Author: Mennell, George
Biography:
MENNELL, George (fl 1771)
Mennell identifies himself as a naval officer on the title-page of his only known work. At the time of publication in 1771 he held the rank of Lieutenant on HMS Namur, a 90-gun ship with an active and honourable battle career from the time of its launch in 1756 to its retirement to harbour service in 1807. The poem, dated from Portsmouth, is dedicated to Walter Griffith (1727-79), who had been commander of the ship for a few weeks in 1770. The reviewers were unanimous: the author should stick to his military naval work. He might be the George Mennell who married Hester Burton at St. Thomas, Portsmouth, on 24 June 1779 and was buried at the same church on 24 Apr. 1787. He might be the one who was born at Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire, on 7 Mar. 1741, married Jane Peacock in 1767, had a numerous family, and was buried at Great Ouseburn, Yorkshire, in 1794--although that seems less likely. Confirmation in either case is lacking. (ancestry.com 27 May 2023; findmypast.com 27 May 2023; “Griffith, Walter,” ODNB 27 May 2023; London Magazine 40 [1771] 413; CR 32 [1771] 470; MR 45 [1771] 412; “HMS Namur,” Wikipedia 27 May 2023)
Other Names:
- G. Mennell