By Nick Pollard
Admiral Hawke is perhaps best known in Sunbury today by having a pub in Green Street named after him. Those who know the area a bit better will know that there is a Hawke House almost opposite the pub. But what about Admiral Hawke himself? Who was he and why is he commemorated in Sunbury? Edward Hawke was born in London in 1705 and joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15 on the North American station (when America was still a British colony). He gradually worked his way up the ranks and eventually became a ship’s captain, although without seeing any actual fighting until the Battle of Toulon, fought against the Spanish and French fleets during the War of the Austrian Succession in 1744. The battle went badly for the British, although Hawke distinguished himself as Captain of HMS Berwick. Promoted to Rear Admiral, he commanded the British fleet at the Second Battle of Finisterre, where he routed a French convoy in the Bay of Biscay and helped secure British domination of the Channel. During the peace which followed, he was elected MP for the naval town of Portsmouth, which he represented for the next 30 years. After the Seven Years War with France broke out in 1754, Hawke was back in action, now as a full Admiral, culminating in his victory at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759. This destroyed French plans to invade Britain. After his retirement from active service he became First Lord of the Admiralty, the head of the Navy, in 1766. Hawke retired to live in Sunbury, in what we now call Hawke House, in 1771. The print above shows this house, with a ballroom added on the right, supposedly for a visit by King George III. To the left is a separate kitchen, a common precaution at the time to avoid the spread of fire. The house had originally been built in 1703 for John Herring, a London merchant. Hawke was created Baron Hawke of Towton in Yorkshire (where his wife had inherited an estate) in 1776, and there is another ‘Admiral Hawke’ pub near there today. He died at Sunbury on 17th October 1781.
The subject of the next meeting of the Sunbury and Shepperton Local History Society will be ‘The History of the Spelthorne Parliamentary Constituency’ by the Rt. Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, who besides repre-senting Spelthorne is a noted historian. The talk takes place at Halliford School, Russell Road, Shepperton and all are welcome. Admission £2 for non-members. 19th May 8pm.