CARTERET. SIR PHILIPPE (1642-—-72) Lieutenant R.N.
Eldest son of Sir George Carteret (q.v.) and Elizabeth De Carteret.
Born in Jersey, and Baptized in Mont Orgueil 5 Nov. 1642. Sir Philippe De
Carteret (q.v.) ‘being his godfather.
At the Restoration he entered the Navy, and in 1660 was Lieutenant
of the Dover, and then of the Plymouth. In 1661 he was Lieutenant of the
Foresight and in 1665 of the Royal Oak. In that year he married. The story of
his courtship is one of the best known passages in Pepys’ Diary. Pepys was intimate
with the household of the Earl of Sandwich, and as a child the Earl's daughter,
Jemimah, a quiet, shy, delicate girl, regarded him as a kind of benevolent
uncle, who used to take her to see the lions in the Tower.
Pepys was Clerk of the Acts of the Navy under Sir George
Carteret, Treasurer of the Navy. In 1665 Jemimah was nineteen, and Pepys
describes how he played the part of match-maker. On 3 Feb. he visited Lady Sandwich:
- “She discoursed largely to me of a match, if it could he thought fit by my
Lord, for my Lady Jemimah with Sir G. Carteret’s eldest son. I doubt he hath
yet no settled estate in land: that I will inform myself, and give her my opinion".
On 25 June Lord Sandwich after a Tangier committee took Pepys aside ‘: He did
tell me how much concerned he was to dispose of his children, and would have my
advice and help. He propounded to match my Lady Jemimah to Sir G. Carterets
eldest son, which I approved of, and did undertake the speaking with him about
it as from myself".
On the following day he wrote: -- “To Sir G Carteret, and in
the best manner I could I moved the Business. He received it with great content
and thanks to me, and promised he would do what he possibly could for his son
to render him fit for my Lord's daughter". Next day the Diary says: “I
again visited Sir G. Carteret, and received his (and now his lady's) full
consent to my proposal. My Lord Sandwich did direct me to return to Sir George,
and give him thanks for his acceptance of the offer, and that he would next day
he willing to discourse with him about the Business". “My Lord, I perceive
intends to give £15,000 with her, and expects about £800 jointure”. On 2 July he
wrote: “Sir George did send me word that the business is fully agreed on, and
is mightily liked by the King and the Duke of York”. On the 4th Sandwich
entered in his Diary:- "This morning Sir George Carteret and I signed and
sealed agreements for the marriage between his eldest son and my eldest
daughter”.
Meanwhile the young people had never yet met. On 9 July Pepys
wrote: “I took occasion to have much discourse with Mr. Ph. Carteret, and find
him a very modest man, and I think verily of mighty good nature and pretty understanding”.
On the 14th we read:-— “Mr. Carteret is to go to visit her tomorrow. My proposal
of waiting on him (‘he being to go alone to persons all strangers to him) was
well accepted. So I go with him”.
The entries now become amusing:- “15 July. Mr Carteret and I
to the ferry at Greenwich. Lord what silly discourse we had as to Love matters,
he being the most awkward man I ever met in my life as to that business”. They
arrived at dark. “To supper, and after supper to tail: again, he taking no
notice of the lady. So they led him to his chamber, where I stayed a little to know
how he liked the lady, which he told me he did mightily, hut, Lord, in the
dullest insipid manner ever lover did". Next day was Sunday, and he
wrote:-—-“Having trimmed myself down to Mr. Carteret. I taught him what to do,
to take the lady always by the hand to lead her, and that he should make these
and these compliments”.
After church they came home by coach, “Mr. Carteret not
having had the confidence to take his lady once by the hand, which I told him
of when we come home”. On Monday the visit ended. "Before we went. I took
my Lady Jem apart, and would know how she liked this gentleman. She blushed,
and answered that she could readily obey what her father and mother had done”.
They had no long engagement. On the 31st they were married
in Deptford Church. Pepys was late for the wedding, being held up at the Isle
of Dogs, but he met the bride and bridegroom returning from the church. That
evening “I got into the bridegroom's chamber, while he undressed, till he was
called to the bride's chamber, and into bed they went. I kissed the bride in bed
and so the curtains drawn with the greatest gravity". '
On 13 April :1667 Philippe was knighted by the King at Whitehall;
and in May the two families combined to buy from Sir Samuel Luke a line house
at Hawnes in Bedfordshire, part of which had been designed by lnigo Jones, to be
the young couple’s home. It cost £25,000, and from it Philippe's son George took:
later the title Baron Carteret of Hawnes.
Philippe now apparently had no naval duties, and settled
down to a country life, and became “very busy and industrious” in county affairs
(Sandwich MSS.). He ‘had many hobbies, such as painting, drawing and watch-making and he became a
Fellow of the Royal Society.
Hawnes however proved rather beyond their means and Lady
Sandwich grew worried, because Jemimah was running into debt and borrowing money
(Carte M33.)
In 1672 the Third Dutch War broke out, and Carteret was recalled
to the fleet. His father-in-law, who was Admiral, took him on to his Flag-ship,
the Royal James (100 guns). On 28 May the English and Dutch fleets met in Solebay.
In that battle Carteret's ship fought one of the most famous sea-fights in history.
She was grappled by the “Groot Hollandia” for an hour and a half, during which
she repelled in hand to hand fighting attempt after attempt to hoard her. “Cuff
it out to the last man”, was Sandwich’s order, though six hunched of his men
had fallen. But while this was going on, her gunners on the further side had
sunk four enemy ships. Then a party of English soldiers sprang on to the
Dutchman's deck, swarmed up its masts, and cut the ropes that were holding the
ships together. The Royal James broke loose, but under cover of smoke from
enemy broadsides, a Dutch fire ship got alongside and grappled ‘her again. In a
moment she was on fire from stem to stem, and Carteret and his father-in-law
died together. (A detailed account of the Battle is given in Harris’ Life of Edward
Montagu.)
He left three sons. George (born 1667), who was created
Baronet in 1681. Philip (born 1669), who became a Captain in the Royal Marines
and Edward (born 1671), who was made Postmaster- General. [Authorities quoted
above]
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