Lapwing HMS (1785)

[Anonymous]

HMS Lapwing (1785)

This the second ship to carry the name HMS Lapwing.

LAPWING built by King, Dover to ENTERPRIZE Class of 1770. Frigate, 6th rate, 28 guns.
Williams design. 120' 6" x 33'6" x 11', 593 89/94 tons. 200 men.
Guns: Upper deck 24 x 9, Quarter Deck 4 x 3. 12 swivels.
Ordered Feb. 1783? Keel laid Feb. 1783. Launched 21 September 1785.
1796. Dec. 3. HMS Lapwing captured Dedeux and destroyed Vaillante. (The French Corvette "La Vaillante", built in 1796, captured & renamed "Danae" by the Royal Navy. Taken back in March 1800 by the French, following a mutiny of her crew).

Became a salvage vessel at Cork 1810 to raise BRITANNIA. 1813 to Pembroke to act as accommodation for clerks etc. 1810 hulked. 1828 broken up.

Details from David John Lyon, "Sailing Navy List", London, 1993
Charles Dawson

"The Battle of Anguilla"

The earliest reference to sailing in Anguillian history involves what is unofficially known as "The Battle of Anguilla". In 1796, during the height of the Napoleonic Wars, 400 men were dispatched from the neighboring French colony of St. Martin aboard two frigates, Le Decius and Le Valiant. This force landed on what is now known as Rendezvous Bay. An Anguillian defense force was led by Lieutenant Governor Benjamin Gumbs, and for the next four days they were beaten back through the capital of The Valley and onto Sandy Hill, where they fortified themselves in a former Dutch Fort. Desperate for ammunition, they were said to have used lead weights from fishing nets and musket shot, and an Anguillian sailing ship was sent to St. Kitts to request aid. This ship, whose name was not recorded, came into contact with the H.M.S. Lapwing led by Commander Barton. Barton acted swiftly to relieve Anguilla, and the Lapwing's presence drove the French to attempt to retreat. Le Decius and Le Valiant fled and attempted to escape the British frigate, leaving the soldiers stranded. They surrendered to the Anguillian forces, were imprisoned and then massacred in retaliation for the massive amount of damage inflicted by the invaders. The Lapwing sank Le Decius and drove the Le Valiant onto the rocks in St. Martin, where it was set ablaze.

Various web sites.

Anguilla SG257,259, 260
Sierra Leone SG825



The Battle of Anguilla had several interesting cultural effects on the island. Rendezvous was named because it was the site where the French held their "rendezvous" for the invasion. Lead sinker balls are referred to locally as "bullets" after the desperate attempts of the besieged militia. However, the main effect was a result of the devastation inflicted on the plantations, in addition to the island's naturally arid climate and hurricanes doomed large scale agricultural efforts. By 1821, plantations were almost totally eliminated. Despite this, Anguillian subsistence farmers managed to grow corn, pigeon peas and other staples. The surplus of especially good yields was shipped overseas. However, as a result of the failure to maintain effectively the only profitable economy it could as a British colony it fell into poverty. Twice, in 1832 and 1843, the Governor of the Leeward Islands recommended a complete evacuation of the island and resettlement of the residents to Guyana and Trinidad. With no other alternative, the Anguillian people turned to maritime occupations - fishermen, shipwrights, riggers and traders.

It is considered ironic that the name of the Anguillian ship which was sent for rescue, almost undoubtedly the forerunner of the modern Anguillian racing boat was lost, while the name of the Lapwing survives as a favored name for boats even today, especially among the police force boats.