But, either from some misunderstanding of the order,
or from some idea of Grenville's that the Spanish vessels rapidly
approaching were the ships for which they had been waiting, the
"Revenge" was delayed and cut off from her consorts by the Spaniards.
Grenville resolved to try to break through the middle of the Spanish
line. His ship was becalmed under the lee of a huge galleon, and after a
hand-to-hand fight lasting through fifteen hours against fifteen Spanish
ships and a force of five thousand men, the "Revenge" with her hundred
and fifty men was captured. Grenville himself was carried on board the
Spanish flag-ship "San Pablo," and died a few days later. The incident
is commemorated in Tennyson's ballad of "The Revenge."
The spelling of Sir Richard's name has led to much controversy. Four
different families, each of which claim to be descended from him, spell
it Granville, Grenville, Grenfell and Greenfield. The spelling usually
accepted is Grenville, but his own signature, in a bold clear
handwriting, among the Tanner MSS. in the Bodleian library at Oxford, is
Greynvile.
GRENVILLE (or GRANVILLE), SIR RICHARD (1600-1658), English royalist, was
the third son of Sir Bernard Grenville (1559-1636), and a grandson of
the famous seaman, Sir Richard Grenville. Having served in France,
Germany and the Netherlands, Grenville gained the favour of the duke of
Buckingham, took part in the expeditions to Cadiz, to the island of Rhe
and to La Rochelle, was knighted, and in 1628 was chosen member of
parliament for Fowey. Having married Mary Fitz (1596-1671), widow of Sir
Charles Howard (d. 1622) and a lady of fortune, Grenville was made a
baronet in 1630; his violent temper, however, made the marriage an
unhappy one, and he was ruined and imprisoned as the result of two
lawsuits, one with his wife, and the other with her kinsman, the earl of
Suffolk. In 1633 he escaped from prison and went to Germany, returning
to England six years later to join the army which Charles I. was
collecting to march against the Scots. Early in 1641, just after the
outbreak of the Irish rebellion, Sir Richard led some troops to Ireland,
where he won some fame and became governor of Trim; then returning to
England in 1643 he was arrested at Liverpool by an officer of the
parliament, but was soon released and sent to join the parliamentary
army. Having, however, secured men and money, he hurried to Charles I.
at Oxford and was despatched to take part in the siege of Plymouth,
quickly becoming the leader of the forces engaged in this enterprise.
Compelled to raise the siege he retired into Cornwall, where he helped
to resist the advancing Parliamentarians; but he quickly showed signs of
insubordination, and, whilst sharing in the siege of Taunton, he was
wounded and obliged to resign his command. About this time loud
complaints were brought against Grenville. He had behaved, it was said,
in a very arbitrary fashion; he had hanged some men and imprisoned
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