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{{short description|Royal Navy officer (1653–1702)}}
{{about|the naval officer|his son, a castaway and author of an account about Madagascar|John Benbow (explorer)|the British politician|John Benbow (MP)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = [[Vice-admiral (Royal Navy)|Vice-Admiral]]
|name = John Benbow 
|birth_date = {{birth date|1653|3|10|df=yes}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|1702|11|4|1653|3|10|df=yes}}
|image = Vice-Admiral John Benbow, 1653-1702 RMG BHC2546.tiff
|caption = Benbow in 1701, by Sir [[Godfrey Kneller]].<br>He holds a simple officer's [[cutlass|hanger]].<ref name="greenwich painting">{{cite web |title=Vice-Admiral John Benbow, 1653–1702 |url=http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuExplore/PaintingDetail.cfm?ID=BHC2546 |work=Maritime Art Greenwich |publisher=Greenwich Maritime Museum |date=20 August 2015 |access-date=7 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041229055233/http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuExplore/PaintingDetail.cfm?ID=BHC2546 |archive-date=29 December 2004}}</ref>
|birth_place = [[Shrewsbury]], [[Kingdom of England|England]]
|death_place = [[Port Royal]], [[Jamaica]]
|nickname="Brave Benbow", "A Brother Tar"<ref name="a brother tar">{{cite book|title=Death of Admiral Benbow. The Brother Tars Song|publisher=Published by printed by J. Fowler|year=1780}}</ref>
|residence = 
|nationality = 
|allegiance = [[Kingdom of England|England]]
|serviceyears = 1678–1702
|rank = [[Vice-Admiral of the White]]
|branch = [[Royal Navy]]
|commands = [[HMS York (1660)|HMS ''York'']]<br>[[HMS Bonaventure (1660)|HMS ''Bonaventure'']]<br>[[HMS Britannia (1682)|HMS ''Britannia'']]<br>[[HMS Royal Sovereign (1660)|HMS '' Royal Sovereign'']]<br>[[HMS Norwich (1693)|HMS ''Norwich'']]<br>[[HMS Northumberland (1679)|HMS ''Northumberland'']]<br>[[HMS Charles Galley (1676)|HMS ''Charles Galley'']]<br>[[HMS Suffolk (1680)|HMS ''Suffolk'']]<br>[[HMS Duke (1682)|HMS ''Duke'']]<br>[[HMS Gloucester (1695)|HMS ''Gloucester'']]<br>[[HMS Breda (1692)|HMS ''Breda'']]<br>[[Jamaica Station (Royal Navy)|Jamaica Station]] 
|unit =
|battles = [[Battle of Beachy Head (1690)|Battle of Beachy Head]]<br>[[Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue]]<br>[[Action of August 1702]]
|relations =
}}

[[Vice-Admiral of the White]] '''John Benbow''' (10 March 1653{{snd}}4 November 1702) was a [[Royal Navy]] officer. He joined the Navy in 1678, seeing action against [[Barbary pirates]] before leaving to join the [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)|Merchant Navy]] in which Benbow served until the 1688 [[Glorious Revolution]], whereupon he returned to the Royal Navy and was commissioned.

Benbow fought against the [[French Navy]] during the [[Nine Years' War]], serving on and later commanding several English warships and taking part in the battles of [[Battle of Beachy Head (1690)|Beachy Head]] and [[Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue|Barfleur and La Hogue]] in 1690 and 1692. He went on to achieve fame during his military accomplishments, which included fighting against Barbary pirates such as the [[Salé Rovers]], besieging [[Saint-Malo]] and seeing action in the [[West Indies]] against the French during the [[War of the Spanish Succession]].

Benbow's fame and success earned him a promotion to the rank of vice-admiral. He subsequently fought at the [[action of August 1702]], in which a number of his captains refused to support him in attacking the French.<ref name="matthew oxford"/><ref name="RNmuseum bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_john_benbow.htm|title=Biography: John Benbow|year=2004|work=The National Museum|publisher=The Royal Navy|access-date=7 June 2009|archive-date=14 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114031109/http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_john_benbow.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Benbow instigated the [[court-martial]] and subsequent imprisonment or execution of a number of the captains involved, though he did not live to see these results, dying of wounds sustained in battle. These events contributed to his notoriety, and led to several references to him in popular culture.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online" /><ref name="popular culture" />

== Family and early years ==
Benbow was born the son of William and Martha Benbow. The [[astrologer]] [[John Partridge (astrologer)|John Partridge]] recorded the exact time and date of his birth as being at noon on 10 March 1653, and this is the date used by the National Museum of the Royal Navy,<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'',<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/60370/John-Benbow|title=John Benbow|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2009-06-12}}</ref> and the local historical accounts of [[Joseph Nightingale]] published in 1818.<ref name="nightingale">Nightingale,&nbsp;pp. 167–175.</ref> A biography within an 1819 publication of ''The Gentleman's Magazine'', however, records in a short biography entitled ''Life and Exploits of Admiral Benbow'' by D. Parkes that he was born in 1650,<ref name="gentleman magazine">{{cite book|last=Parkes|first=D|title=Life and Exploits of Admiral Benbow|publisher=Printed by F. Jefferies|year=1819|volume=The Gentleman's magazine|pages=9–11}}</ref> as does the 1861 ''Sea kings and naval heroes'' by John George Edgar.<ref name="sea kings">Edgar,&nbsp;pp. 206–214.</ref> Edgar records that Benbow's father died when Benbow was very young,<ref name="sea kings" /> while Parkes' account describes his father as being in the service of the Army under [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and not dying until Benbow was in his teens. ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' writes that Benbow's father was in fact a [[Tanning (leather)|tanner]].<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online" /> Meanwhile, his uncle, Thomas, was executed by Charles I.<ref name="gentleman magazine" /> Both Parkes and the National Museum of the Royal Navy concur that Benbow was born in [[Coton Hill, Shropshire|Coton Hill]] in [[Shrewsbury]], [[Shropshire]],<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /><ref name="gentleman magazine" /> and Nightingale asserts that the death of both uncle and father, and the family's association with Charles I in the [[English Interregnum|years following]] his execution, ensured that the "family were brought very low". The young Benbow was employed at this time as apprentice to either a [[waterman (occupation)|waterman]] or a butcher.<ref>{{cite journal|last= Elias|first=Norbert|title=Studies in the Genesis of the Naval Profession|journal=The British Journal of Sociology| volume=1|issue=4|date=December 1950|publisher=London School of Economics and Political Science|location=London, United Kingdom|doi=10.2307/586890}}</ref> However his lack of income or possessions, Nightingale writes, turned him to a career at sea.

== Naval career ==
=== Early years ===
Benbow entered the Royal Navy on 30 April 1678, aged 25 years.<ref name="nightingale" /> He became [[master's mate]] aboard the 64-gun {{HMS|Rupert|1666|6}} under the command of Captain [[Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington|Arthur Herbert]], while she was fitting out at [[Portsmouth]].<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> He sailed with her to the [[Mediterranean]], where Herbert was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral while serving under the commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, Admiral Sir [[John Narborough]].<ref name="precursors of nelson">le Fevre,&nbsp;pp. 22–27.</ref> During this period the English fleet was often in action against the [[Barbary pirate]]s of [[North Africa]] that were actively preying upon European shipping.<ref name="precursors of nelson" /> ''Rupert'' herself captured an [[Algiers|Algerine]] warship in 1678, which was later commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS ''Tiger Prize''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hms-tiger.co.uk/Past%20History.htm|title=History of the HMS Tiger|last=Joy|first=Brian|access-date=2009-06-12|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012102258/http://hms-tiger.co.uk/Past%20History.htm|archive-date=2009-10-12}}</ref> Benbow distinguished himself well in a number of actions against the Algerine vessels, and won Herbert's approval. On Narborough's return to England, Herbert was appointed acting commander-in-chief, and made Benbow master aboard {{HMS|Nonsuch|1668|6}} on 15 June 1679.<ref name="stephen211">Stephen,&nbsp;p. 211.</ref> ''Nonsuch'' would remain at [[Tangiers]] and off the African coast and had a number of successive captains who would go on to achieve flag rank, including [[George Rooke]], [[Cloudesley Shovell]] and [[Francis Wheler]]. All were impressed by Benbow, and would afterwards help to advance his career.<ref name="stephen208" />

''Nonsuch'' was next in action on 8 August 1681, this time against the Algerine warship ''Golden Horse''. ''Golden Horse'' had been engaged by {{HMS|Adventure|1660|6}}, under the command of Captain [[William Booth (captain)|William Booth]], and when ''Nonsuch'' arrived on the scene ''Golden Horse'' surrendered.<ref name="allen76-81">Allen,&nbsp;pp. 76–81.</ref> A dispute then arose over the question of the prize money and how it should be shared out, and comments were made amongst ''Nonsuch''{{'}}s crew against those of ''Adventure''. Benbow's repetition of these eventually came to Booth's knowledge,<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> and the captain brought a [[court-martial]] against Benbow; however, this revealed that Benbow had only been repeating these words rather than being their originator.<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> Benbow was ordered to forfeit three months' pay, amounting to £12 15s., to ''Adventure''{{'}}s crew, and to "ask Captain Booth's pardon on board [[HMS Bristol (1660)|His Majesty's ship ''Bristol'']], declaring that he had no malicious intent in speaking those words; all the commanders being present, and a boat's crew of each ship's company".<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /><ref name="stephen208" />

=== Merchant trading ===
''Nonsuch'' then returned to England and was paid off on 9 November 1681. Benbow left the Royal Navy and entered the merchant service, sailing a merchant vessel from London and [[Bristol]] to ports in [[Italy]] and [[Spain]].<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> By 1686 he was a "tough merchant seaman" and the owner and commander of a [[frigate]] named ''Benbow'', trading with the [[Levant]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Blackwood|first=W.|title=Blackwood's magazine|year=1948|volume=v. 263–264|page=190|publisher=AMS Press |isbn=978-0-404-07730-3}}</ref> In May 1687 he commanded a merchant vessel, ''Malaga Merchant'',<ref name="clowes460">Clowes,&nbsp;p. 460.</ref> and was aboard her when she was attacked by the [[Salé Rovers]]. He mounted a successful defence and beat off the attack.<ref name="campbell 206" /> It was claimed afterwards that he cut off and salted the heads of thirteen North African pirates who were slain aboard his ship, and then took them into [[Cádiz]] to claim a reward from the city's magistrates.<ref name="campbell 206">Campbell,&nbsp;p. 206.</ref> A North African [[kufi]], "coated with varnish and set in silver" and bearing the inscription "First adventure of Captain John Benbow, and gift to Richard Ridley, 1687" is referred to in 1844 by [[Charles Dickens]] in ''Bentley's Miscellany'' where he speaks of Shrewsbury's history,<ref>{{cite book|last=Dickens|first=Charles|author2=William Harrison Ainsworth |author3=Albert Smith |author4=George Cruikshank |title=Bentley's Miscellany|publisher=[[Richard Bentley (publisher)|Richard Bentley]]|year=1844|page=590}}</ref> and the 1885 ''Dictionary of National Biography'' also relates the story.<ref name="stephen208">Stephen,&nbsp;p. 208.</ref>

=== Return to the Navy ===
[[File:Three admirals.jpg|thumb|300px|Thomas Murray's triple portrait of [[Thomas Phillips (engineer)|Thomas Phillips]] (left), John Benbow (centre) and Sir [[Ralph Delaval]] (right). The three had been important figures in British fleet operations against the north coast of France during 1692–93.<ref name="stephen 208-214"/>]]
Benbow only returned to the Royal Navy after the [[Glorious Revolution]] in 1688. His first recorded commission was to the post of [[third lieutenant]] of {{HMS|Elizabeth|1679|6}} on 1 June 1689, under the command of Captain [[David Mitchell (Royal Navy officer)|David Mitchell]].<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> His first command came on 20 September of that year, when he was appointed captain of {{HMS|York|1660|6}}. He was transferred to {{HMS|Bonaventure|1660|6}} on 26 October and then to {{HMS|Britannia|1682|6}} on 12 November.<ref name="RNmuseum bio" />

Benbow's next post was as Master Attendant of [[Chatham Dockyard]].<ref name="stephen208" /> He then moved to become Master Attendant at [[Deptford Dockyard]] in early March 1690, a post he intermittently held for the next six years.<ref name="bowle219">{{cite book|last=Bowle|first=John|author-link = John Bowle (historian)|title=John Evelyn and his world|publisher=Routledge|year=1981|page=[https://archive.org/details/johnevelynhiswor00bowl/page/219 219]|isbn=978-0-7100-0721-6|url=https://archive.org/details/johnevelynhiswor00bowl/page/219}}</ref> He was master of [[HMS Royal Sovereign (1660)|HMS ''Royal Sovereign'']] in summer 1690, under his old commander Arthur Herbert, now Lord Torrington.<ref name="bowle219" /> He was assigned to act as [[master of the fleet]], and took part in the English defeat in the [[Battle of Beachy Head (1690)|Battle of Beachy Head]]. After the defeat, a [[Royal Commission]] was held into the circumstances that led to it.<ref name="clowes460" /> Benbow was highly regarded as a specialist in both [[navigation]] and [[pilotage]],<ref name="matthew oxford"/> and his evidence given in July 1690 to the preliminary investigation strongly favoured his old patron, Torrington. He did not, however, testify during Torrington's court-martial in December that year.<ref>Stephen,&nbsp;p. 172.</ref>

Benbow continued aboard ''Sovereign'' throughout 1691, and by the summer of 1692, was again master of the fleet, this time under Admiral [[Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford|Edward Russell]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Royal Naval Exhibition|publisher=The Graphic|location=London|date=May 9, 1891|edition=Issue 1119}}</ref> then aboard ''Britannia''. Benbow worked closely with his old colleague David Mitchell, then serving as Russell's first captain, and [[Josiah Burchett]], Russell's clerk. Benbow may have advised Russell to take the Gull Passage inside the [[Goodwin Sands]] to [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|the Downs]], where they linked up with the Dutch forces.<ref>Aubrey,&nbsp;p. 82.</ref> Benbow served as master of the fleet during the [[Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue]]. After the battles, Benbow returned to Deptford to resume his duties as master attendant, spending a brief period at [[Portsmouth Dockyard]] helping to oversee repairs to the fleet.<ref>Merriman,&nbsp;p. 37</ref> He had already had his pay upgraded to that of a master attendant, he was now to be paid as a master, in addition to his master attendant's wage, presumably as an acknowledgement of his special services.<ref name="stephen208" />

=== With the bomb flotillas ===
[[File:Machine-infernale-1693-Saint-Malo.jpg|thumb|Benbow's attack on Saint-Malo, where he blew up the [[Fire ship|machine ship]] ''Vesuvius'', 1693]]
Benbow returned to active naval service in September 1693, joining [[Thomas Phillips (engineer)|Thomas Phillips]], the second engineer of the ordnance, in jointly commanding a flotilla of [[bomb vessel]]s to attack [[Saint-Malo]].<ref name="greenwich painting" /> Benbow went aboard the 48-gun {{HMS|Norwich|1693|6}} and began the bombardment on 26 November.<ref name="stephen214">Stephen,&nbsp;p. 214.</ref> It continued intermittently until 19 November when a large [[fireship]] was sent into the harbour. An attempt was made to bring her alongside the town walls, but she ran aground, was set on fire, and exploded. Despite the failure of the initial plan, considerable damage was done, and Benbow's forces were able to take the fort on Quince Rock and disable it, carrying artillery and prisoners away and bringing them to [[Guernsey]].<ref name="stephen 208-214">Stephen,&nbsp;pp. 208–214.</ref> Benbow was still dissatisfied with the overall result and initiated a court-martial against Captain Henry Tourville, accusing him of cowardice for not bringing his ship in closer. There was no conviction though, as the [[mortar (weapon)|mortars]] were proved to be defective.<ref name="allen76-81" />

[[File:Bombardement Dieppe 1694 gravure de 1701.jpg|thumb|Benbow's bombardment of [[Dieppe]] in July 1694]]

Benbow's experience led to him being promoted to a similar flotilla, this time to be deployed against [[Dunkirk]] under the command of Vice-Admiral Shovell. A number of converted merchant vessels, rigged like fireships but designed to explode rather than burn, were assigned to support the expedition.<ref name="sea kings" /> Benbow had a hand in preparing these vessels for the operation throughout 1694, and worked closely with the principal storekeeper of the ordnance, Willem Meesters.<ref>Clowes,&nbsp;p. 477.</ref><ref name="shovell">Harris,&nbsp;p. 190.</ref> Benbow's attacking fleet was covered by Shovell's fleet on the Downs and the attack was planned for 12 and 13 September.<ref name="shovell" /> However, the French were able to block the entrance to the port, preventing Benbow's squadron from entering, and a storm further disrupted operations.<ref name="shovell" /> Benbow drew back from Dunkirk, and instead sailed around to [[Calais]], where he carried out a further bombardment on 27 September. He returned to the Downs and then resumed his duties at Deptford Dockyard. He spent December organising a convoy for a fleet of merchant vessels due to sail to Cádiz.<ref name="bowle219" />

=== Rise to admiral ===
[[File:Benbow 1797.jpg|thumb|175px|Benbow as an admiral, engraved by John Chapman and published in 1797]]
Benbow was soon at sea again in March 1695, being appointed commander-in-chief of His Majesty's ships which were then off the coast of France. His squadron was highly successful, taking a number of French merchants in early April and bringing them to England as prizes.<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> Benbow was recommended by [[John Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley of Stratton|Lord Berkeley]], who had served with Benbow at Saint-Malo, to be promoted to rear-admiral at the next opportunity, and in the meantime he was appointed to the command of the 70-gun {{HMS|Northumberland|1679|6}}.<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> He was soon joined by a volunteer – his then fourteen-year-old son – also named John Benbow.<ref name="stephen211" /> Benbow then sailed with Berkeley and the Dutch [[lieutenant-admiral]] [[Philips van Almonde]] to Saint-Malo, intending to operate against [[privateer]]ing operations being conducted from the area.<ref name="matthew oxford"/><ref name="shovell" /> Benbow moved to command {{HMS|Charles Galley|1676|6}}, to direct the inshore operations of ten English and Dutch warships, nine English bomb vessels, and seventeen small boats and vessels.<ref name="clowes477-480">Clowes,&nbsp;pp. 477–480.</ref> They began operations on their arrival off Saint-Malo on 4 July, remaining in action until evening the next day when they withdrew, without having achieved any decisive result. Several houses had been destroyed for the damage and loss of a few of the bomb vessels.<ref name="clowes477-480" /> Benbow was given eight bomb vessels and seven or eight frigates and was dispatched down the coast. He attacked [[Granville, Manche|Granville]] on 8 July, shelling it with over 900 bombs over several hours, and departed having set the town ablaze.<ref name="clowes477-480" />

=== Public and private reception ===
The outcome of the operations had left Benbow in a tense relationship with his immediate superiors. Berkeley had been accused of excessive timidity in his actions, which it was believed had led to the failure of the attack on Dunkirk. Benbow on the other hand was widely lauded for his fearless inshore attacks with his bomb vessels.<ref>Stephen,&nbsp;pp. 208–211.</ref> Berkeley wrote on 28 July:

<blockquote>As to Captain Benbow, I know of no difference between him and me, nor have we had any. He has no small obligation to me, but being called in some of the foolish printed papers ‘the famous Captain Benbow’, I suppose has put him a little out of himself, and has made him play the fool, as I guess, in some of his letters. I will not farther now particularize this business, but time will show I have not been in the wrong, unless being too kind to an ungrateful man.<ref>{{cite book|title=Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series, of the Reign of William and Mary: 1695 & addenda 1689–1695|editor=[[William John Hardy]] and Edward Bateson|publisher=Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by Eyre and Spottiswoode|location=Public Record Office|year=1908|page=xii}}</ref></blockquote>

However, the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] approved of Benbow's conduct and ordered him "to be paid as Rear-Admiral during the time he has been employed this summer on the coast of France ... as a reward for his good service."<ref name="stephen211" /><ref name="stephen208" /> Benbow was then appointed to the grand committee of sixty men to oversee the plans for [[Greenwich Hospital (London)|Greenwich Hospital]] in December 1695, but the issue dragged on until 1 May 1696.<ref name="greenwich painting" /> The Admiralty again stepped in, and Benbow was finally promoted and appointed commander-in-chief of the squadron before Dunkirk as "Rear-Admiral of the Blue for the duration of this present expedition" and moved aboard the 70-gun {{HMS|Suffolk|1680|6}}.<ref name="matthew oxford">Matthew,&nbsp;pp. 50–68.</ref> His orders were to protect English and Dutch shipping, especially from the squadron of the privateer [[Jean Bart]]. Bart, however, was mostly successful in evading pursuit, usually escaping into Dunkirk when Benbow's force drew near.<ref>{{cite book|last=Clark|first=J. Kent|title=Goodwin Wharton|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1984|pages=308|isbn=978-0-19-212234-6}}</ref>

Benbow was appointed to command a squadron in the Soundings in December 1696.<ref>Stephen,&nbsp;p. 87.</ref> He carried out a number of cruises between March and August 1697, protecting allied trade and escorting the West Indian and Virginian merchant fleets into port. These activities marked the last English naval expedition of the war. He also carried out reconnaissance activities on the French fleet in port in [[Brest, France|Brest]] in July, before resuming patrol operations off Dunkirk, this time in concert with a number of Dutch ships under Rear-Admiral Philips van der Goes, until the end of the war in September 1697.<ref>Treves,&nbsp;pp. 289–295.</ref>

=== Appointment to the West Indies ===
Benbow was made commander-in-chief of the King's ships in the West Indies on 9 March 1698, and instructed to tackle the issue of [[piracy]].<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> He sailed in November, the first leg taking him from Portsmouth to [[Madeira]].<ref name="allen76-81" /> Sailing under his protection from the Salé Rovers was ''[[HMS Paramour (1694)|Paramore]]'', under [[Edmond Halley]], then sailing to the North Atlantic to carry out experiments to observe [[Magnetic declination|magnetic variations]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Halley |first1=Edmond |author1-link=Edmond Halley |last2=Thrower |first2=Norman Joseph William |title=The three voyages of Edmond Halley in the Paramore, 1698–1701 |publisher=Hakluyt Society |year=1981 |pages=36–39 |isbn=978-0-904180-02-2}}</ref> Benbow finally reached [[Barbados]] in February 1699, and moved to the [[Spanish Main]] aboard his [[flagship]], the 60-gun {{HMS|Gloucester|1695|6}}. He threatened the governor of [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]] with a blockade, and so compelled him to restore two English merchant ships that he had detained.<ref name="stephen 453">Stephen,&nbsp;p. 453.</ref> These ships had been intended to take part in an expedition against the Scottish [[Darién scheme]]. Without the ships, this became impossible and the colonists were saved for the time being. This was counter to the English government's desire to see the end of the Scottish colonising efforts, and in June Benbow and the other West Indies governors received orders "not to assist the Scotch colony in Darien".<ref>Stephen,&nbsp;p. 209.</ref>

Benbow then sailed as far north as [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] in order to drive the pirates away, but they evaded capture.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Robertson|first=James Alexander|title=Spanish Voyages to the Northwest Coast of America|journal=The Hispanic American Historical Review |pages=145–146}}</ref> Benbow returned to England in the summer of 1700, and was appointed to the command of a fleet in the Downs.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online" /> Benbow served there until summer 1701, under the command of Admiral Sir [[George Rooke]].<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> He was promoted to rear-[[admiral of the red]] on 14 April, followed by vice-[[admiral of the blue]] on 30 June.<ref name="greenwich painting" /> He then flew his flag in the 70-gun {{HMS|Breda|1692|6}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Herman|first=Arthur2|title=To rule the waves: how the British Navy shaped the modern world|publisher=Harper Collins|year=2004|page=[https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_c9l5/page/45 45]|isbn=978-0-06-053424-0|url=https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_c9l5/page/45}}</ref>

=== Spanish treasure fleet, West Indies, the action of 1702 ===
With the peace becoming increasingly uneasy, the English government became concerned over the possible fate of the Spanish silver fleet, due to arrive in European waters from America.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rodger|first=N. A. M.|title=The command of the ocean: a naval history of Britain, 1649–1815|publisher=W. W. Norton|year=2005|page=[https://archive.org/details/commandofoceanna00rodg/page/165 165]|isbn=978-0-393-06050-8|url=https://archive.org/details/commandofoceanna00rodg/page/165}}</ref> They were worried that the French would intercept the ships and use the treasure for war preparations. Benbow was issued secret instructions to find the fleet, and then "to seize and bring them to England, taking care that no [[embezzlement]] be made".<ref>Japikse,&nbsp;pp. 477–9</ref> Benbow's squadron was detached on 2 September and sailed for the West Indies, arriving on 14 November, and was at the [[Jamaica Station (Royal Navy)|Jamaica Station]] in mid-December.<ref name="gentleman magazine" /><ref>Cundall, p. xx</ref> He remained there for several months, being joined on 8 May 1702 by several vessels under Captain [[William Whetstone]]. Whetstone was made Rear-Admiral under Benbow, who had been promoted to Vice-[[Admiral of the White]] on 19 January 1702<ref name="stephen 453" />

By now, the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] had broken out, and news of its declaration reached Benbow on 7 July. He detached Whetstone and six ships to search off Port St Louis in [[Hispaniola]] for a French squadron under Admiral [[Jean du Casse]], which he believed would call at the port on his voyage to Cartagena, and from there he might raid English and Dutch shipping. After Whetstone had left, Benbow took his squadron and sailed for Cartagena, anticipating that either he or Whetstone would find Du Casse and bring him to battle.<ref name="roberts 76-81">{{cite book|last=Roberts|first=Walter Adolphe|title=The French in the West Indies|publisher=The Bobbs-Merrill Company|year=1942|pages=76–81|isbn=978-0-8154-0377-7}}</ref>
[[File:Adml Benbow courageously commanding his Men to fight after his Leg was shattered to Pieces.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The legend of 'Brave Benbow', "Adml Benbow courageously commanding his Men to fight after his Leg was shattered to Pieces, St Martha (West Indies) 19–24 July 1702."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/prints/viewPrint.cfm?ID=PAD5181|title=PAD5181 St Martha (West Indies) 19–24 July 1702|publisher=National Maritime Museum|access-date=2009-06-07|date=2015-08-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521043022/http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/prints/viewPrint.cfm?ID=PAD5181|archive-date=21 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>]]

By the time that Whetstone had reached Hispaniola, Du Casse had already departed. Benbow's force subsequently sighted the French on 19 August, sailing off Cape Santa Marta. The French had three transports and four warships carrying between 68 and 70 guns, while Benbow commanded seven ships carrying between 50 and 70 guns.<ref name="roberts 76-81" /> The English forces were heavily scattered, and the light winds meant that they were slow to regroup. They did not achieve a form of collective order until four in the afternoon, after which a [[Action of August 1702|partial engagement]] was fought, lasting about two hours, until nightfall caused the fleets to temporarily break off.<ref name="court martial">{{cite book|title=An Account of the Arraignments and Tryals of Col. Richard Kirkby, Capt. John Constable, Capt. Cooper Wade, Capt. Samuel Vincent, and Capt. Christopher Fogg|publisher=Behalf of Her Majesty, at a Court-martial Held on Board the Ship Breda in Port-Royal|year=1703|pages=1–10|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T3-qGAAACAAJ&q=john+benbow+august+1702}}</ref>

The action quickly revealed a breakdown in discipline amongst Benbow's captains. He had intended that the 64-gun {{HMS|Defiance|1675|6}} under Captain [[Richard Kirkby (Royal Navy)|Richard Kirkby]] would lead the line of battle, but Kirkby was not maintaining his station. Benbow decided to take the lead himself, and ''Breda'' pulled ahead, followed by the 50-gun {{HMS|Ruby|1660|6}} under Captain [[George Walton (Royal Navy)|George Walton]].<ref name="court martial" /> The two maintained contact with the French throughout the night, but the other five ships refused to close. The chase ensued until 24 August, with only Benbow, Walton, and Samuel Vincent aboard {{HMS|Falmouth|1693|6}} making active efforts to bring the French to battle. At times, they bore the brunt of the fire of the entire squadron. ''Ruby'' was disabled on 23 August, and Benbow ordered her to retire to [[Port Royal]].<ref name="court martial" /> The French resumed the action at two in the morning on 24 August, the entire squadron closing on ''Breda'' from astern and pounding her. Benbow himself was hit by a [[chain-shot]] that broke his leg and he was carried below.<ref>James,&nbsp;p. 57.</ref>

Benbow was determined to continue the pursuit, despite his wounds and despite Captain Kirkby's arrival on board, attempting to persuade Benbow to abandon the pursuit. Benbow summoned a council of war, and the other captains agreed, signing a paper drafted by Kirkby which declared that they believed "that after six days of battle the squadron lacked enough men to continue and that there was little chance of a decisive action, since the men were exhausted, there was a general lack of ammunition, the ships' rigging and masts were badly damaged, and the winds were generally variable and undependable."<ref name="matthew oxford" /> They recommended breaking off the action and following the French to see if the situation improved. Benbow had "seen the cowardly behaviour of some of them before, [and] had reason to believe that they either had a design against him or to be traitors to their country if an opportunity happened that the French could have destroyed the Admiral".<ref name="clowes477-480" /><ref>{{cite book|title=Publications of the Navy Records Society|publisher=Navy Records Society|year=1984|volume=4 – 125|page=168}}</ref> He, therefore, ordered the squadron to return to Jamaica. On their arrival, he ordered the captains to be imprisoned, awaiting a trial by court-martial.<ref name="court martial" />

Benbow received a letter from du Casse after the engagement:

<blockquote>
Sir,<br>
I had little hopes on Monday last but to have supped in your cabin: but it pleased God to order it otherwise. I am thankful for it. As for those cowardly captains who deserted you, hang them up, for by God they deserve it.<br>
Yours,<br>
Du Casse.<ref name="breda">{{cite web|url=http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=5114|title=HMS Dreda, 70 gun 3rd rate.|last=Phillips|first=Michael|work=Ships of the Old Navy|publisher=Age of Nelson.org|access-date=2009-06-07}}</ref><ref name="kingston">{{Cite book | title=How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311105425/http://www.athelstane.co.uk/kingston/rulewave/rwave12.htm|archive-date=2008-03-11| url=http://www.athelstane.co.uk/kingston/rulewave/rwave12.htm | first=<!--William Henry Giles-->W.H.G. |last=Kingston |access-date=2006-12-02 | isbn=978-1-4065-8371-7| date=November 2007| publisher=Dodo Press}}</ref>
</blockquote>

=== Trial of the captains ===
Acting Rear-Admiral Whetstone returned to Port Royal, having spent 62 days cruising off Hispaniola, and preparations were made for the trial. Before it could begin, Captain Thomas Hudson died, who had commanded {{HMS|Pendennis|1695|6}}. The remaining captains appeared at the court-martial which convened on ''Breda'', held between 19 and 23 October.<ref name="court martial" /> Due to his injuries, Benbow passed to Whetstone the role of presiding over the court, but he was present at the trial. The court found [[Richard Kirkby (Royal Navy officer)|Captain Kirkby]] of {{HMS|Defiance|1675|6}} and Cooper Wade of {{HMS|Greenwich|1666|2}} guilty of breach of orders, neglect of duty, and the "ill signed paper and consultation ... which obliged the Admiral ... to give over the chase and fight", and condemned them to be shot.<ref name="court martial" />

John Constable of {{HMS|Windsor|1695|6}} was found guilty of breach of orders and drunkenness and was [[cashiered]].<ref name="court martial" /> Samuel Vincent of ''Falmouth'' and Christopher Fogg of ''Breda'' were initially sentenced to be cashiered for signing the six captains' resolution, but Benbow personally declared that they had fought bravely, and their sentences were remitted by the [[British Admiralty|Lord High Admiral]].<ref name="court martial" /> The sentences were deferred so that [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] could have a chance to examine the proceedings. After her consideration in January 1703, she allowed the sentences to proceed and Constable, Kirkby, and Wade were returned to England as prisoners. Constable was imprisoned until 1704, when the Queen pardoned him. Kirkby and Wade were shot aboard {{HMS|Bristol|1660|6}} on 16 April 1703 while she was anchored in [[Plymouth Sound]] under Captain [[Edward Acton (Royal Navy officer)|Edward Acton]].<ref>Trevelyan,&nbsp;pp. 252–253.</ref> Controversy slowly began to develop over the events of August 1702. Supporters of the disgraced Kirkby and Wade sought to discredit Benbow by publishing their own account of the action.<ref name="matthew oxford" /><ref>Woodman,&nbsp;p. 48.</ref>

== Death and burial ==
Benbow died at Port Royal, [[Kingston, Jamaica]] on 4 November 1702.<ref name="RNmuseum bio" /> Whetstone reported that the cause of death was "the wound of his leg which he received in battle with Monsieur Du Casse, it never being set to perfection, which malady being aggravated by the discontent of his mind, threw him into a sort of melancholy which ended his life as before."<ref name="matthew oxford" /> He was buried on 16 November in the chancel of St Andrew's Church, Kingston.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online" /> A marble slab was later laid over the grave, emblazoned with a coat of arms and inscribed:

<blockquote>Here lyeth the Body of John Benbow, Esq., Admiral of the White, a true pattern of English Courage, who lost his life in Defence of his Queene & Country, November the 4th, 1702, In the 52nd year of his age, by a wound in his Legg. Received in an Engagement with Monsr. Du Casse; being Much Lamented.<ref>Verrill,&nbsp;p. 282.</ref></blockquote>

Secretary of State [[Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham|Lord Nottingham]] wrote to Benbow in January 1703, before news of his death had reached London, to inform him that the queen was "extremely well pleased with your conduct and much offended with the baseness of those officers who deserted and betrayed you." Meanwhile, the cabinet was preparing to promote him to vice-admiral of the white and to dispatch him to transport troops to Newfoundland.<ref name="matthew oxford" />

==Personal life and legacy==
Benbow married a woman named Martha (died 1722) after his return to England in 1681. The couple had at least seven children, including daughter Martha and sons Richard and [[John Benbow (explorer)|John]]. Another son Solomon was baptised in 1686 but died in infancy.<ref name="mirror">Laughton,&nbsp;p. 200.</ref> There are also records of two more sons named Richard who were born in [[Kent]], and another daughter named Katherine.<ref name="genealogy">{{cite web|url=http://www.benbowfamily.com/getperson.php?personID=I1227&tree=B1|title=History of the Benbow Family of the United Kingdom, and Selected Allied Families|author=Historians of the Charles Benbow Family|access-date=2009-06-20|archive-date=7 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707223039/http://www.benbowfamily.com/getperson.php?personID=I1227&tree=B1|url-status=dead}}</ref> Son John went on to serve in the Royal Navy.<ref name="mirror"/> The family lived in the parish of St Dunstan and All Saints, [[Stepney (parish)|Stepney]]. In 1709, Katherine married Paul Calton of [[Milton, Vale of White Horse#Manor|Milton]], Berkshire, where Benbow is said to have stayed in the 1690s.
According to Parish Records William Benbow son of Admiral John Benbow was buried at St Nicholas Parish Church, Deptford, Kent (now SE London) on 7 April 1729. One of the admiral's granddaughters married the Rev. John Simpson, who commissioned the current [[Stoke Hall, Derbyshire]], following his acquisition of the estate upon their marriage.<ref name="RHOYO">{{Cite episode | title = Stoke Hall and Nutbourne Pumping Station | series = Restoration Home - One Year On | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mg0st | access-date = 2013-07-22 | network =  BBC Television | date = 2012-08-29 | series-no = 1 | number = 1 }}</ref>

===Benbow and Peter the Great===
Benbow signed a three-year lease on [[Sayes Court]] in June 1696, a house belonging to diarist [[John Evelyn]].<ref name="welcher130-133">Welcher,&nbsp;pp. 130–133.</ref> Six months later, Evelyn wrote to a friend complaining, "I have let my house to Captain Benbow, and have the mortification of seeing everyday much of my former labours and expenses there impairing for want of a more polite tenant."<ref>Evelyn,&nbsp;p. 359.</ref> In January 1698, [[Peter I of Russia|Tsar Peter of Russia]] arrived in London to study British shipbuilding and seamanship. He and his entourage were provided with Sayes Court to reside in during their stay by William III. The Russians spent three months in London before leaving to tour the country. Benbow promptly asked for reparations from the [[HM Treasury|Treasury]], in order to be able to reimburse Evelyn and recover his own losses. He complained that the Russians had caused considerable damage to his house, with "much of the furniture broke, lost or destroyed".<ref>Morfill,&nbsp;p. 143.</ref> [[Christopher Wren]] was instructed to survey the property and declared it "entirely ruined". Benbow lost "twenty fine paintings" and "several fine draughts and other designs relating to the Sea" from his personal property. The Treasury eventually allowed payment of £350 9s. 6d. in compensation.<ref>Cross,&nbsp;p. 25.</ref>

==="Brave Benbow"===
[[File:Benbow wounded.jpg|thumb|right|250px|An engraving produced in 1804 that helped to promote the legend.]]

Benbow's fame led to his name entering popular culture. A monument by sculptor [[John Evan Thomas (Welsh sculptor)|John Evan Thomas]] was erected in 1843 by public subscription in [[St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury]] commemorating Benbow as "a skillful and daring seaman whose heroic exploits long rendered him the boast of the British Navy and still point him out as the Nelson of his times."<ref>Pidgeon,&nbsp;p. 85.</ref> A 74-gun [[ship of the line]] and two battleships were named {{HMS|Benbow}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/hms_benbow.htm|title=HMS Benbow|publisher=battleship-cruisers.co.uk|access-date=2009-06-12}}</ref>

[[File:Admiral Benbow. - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Admiral Benbow in Penzance, reportedly an inspiration for Stevenson's Inn]]
There are a number of real life ''Admiral Benbow'' [[public house]]s around the world, and other institutions that have borne his name.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Benbow |first1=W. A. |title=ADMIRAL BENBOW PUBS |url=http://bravebenbow.com/?page_id=386 |website=BraveBenbow |access-date=17 December 2021}}</ref> Whether they are named as a result of [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s use of ''"The Admiral Benbow Inn"'' in his novel ''[[Treasure Island]]'', or if they're named for the Admiral himself, it is impossible to say. It is alleged that Stevenson named the Hawkins' Inn after the arrest of several members of the "Benbow Brandy Men" smuggling gang that frequented the Benbow pub in Penzance shortly before he visited in August 1877.<ref>Watson,&nbsp;pp. 25–27.</ref><ref name="popular culture">Maxwell,&nbsp;p. 59.</ref><ref name="Brandy Men">{{cite news |last1=Gainey |first1=Tom |title=Cornwall's smuggling past - a look at six pubs at the heart of a 'golden age' of criminality |url=https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/history/cornwalls-smuggling-past-look-six-888128 |publisher=The Cornishman |date=10 December 2017}}</ref>

==="Admiral John Benbow" (song)===
The incident of August 1702 also took hold on the popular imagination, and was celebrated in an alehouse song, listed as [[List of folk songs by Roud number|number 227]] in the [[Roud Folk Song Index]]:

<blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><poem>
Come all you seamen bold
and draw near, and draw near,
Come all you seamen bold and draw near.
It's of an Admiral's fame,
O brave Benbow was his name,
How he fought all on the main,
you shall hear, you shall hear.

Brave Benbow he set sail
For to fight, for to fight
Brave Benbow he set sail for to fight.
Brave Benbow he set sail
with a fine and pleasant gale
But his captains they turn'd tail
in a fright, in a fright.

Says Kirby unto Wade:
We will run, we will run
Says Kirby unto Wade, we will run.
For I value no disgrace,
nor the losing of my place,
But the enemy I won't face,
nor his guns, nor his guns.

The Ruby and Benbow
fought the French, fought the French
The Ruby and Benbow fought the French.
They fought them up and down,
till the blood came trickling down,
Till the blood came trickling down
where they lay, where they lay.

Brave Benbow lost his legs
by chain shot, by chain shot
Brave Benbow lost his legs by chain shot.
Brave Benbow lost his legs,
And all on his stumps he begs,
Fight on my English lads,
'Tis our lot, 'tis our lot.

The surgeon dress'd his wounds,
Cries Benbow, cries Benbow
The surgeon dress'd his wounds, cries Benbow.
Let a cradle now in haste,
on the quarterdeck be placed
That the enemy I may face
'Til I die, 'Til I die.<ref>Nettel,&nbsp;pp. 286–287.</ref>
</poem></blockquote>

Its musical theme forms one of the three arrangements on which English composer [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] based his ''[[Sea Songs]]'', originally arranged for [[military band]] in 1923 as the second movement of his ''[[English Folk Song Suite]]'',<ref>[[Timothy Reynish]], notes for ''British Wind Band Classics'', [[Chandos Records]] 9697, 1999</ref> and subsequently re-arranged for full orchestra in 1942 by the composer.<ref>[[Philip Lane (composer)|Philip Lane]], notes for ''British Light Miniatures'', [[Naxos Records|Naxos]] 8.570332 (released 2007)</ref>

The song was collected in the oral tradition from [[traditional singer]]s in England in the twentieth century. A recording of Sam Bennett of [[Ilmington]], [[Warwickshire]] made by [[James Madison Carpenter]] in the 1930s can be heard on the [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] Website.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Admiral Benbow (continued) (VWML Song Index SN16606)|url=https://www.vwml.org/record/VWMLSongIndex/SN16606|access-date=2021-10-06|website=The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library|language=en-gb}}</ref> The [[Copper Family]] also have a traditional version of the song which was passed down through several generations and is available online.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sussex Traditions|url=https://sussextraditions.org/record/admiral-benbow-5/|access-date=2021-10-06|language=en}}</ref>

Another song has survived from the period with different air and rhythm but also known as ''Admiral Benbow'', and it is often sung by folksingers.  It begins ''We sailed from Virginia and thence to Fayal''.

==="Down By the Sea" ([[Men at Work]] song)===
Benbow is briefly mentioned in the Australian new wave band Men at Work song, "Down By the Sea" (''"Down on the beach/Saluting Captain Benbow"''); on their 1981 album ''[[Business_as_Usual_(Men_at_Work_album)|Business as Usual]]''.

===Other Literary Records===
* {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838/Admiral Benbow|Admiral Benbow]]}} is Letitia Elizabeth's poetical illustration on the painting of Benbow by [[Godfrey Kneller|Sir G. Kneller]], engraved by W. T. Mote (actually [[William Henry Mote]]) from Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838 together with a brief historical note. <ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=49BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA42|section=poetical illustration|pages=50-52|year=1837|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=49BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA48|section=picture|year=1837|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
{{wikisource|Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838/Admiral Benbow|Admiral Benbow}}

==References==
=== Specific ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== General ===
{{refbegin}}

====Online====
* {{cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/2076?docPos=1|title=Admiral John Benbow|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/2076}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuExplore/PaintingDetail.cfm?ID=BHC2546|title=Vice-Admiral John Benbow, 1653–1702|work=Maritime Art Greenwich|publisher=Greenwich Maritime Museum|date=2015-08-20}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_john_benbow.htm|title=Biography: John Benbow|year=2004|work=The National Museum|publisher=The Royal Navy|access-date=7 June 2009|archive-date=14 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114031109/http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_john_benbow.htm|url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Benbow, John|volume=3|page=715}}
* {{cite DNB|wstitle=Benbow, John (1653-1702) <!--NB dash not ndash on wikisource--> |display=Benbow, John (1653–1702)|first=John Knox|last= Laughton|volume=4}}
{{Colbegin}}
* {{Cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32072755|title=Ship – ''Admiral Benbow'', from Liverpool, attacked by Pirates, April, 1829.|pages=4|newspaper=Sydney Monitor (Nsw : 1828 – 1838)|date=1829-11-14}}

====Printed====
* {{cite book|last=Allen|first=Joseph|title=Battles of the British Navy|url=https://archive.org/details/battlesbritishn01allegoog|publisher=Published by Henry G. Bohn|year=1852|isbn=978-0-217-70408-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Aubrey|first=Philip|title=The defeat of James Stuart's Armada, 1692|publisher=Leicester University Press|year=1979|isbn=978-0-7185-1168-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Benbow|first=William A.|title=Brave Benbow: The Life of Vice-admiral John Benbow, 1651–1702|publisher=[[Bill Benbow (publisher)|Bill Benbow]]|year=1992|edition=5th}}
* {{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John|author-link=John Campbell (author)|author2=William Stevenson|title=Lives of the British Admirals|url=https://archive.org/details/livesofbritishad0006camp|publisher=[[C. J. Barrington (publisher)|C. J. Barrington]]|location=Harvard University|year=1812|isbn=978-0-665-33213-5|author-link2=John Berkenhout&#93;&#93;, &#91;&#91;Henry Redhead Yorke&#93;&#93;, &#91;&#91;William Stevenson (antiquary)}}
* {{cite book|last=Clowes|first=William Laird|author2= Alfred Thayer Mahan|title=The Royal Navy|publisher=Sampson Low, Marston and Co|location=University of Michigan|year=1898|volume=II|isbn=978-1-86176-017-3|author-link2=Alfred Thayer Mahan}}
* {{cite book|last=Cross|first=Anthony Glenn|title=Peter the Great through British eyes: perceptions and representations of the Tsar since 1698|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2000|isbn=978-0-521-78298-2}}
*{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924020417527#page/n27/mode/2up|title=Historic Jamaica|first=Frank|last=Cundall|publisher=West India Committee|year=1915}}
* {{cite book|last=Edgar|first=John George|title=Sea Kings and Naval Heroes|publisher=Published by F.Warne|location=Oxford University|year=1861}}
* {{cite book|last=Evelyn|first=John|title=Diary and Correspondence of John Evelyn|author2=William Bray|publisher=Published by H. G. Bohn|year=1859|volume=II|isbn=978-0-559-30610-5|author-link2=William Bray (antiquary)}}
* {{cite book|last=le Fevre|first=Peter|others=Joseph K. Lange, Richard Harding|title=Precursors of Nelson|publisher=Stackpole Books|year=2000|isbn=978-0-8117-2901-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Harris|first=Simon|title=Sir Cloudesley Shovell: Stuart Admiral|publisher=Spellmount|year=2001|isbn=978-1-86227-099-2}}
* {{cite book|last=James|first=Lawrence|title=The Rise and Fall of the British Empire|publisher=St. Martin's Griffen|year=1997|isbn=978-0-312-16985-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Japikse|first=N.|title=Correspondentie van Willem III en van Hans Willem Bentinck|language=de|year=1927}}
* {{cite book|last=Kennedy|first=Paul|title=The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery|publisher=Scribner|location=University of Michigan|year=1976|isbn=978-0-684-14609-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Laughton|first=Leonard George Carr|author2=Roger Charles Anderson|title=The Mariner's Mirror|publisher=Society for Nautical Research|location=London|year=1944}}
* {{cite book|last=Locker|first=Edward Hawke|title=The Naval Gallery of Greenwich Hospital|url=https://archive.org/details/navalgalleryofgr00lock|publisher=Harding and Lepard|location=Oxford University|year=1831}}
* {{cite book|last=Matthew|first=Henry Colin Gray|author2=Brian Howard Harrison|title=Oxford dictionary of national biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|volume=V|isbn=978-0-19-280089-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Maxwell|first=Kenneth|title= Naked tropics: essays on empire and other rogues|publisher=Routledge|year=2003|isbn=978-0-415-94577-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Merriman|first=Reginald Dundas|title=Queen Anne's Navy|publisher=Naval Records Society|year=1961}}
* {{cite book|last=Morfill|first=William Richard|title=Russia|publisher=Published by Fisher Unwin|year=1901|isbn=978-0-89875-762-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Nettel|first=Reginald|title=Sing a Song of England|publisher=Phoenix House|year=1954}}
* {{cite book|last=Nightingale|first=Joseph|title=Shropshire|publisher=Gentleman's Magazine|year=1818}}
* {{cite book|last=Pidgeon|first=Henry|title=Memorials of Shrewsbury|url=https://archive.org/details/memorialsshrews01pidggoog|publisher=Published by J. H. Leake|location=Oxford University|year=1851|isbn=978-0-903802-00-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Rodger|first=N. A. M.|title=The Wooden World|publisher=W. W. Norton & Co. Ltd.|year=1996|isbn=978-0-393-31469-4}}
* {{cite DNB|no-icon=1|last=Stephen|wstitle=Benbow, John (1653-1702) <!--NB dash not ndash on wikisource--> |display=Benbow, John (1653–1702)|volume=4}}
* {{cite book|last=[[Herbert Strang|Strang, Herbert]]|url=https://archive.org/details/humphreyboldstor00straiala|title=Humphrey Bold, A story of the time of Benbow|publisher=Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill company|location=American Libraries of the Encyclopædia Britannica|year=1909}}
* {{cite book|last=[[George Macaulay Trevelyan|Trevelyan, George Macaulay]]|title=England Under Queen Anne|publisher=Longmans, Green and Co.|location=Indiana University|year=1948}}
* {{cite book|last=Treves|first=Frederick|title=The Cradle of the Deep|url=https://archive.org/details/cradledeepaccou00trevgoog|publisher=Emith, Elder & Co., New York Public Library|location=New York|year=1908|edition=3rd}}
* {{cite book|last=Verrill|first=Alpheus Hyatt|title=In the wake of the buccaneers|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.180146|publisher=The Century Co|year=1923|isbn=978-0-87380-168-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Watson|first=Harold Francis|title=Coasts of Treasure Island|publisher=Published by Naylor Co|year=1969}}
* {{cite book|last=Welcher|first=Jeanne K.|title=John Evelyn|url=https://archive.org/details/johnevelyn00welc|url-access=registration|publisher=Twayne Publishers|location=University of Michigan|year=1972}}
* {{cite book|last=Woodman|first=Richard|title=A Brief History of Mutiny|publisher=Carroll & Graf|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7867-1567-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofmu0000wood_y8k7}}
{{Colend}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|John Benbow}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Good article}}

{{Pirates}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benbow, John}}
[[Category:1653 births]]
[[Category:1702 deaths]]
[[Category:17th-century Royal Navy personnel]]
[[Category:English military personnel of the Nine Years' War]]
[[Category:British naval commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Shrewsbury]]
[[Category:Royal Navy vice admirals]]
[[Category:Maritime folklore]]
[[Category:Treasure Island]]
[[Category:Robert Louis Stevenson]]