A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Molesworth, John
MOLESWORTH. (Commander, 1821. f-p., 18; h-p., 29.)
John Molesworth, born in July, 1789, is second son of the late Rich. Molesworth, Esq. (brother of the fifth Viscount Molesworth, and many years Accountant in the Army Pay Office), by Catherine, daughter of Fras. Cobb, Esq., of Twickenham; and is grandson of Capt. Wm. Molesworth, who figured in the wars with Spain, and was afterwards M.P. for Philipstown, and a Commissioner of Trade and Plantations. The Commander (a brother of the present Viscount Molesworth and of Capt. Anthony Oliver Molesworth, R.A.) is uncle of Lieut. Bartholomew Jeffery, R.N., and second-cousin of Commander Bourchier Molesworth, R.N. His cousin, the sixth Viscount Molesworth, a Major-General in the Army, and Lieut.-Colonel of H.M.’s 9th Regiment, was lost in the Armston transport, near the Cape of Good Hope, 30 May, 1815.
This officer entered the Navy, in April, 1800, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Plover 18, Capts. Edw. Galwey and Matthew Forster, with whom he served in the Channel and West Indies until Sept. 1802, latterly in the capacity of Midshipman. In July, 1803, after he had been for six months attached to the Culloden 74, Capts. Chas. Henry Lane, John Conn, and Bartholomew Dacres, he joined the Canopus 80; in which ship, bearing the successive flags of Rear-Admirals Geo. Campbell, Sir Thos. Louis, and Geo. Martin, he continued until Feb. 1808; assisting during that period in the action off St. Domingo, at the capture of the French frigate Le Président, in the passage of the Dardanells, and in the expedition to Egypt. On 7 March, 1808, he was promoted, from the Ocean 98, flag-ship of Lord Collingwood, to an Acting-Lieutenancy in the Malta 80, Capt. Wm. Shield; and on 24 of the ensuing month he was confirmed into the Impérieuse 38, Capt. Lord Cochrane. On 28 Jan. 1809, while in charge of a prize belonging to the latter frigate, he landed near Tarragona, in ignorance of the proximity of the French, by whom he was unfortunately taken prisoner. In Sept. of the same year, having regained his liberty, he joined the Partridge sloop, Capts. Wm. Williams Foote and John Miller Adye, under whom he continued employed in the Channel, West Indies, and North Sea, until May, 1811. While next attached, from 26 Aug. in the latter year until 8 Oct. 1814, to the America 74, commanded by the late Sir Josias Rowley, it was his fortune to see much service in the Mediterranean; where, on 19 May, 1812, he creditably aided, in the boats of that ship and of the Leviathan 74 and Éclair sloop, at the capture of 16 and destruction of two deeply laden vessels, which had taken shelter under the town and batteries of Languelia, on the coast of Italy, and had been secured by various contrivances to the houses and beach – an exploit that occasioned the British a loss of 16 men killed and 20 wounded.[1] Besides enacting a part in the operations against Leghorn and Genoa, he aided in reducing the enemy’s defences in the Gulf of Spezia, and was in particular commended for the manner in which he directed the batteries at the siege of the fortress of Santa Maria.[2] His last appointments were – 27 March, 18 15, to the Impregnable 104, flag-ship in the Mediterranean of Sir Josias Rowley, with whom he remained for a period of eight months, part of the time as Signal-Lieutenant – and, 6 May, 1818, again as Flag-Lieutenant to the same officer at Cork. He was advanced to his present rank on the Admiral striking his flag, 14 Dec. 1821; and has not been since afloat.
Commander Molesworth married, 6 Feb. 1828, Louisa, daughter of the late Rev. Dr. Tomkyns, of Buckenhill Park, co. Hereford, by whom he has Issue a son and two daughters.