Andrew Snape Hamond papers, 1783-1873

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Summary

Creator:
Hamond, Andrew Snape, Sir, 1738-1828
Hamond, Graham Eden, Sir, 1779-1862
Fox, Henry Stephen, 1791-1846, correspondent
Abstract:
Andrew Snape Hamond and his son, Graham Eden Hamond, were British baronets and admirals in the Royal Navy in the early 19th century. The collection documents Andrew Hamond's service as comptroller of the navy, and Graham Hamond's command of several vessels and his travels. Topics include naval supplies, British ships, battles (including the Battle of Copenhagen, 1801), wars with Spain and France, smallpox vaccination, British politics, recruitment and impressment practices, naval promotions and awards, naval discipline, and the activities of various members of the Hamond family, including certifications and seals of the Hamond and Hamond-Graeme baronetcy. Some 1830s letters from British consul Henry Stephen Fox, writing from Rio de Janero to Sir Graham Eden Hamond (then British commander-in-chief in South America), report on conditions in Brazil, including details on economic conditions, courts, and British sailor discipline in Brazil. Some of these materials are in Spanish and Portuguese.
Extent:
5 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Language:
Materials in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Collection ID:
RL.13204

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains British naval and colonial adminstrative correspondence centered around Sir Andrew Snape Hamond, First Baronet, and his son, Sir Graham Eden Hamond, Second Baronet. Both men were admirals in the British Royal Navy. The materials largely document their professional work and communications, especially relating to naval supplies, outfitting of ships, and various voyages and commands.

There are three patents relating to the Hamond baronetcy and coats of arms, which include seals and other royal insignia (one from George III, and two from Queen Victoria). Aside from an 1820s manuscript arithmetic book from Andrew Snape Hamond-Graeme, future Third Baronet, the remainder of the collection consists of papers and documents arranged in chronological order. The earlier letters and documents relate to Andrew Snape Hamond's work as comptroller of the navy, concerning the importation of naval stores from nothern Europe. Much of these relate to prices and stores of supplies from Russia. The collection evolves chronologically to documents originating from and sent to Graham Eden Hamond. Letters between 1799 and 1806 from Graham Hamond to his parents date from his command of the H.M.S. Champion, Blanche, Plantagenet, and Lively. Later correspondence concerns a variety of topics, including: discipline (1824); smallpox vaccination (1825); a series of letters from George Charles Blake and John Wyatt Watling to Sir Graham Hamond, giving reports and updates from the H.M.S. Pearl, based in Ireland (1828-1832). Later letters discuss British naval policies and practices regarding treasure, impressment of sailors, rank and promotions, and battles in the British navy, and include Hamond's fruitless quest for a gold medal from the British government following the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen.

A subset of letters, dating from 1834 to 1836, and were received by Graham Eden Hamond, then British commander-in-chief for South America, from Henry Stephen Fox and his assistants at the British consulate in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Topics in Fox's correspondence include: distressed British seamen, naval stores, mutinous conduct, Brazilian court activities, and the use of a Brazilian vessel Mercurio as "accomodation of the Negroes aboard the Orion." These letters are present in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

Biographical / historical:

Andrew Snape Hamond, 1st Baronet, was a British naval officer and Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1781 to 1782, and Comptroller of the Navy from 1794 to 1828. He served in the Seven Years War and in the American Revolution, and was knighted following the Expedition to the Chesapeake (1777). Following American independence, Hamond was appointed Resident Commissioner of the Navy in Nova Scotia (1780-1784). In 1783, Hamond was awarded a baronetcy. He became Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1785, and was Comptroller of the Navy from 1794 until March 1806. From 1796 to 1806, he was a Member of Parliament for Ipswich.

Andrew Snape Hamond married Anne Graeme in March 1779, the heiress daughter of Major Henry Graeme. They had two children: Graham Eden Hamond and Caroline Hamond (who married Lt. Col. Francis Hood). Andrew Snape Hamond died in 1828 aged 89 in Norfolk. His son Graham inherited the baronetcy.

Graham Eden Hamond, 2nd Baronet, was born in 1779 and joined the Royal Navy in 1785 as a captain's servant for his father. He gradually rose in rank. After seeing action as a junior officer at the Glorious First of June and then at the Battle of Toulon, he commanded the HMS Blanche at the Battle of Copenhagen during the French Revolutionary Wars.

Hamond became commanding officer of the HMS Plantagenet and captured French ships in an action during the Napoleonic Wars. He took command of the HMS Lively and took part in the action of 5 October 1804, when three Spanish frigates laden with treasure were captured, and was then given command of the HMS Victorious and took part in the attack on Flushing during the Walcheren Campaign.

After a period of leave from the Navy, Graham Eden Hamond became commanding officer of the HMS Wellesley and conveyed the diplomat Lord Stuart de Rothesay to Brazil to negotiate a commercial treaty with the Emperor Pedro I. He inherited his father's baronetcy in September 1828. Hamond went on to be Commander-in-Chief, South American Station, in 1834. Hamond was promoted to vice admiral in 1837 and to full admiral in 1847. He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1855, and was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 10 November 1862. He died a month later, on 20 December 1862.

In December 1806 Hamond married Elizabeth Kimber. They had three daughters and two sons, including Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew Snape Hamond-Graeme, 3rd Baronet.

Sources cited: Wikipedia [accessed 2026 July 21].

Acquisition information:
The Andrew Snape Hamond and Graham Eden Hamond Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as purchases in 1968, 1971, 1977, 1995, and 1997. Includes Acc. 1995-0003.
Processing information:

The collection was assembled by Duke Library from assorted sources. Although initially cataloged as one collection, the papers were split into two collections (Andrew Snape Hamond and Graham Eden Hamond) in the 1990s. The Graham Eden Hamond Papers consisted exclusively of correspondence to Graham Hamond by H.S. Fox. The collections were rehoused, re-described, and merged back into one collection -- the Andrew Snape Hamond Papers -- during a reprocessing project in July 2026. The collection is arranged chronologically and reflects three generations of Hamond barons: Andrew Snape Hamond, Graham Eden Hamond, and (to a lesser extent) Andrew Snape Hamond-Graeme.

Processed by RL staff, 1968 and 1971. Graham Eden Hamond accessions were added in 1997. The collections' description and housing were revised by Meghan Lyon, July 2026.

Accessions described in this collection guide date from 1968, 1971, and 1997.

Arrangement:

Papers have been arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Andrew Snape Hamond Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1816c