John Charnock

Illustration from Charnock's book on marine architecture

John Charnock (28 November 1756 – 16 May 1807) was a Royal Navy volunteer[1] and author. He wrote a book on the history of marine architecture, a book on Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, and Biographia Navalis about leading figures in Britain's Royal Navy.[2]

Charnock studied at Trinity College, Oxford. He volunteered with the Royal Navy and researched historical and contemporary naval affairs. He was able to hear stories and obtain letters from his friends in the Royal Navy, especially Captain William Locker.[2]

Charnock's six-volume Biographia Navalis was published from 1794 to 1798.[2] In common with William James, William Richard O'Byrne and others who attempted to make a career writing about the Royal Navy, he then encountered financial difficulty.[3]

  1. ^ "An History of Marine Architecture: Including an Enlarged and Progressive View of the Nautical Regulations and Naval History, Both Civil and Military, of All Nations, Especially of Great Britain - Cambridge Library Collection - Naval and Military History (Paperback)". Waterstone's. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Laughton, John Knox (1887). "Charnock, John" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 10. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  3. ^ Lambert, Andrew. "Charnock, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/5170. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)