Do you recall the opening passage of Stevenson's Treasure Island? Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me write down the particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17--, and go back to the time when my father kept the 'Admiral Benbow' inn, and the brown old seamen, with the sabre cut, first took up his lodging under our roof…… Makes you want to read on doesn't it! So you can imagine that we were all looking forward to hearing our President, George Chesterton deliver his talk on Admiral Benbow on January 13th. For those of you unable to attend George, writes:
It has been rumoured over the years that Admiral Benbow spent his retirement in Malvern. This rumour was perpetuated by notices for the great Hornyold sale of 1919. The Ruby, a noteworthy 18th century house, was advertised as 'an attractive 17th century residence at Malvern Wells, reputed to have been the home of Admiral Benbow, a favourite sea captain of James II, by whom the unique bow windows are said to have been built. The house is named after his flagship.' Even the present owners of the Ruby, were told fifty years ago, that Admiral Benbow had built the bow windows, so that they looked like an Admiral's cabin.
It is extremely unlikely that Admiral Benbow ever came to Malvern, and it is quite certain that he died in Jamaica in 1702. Clearly, a collateral branch of the family lived in Malvern during the 18th century and they must have been proud of their relative, whose name had become a byword for heroism. They probably named their house, the Ruby. (The Ruby was one of the ships in Benbow's squadron, not his flagship, which was the Bredah) The hostelry, more or less opposite, was named the Admiral Benbow. It is now known as Hornyold Court. This branch of the Benbow
family indicated they were people of some substance, since they had erected a substantial memorial in the Priory Church, this can still be seen high up in the North aisle. The memorial remembers Richard Benbow and his wife Nancy, who died within a week of each other in 1813. The tombstone of another Richard Benbow, who died in 1853 is to be seen in the old Malvern Wells churchyard.
Admiral John Benbow was born in Shrewsbury; he was the son of a gentleman farmer, who lost all his money in the Royalist cause during the Civil War. John Benbow's upbringing was thus a humble one and he became a 'waterman'. This led to a life at sea, where he developed a reputation as a fine navigator. He first joined the Navy in 1678 and found favour very rapidly for his courage in battle and for his navigational skills. He became a Captain in 1689 and was made manager of Deptford Dockyard. Service in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and by raids along the French coast contributed to his reputation.
In 1702 he was dispatched to the Caribbean to harry the French. In August his squadron of seven ships sighted the French fleet of Admiral Du Casse and gave chase. In a running battle of six days Benbow in the Bredah, was only supported by the Ruby and the Falmouth. The other four ships, the Defiance, the Greenwich, the Pendennis and the Windsor, all held back and never seriously engaged the enemy. Benbow lost a leg on the fifth day and also suffered a head wound, but continued to direct the battle from a cradle on his quarter-deck. His dramatic courage captured the imagination of the British people when the news filtered through. Songs were written about him, public houses carried his name and ships were named after him. Of the four mutinous captains, one committed suicide, one was cashiered and the other two were shot for cowardice. Sadly John Benbow himself died of his wounds at Jamaica. In Malvern, his name lives on with the Ruby and Benbow Close.