John Pascoe Grenfell

John Pascoe Grenfell
Admiral John Pascoe Grenfell
Born	(1800-09-20)September 20, 1800
Died	March 20, 1869(1869-03-20) (aged 68)
Place of birth	Battersea, Kingdom of Great Britain
Place of death	Liverpool, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Allegiance	Empire of Brazil
Service/branch	Brazilian Navy
Rank	Admiral
Battles/wars	Independence of Brazil Cisplatine War Ragamuffin War Platine War
Other work	Diplomat

John Pascoe Grenfell (20 September 1800 – 20 March 1869) was a navy officer and diplomat of the Empire of Brazil. He spent most of his service in South America campaigns, most notably under the leadership of Lord Cochrane and Commodore Norton. He was the nephew of British politician Pascoe Grenfell and grandfather to General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell. He was a knight grand cross of the Imperial Order of the Rose and a knight of the Imperial Order of the Southern Cross.

Personal history

Early history

John Pascoe Grenfell was born on 20 September 1800 to John Maugham Grenfell and his wife Sophia Turner. In 1811 he entered the service of the British East India Company, and in 1819 he joined the Chilean republic under Lord Cochrane. He took part in most of the conflicts undertaken by Lord Cochrane during the war of Chilean independence, and rose to the rank of lieutenant. On 5 November 1820 Grenfell was injured in the cutting of the Esmeralda the last major Spanish warship in the South Pacific. In 1823 now holding the rank of commander he followed Lord Cochrane to Brazil, to fight in Brazilian War of Independence. In August 1823, Grenfell in command of the small brig Dom Miguel sailed to Pará and using a similar tactic used by Lord Cochrane at Maranham, forced the surrender of the junta governativa (government joint) by making them think a larger fleet was following. On 29 July 1826, under the command of Commodore Norton, he lost his arm in the Cisplatine War. He then returned to England to recuperate.

Later life

The steamship Dom Afonso

In 1828 Grenfell returned to Brazil, and during 1835–36 he commanded a squadron of ships on the lakes of Rio Grande do Sul against rebel flotillas. He was successful in defeating his opponents which forced the surrender of the rebel army. In 1841 he was promoted to rear-admiral and in 1846 was consul general in England and he returned to Britain to live in Liverpool. In 1848 when supervising the Brazilian warship Dom Afonso he was involved in the rescuing of passengers from the Ocean Monarch off the coast of England.

In 1851 war broke out between Brazil and Argentina and he was posted to Brazil to take control of their Navy. In December of that year he successfully forced the passage of the Paraná. After the conflict ended he was promoted to vice-admiral and then finally admiral. He again returned to Liverpool to resume his role as consul-general and remained there until his death in 1869.

Family

Grenfell married Maria Dolores Masini. They had eight children; John Granville (1829–1866), Maria Dolores (1831–?), Sophia (1833–1898), Maria Emma(1833–?), Alfred (1839–?), Flora (1841–1874), Harry Tremenheere (1845–1906) and Thomas Cochrane (1847–49).

Honors

Non-titled nobility honors

• Grand Cross of Brazilian Order of the Rose.
• Officer of the Brazilian Order of the Southern Cross.

Military honors

• Medal (oval) of the Independence War (Bahia).
• Medal (gold; blue ribbon) for the battle of the fleet in the passage of the Tonelero.

Bibliography

• Haring, Carlos Guilherme (1869) (in Portuguese). Almanak Administrativo, Mercantil e Industrial (Almanaque Laemmert). Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro: Eduardo & Henrique Laemmert. 
• Morais, Eugênio Vilhena (2003) (in Portuguese). O Duque de Ferro: novos aspectos da figura de Caxias. Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro: Biblioteca do Exército. ISBN 978-85-7011-329-0. 
• Rodrigues, José Honório (1975) (in Portuguese). Independência: revolução e contra-revolução. 3. Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro: Livraria Francisco Alves Editora.