"Superseded" Purser 1800

[Anne W]

Would anyone know what "superseded" beside a Warrant Officer's record means exactly?
Thank you in advance,
Anne

[Geoffers]

I would assume he was replaced by someone else - but would stand to be corrected.

Does this relate to a specific posting? Was it the last entry in the record, or does he go onto other ships? Was he acting in rank at the time?

[Anne W]

One of my husband's distant cousin recently travelled to England and spent two days at TNA Kew looking up our mysterious Robert Reginald Richmond Rose's Naval records. She found that he was calling himself plain Richmond Rose in the Navy, but that he WAS the Purser on HMS Pelican from Aug 1799- Dec 1800. Written beside his records was "superseded"
We know that the Pelican was in Jersey in November 1800 when a huge storm hit the island. The Pelican and a couple of other ships dragged their anchors and were smashed against rocks and badly damaged.The other ships were beyond repair , but the last info I could find (via The London Gazette) was that they were trying to fix up the Pelican.
Our cousin came across several letters at TNA from "superseded" officers, asking for leave etc, none unfortunately from RRR Rose or anyone on the Pelican.
Could "superseded" mean an officer in the Navy without a ship? Or between ships?
RR rose goes on the serve as Purser on two other ships , leaving the Navy in 1806
Anne

[peter nicholl]

Hi Anne
"Your" HMS Pelican was an 18-gun fir built Brig Sloop, built by Perry of Blackwall and Commissioned 17 June 1795. She was sold in Jamaica in 1806.
As for "superseded officer", I believe it applies to one who was leapfrogged in promotion by a junior officer, or as John Adams (2nd President of the USA) put it "In an army, or a navy, sometimes the interest of the service requires, and oftener perhaps private interest and partial favor prevail, to promote officers over their superiors or seniors. But the consequence is, that those officers can never serve again together. They must be distributed in different corps, or sent on different commands. Nor is this the worst effect. It almost universally happens, that the superseded officer feels his heart broken by his disgrace. His mind is enfeebled by grief, or disturbed by resentment; and the instances have been very rare, of any brilliant action performed by such an officer."
HTH
Peter

[Peter Goodey]

I think that superseded in this context simply means replaced. There are many files listed in the National Archives catalogue where an officer requests to be superseded, often on health grounds.

[peter nicholl]

Also found this at http://www.pdavis.nl/Q7htm taken from The Queens Regulations and The Admiralty Instructios 1861

"No Paymaster, however, when paid off or superseded from one Ship, will be appointed to another, or advanced to a higher class, unless he shall have rendered and passed his Accounts in Office in a creditable manner, have exercised due economy in the expenditure of the Stores entrusted to his charge, and have discharged his duties with zeal and attention."

Peter

[Anne W]

Thank you everyone for all your help. It seems RRR Rose was replaced as Purser of the Pelican around the time of his marriage in Dec 1800 in Jersey.
Could I have everyone's opinion on another question please? We now know for sure that RRR Rose began his naval career in August 1799 on the Pelican. The Pelican spent all of 1799 till April 1800 in the Caribbean, under the command of Admiral Hyde Parker out of Jamaica. The question is, would the RN have sent a new Purser out from England, or would they have recruited a local man? This was a time of war with blockades etc. Could RRR Rose be from the Caribbean?
I've done some research on the Caribbean, and of course there are stacks of Rose's, a lot of them merchants, some plantation owners and even a slave trader! (I certainly hope this IS NOT our family). Before I go any further I'd like to know if this is a wild goose chase! What are the odds of Mr Rose being recruited from the Caribbean?
Thank you again,
Cheers
Anne

[Peter Goodey]

I know little about the navy but I wouldn't have thought that there could be a casual appointment of a Warrant Officer.