The archives at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, contain several volumes entitled “Appointments of Officers”.1 These books contain lists of the applicants who had written to Lord Sandwich seeking an appointment within the Royal Navy for a variety of posts from Carpenters to Captains.
The name of John James Lambrecht (born 1756)2 appears in one of these books in the section devoted to “Mates and Midshipmen”. Applications were considered only if they were supported by a Naval officer or somebody of consequence. In the case of John James Lambrecht, who became a midshipman in Adventure during Cook’s Second Voyage, his supporter was the Lord Chancellor, the most senior Justice in England.
The Daily Advertiser for 20 April, 1774, reported the death of John Lambrecht, father of John James Lambrecht.
Yesterday, during the Time of the Lord Chancellor’s hearing Petitions in Bankruptcy, John Lambrecht, Esq.. Secretary of Bankrupts was seized with a Fit of the Gout in the Stomach, and expired about Four o’clock the same day.
This report shows the close working relationship between the Lord Chancellor and John Lambrecht, and may explain why the Lord Chancellor was assisting his secretary’s son to enter the Royal Navy.
Cliff Thornton
References
- Reference numbers SAN/4, SAN/5 and SAN/6.
- Cook’s Log. 2016. Vol. 39, no. 2. Page 32.
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 40, volume 49, number 3 (2026).