 November and headed south - east to Quiberon Bay , where they would pick up troops for the invasion . On 20 November , the Royal Navy caught up with them , and in the subsequent battle , the French fleet was ruined . Now Thurot was not providing a diversion from any action at all , but he would not find that out until much later . Winter 1759 - 60 , to Carrickfergus . On 5 December 1759 , Thurot ' s squadron gave up waiting for the three lost vessels and put to sea again , enduring more stormy conditions until 28 December when they were able to shelter at Westmannahavn in the Faroe Islands . By this time food was being rationed , little was available from the islanders , and the morale of the soldiers was very low , so Brigadier General Flobert proposed that the mission should be abandoned . Thurot , after displaying the written orders stating that he , not Flobert , was in command of the mission , made a counter - proposal , that supplies should be obtained by making raids on the British coast . With the weather slightly easier , the squadron sailed again on 24 January 1760 and about a week later came within sight of northern Ireland . The weather prevented a landing on the open coast , so the next day Thurot proposed a raid on Derry , in the shelter of Lough Foyle . As they were about to enter the Lough , on the following morning , yet another gale caught them , and they were driven out into the Atlantic . About 11 February the " Amarante " lost contact with the squadron off Barra Head in the Outer Hebrides ( eventually running aground near St . Malo , scarcely seaworthy ; at some point the " Belle - Isle " ’ s rudder was broken . To provide greater stability , some of the largest guns on the " Belle - Isle " ( ten or a dozen 18 - pounders ) were dismounted and moved into the bottom of the hold ; four of the " Blonde " ' s were thrown overboard . After mooring on 16 February in Claggain Bay , Islay , the squadron obtained desperately needed provisions , including oats and some cattle ( possibly on French credit , rather than with cash - contemporary sources disagree ) . Here too , according to one account , Thurot was shown a news article about the defeat of the French invasion fleet , which evidently made him more determined than ever to make a bold gesture against Britain . After repairs had been made , the mission resumed on 19 February , with a day looking for potential prizes in the Firth of Clyde , which brought at least one valuable success . Finally , on 21 February , the remaining troops - only about 600 , because , in addition those lost on the missing ships , sickness had killed or disabled some 170 more - were landed at Kilroot near Carrickfergus in northern Ireland . Against a very small defensive force with inadequate supplies of ammunition , they took control of Carrickfergus and its old castle ; during this action , Flobert was badly wounded , and had to stay ashore to recover . After demanding further provisions from Belfast , taking what they could from Carrickfergus ( including any clothing they could find to protect them from the bitter winter ) and preying on shipping , they embarked again , with some local dignitaries as hostages , on the night of 25 – 26 February before the local militia could arrive . François did manage to get one decent meal , and a night in a comfortable bed , thanks to the hospitality of a local family . Because Carrickfergus lies within Belfast Lough , they had to wait two days for a favourable wind to take them out to the open sea . February 1760 , the last battle . Knowing now where Thurot was , the British began to take action . The port of Liverpool , which had improved its defences when news of Thurot ' s likely intentions emerged the previous autumn , called in reinforcements , and more Royal Navy ships were despatched from Portsmouth and Plymouth . As it happened , in January , two extra Royal Navy frigates , ( Capt . Clements ) and ( Capt . Loggie ) had already been ordered to join the defensive force in the Irish Sea , and were then at the port of Kinsale . The alarm reached them on 24 February , and they set out within hours , in company with HMS " Æolus " ( Capt . John Elliott , who commanded the squadron ) . They passed Dublin on the morning of 26 February , but the bad weather prevented them from entering Belfast Lough that evening . Thurot was first to benefit from improved weather , and escaped , so on the night of 27 – 28 February the Royal Navy squadron , having perhaps heard local claims that the next target of the raiders was to be Whitehaven in Cumberland , headed south - east to round the Mull of Galloway in southern Scotland . There they caught sight of the three intruders , anchored at the entrance of Luce Bay . To avoid being trapped in the bay , Thurot ' s squadron set sail for the south - east , towards the Isle of Man . At about sunrise the leader of the British squadron , " Æolus " caught up with the " Maréchal de Belle - Isle " and battle began ( within sight of the Mull of Galloway and Jurby Head on Man ) . After the first broadsides , Thurot tried to grapple " Æolus " so he could use his troops to board , but all he achieved was the loss of his bowsprit - and of many men on deck from British small - arms fire . Next " Æolus " fired a second broadside and , neatly , fell back so that the other two Royal Navy vessels could also fire at the " Belle - Isle " . Then " Æolus " resumed the fight , while " Pallas " and " Brilliant " went to deal with the remaining French vessels , one of which , " Terpsichore " attempted to escape but was easily caught by " Pallas " . François was killed about the time of the second broadside , apparently by a musket - ball , and after a boarding party eventually got aboard , his crew surrendered . News reports claimed that aboard the " Belle - Isle " was found a young woman from Paddington , whom Thurot had met in London a few years previously , and had accompanied him on all his subsequent adventures - presumably the origin of the story of Miss Smith . Some 160 men had been killed aboard " Belle - Isle " alone , compared to four killed and eleven wounded aboard " Æolus " . At some point , Thurot ' s corpse was thrown overboard , with many others , and it washed ashore near the Mull of Galloway ( it was variously claimed that he was dressed in an ordinary sailor ' s uniform , and hence not recognised , or , on the contrary , that his corpse was found sewed up in the silk - velvet carpet from his cabin ) . He was buried with full honours in the churchyard of Kirkmaiden , at the expense of the local lord , Sir William Maxwell , who also served as chief mourner . Within half a century , the grave marker was gone , but the site was remembered and a new marker has since been provided . Having been so greatly feared in Britain , he was also mourned , and celebrations of his defeat paid him considerable respect . A widely circulated news report observed that " he had justly acquired , and has left behind him , the two most amiable Characteristicks of a Sailor or Soldier , intrepid Courage , and extensive Humanity " , and a published letter from London reported that " most people here are sorry for his Death , as he on all Occasions behaved like a brave Officer , and a Gentleman . " An artist , Richard Wright , witnessed the battle and produced paintings showing the action and the aftermath , which were both made into engravings . Ballads were written about the Carrickfergus raid and the last battle , and a biography of Thurot by the Rev . John Francis Durand was in the shops by June , in two editions priced at 1s or 6½d ; sadly , despite the author ' s claims to have known Thurot for years , the work consisted mostly of old news stories and outright fabrications . Afterword . In 1790 , Thurot ' s daughter Cécile - Henriette successfully applied for a government pension , based , surprisingly , on the 1753 - 4 court battle with the British Customs , which had never been settled . The following year , the first true biography appeared , and , perhaps not coincidentally , debts incurred by sailors on the 1759 - 60 cruise were written off by the French government . François ' wife Henriette died in 1797 , and in 1823 Cécile - Henriette , who had married one Pierre Garnier , gave to the Town Hall of Nuits Saint - Georges a portrait of her father in the uniform of a commodore , believed to be the basis of the engraving which illustrates this article . She died in 1830 .