102-755: John Paul Jones (born John Paul ; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born American naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War . Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regarded by several commentators as one of the greatest naval commanders in the military history of the United States . Born in Arbigland , Kirkcudbrightshire , Jones became
204-522: A brawler, a rake, and a professional and social climber. Although these elements of his character do not detract from his feats at sea, they do, perhaps, cast in doubt his eligibility for a prominent place in the ranks of America's immortals." Jones was an investor in western lands with William Trent . Continental Navy Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
306-523: A career; gave her some money, and dismissed her.” Ségur investigated the accusation and suggested to Potemkin that it was false, and that Jones was the victim of a plot by Prince Charles for his own purposes. Ségur advanced theories that Jones had either "offended men who shared the Empress's bed" or else that he had angered Catherine by refusing "advances" from her. Jones' appeal to Potemkin "...fell on deaf ears, leaving Jones without Russian support against
408-591: A command in the North Sea. Other factors may have included the theoretical resentment of rival officers, some of whom were several ex-British naval officers also in Russian employment, who regarded Jones as a renegade and refused to speak to him. As a foreigner among the Russian court, Jones threatened the existing power structures. He had successfully defeated the Turkish Navy, and was no longer as important to
510-486: A conflict between Simpson and Jones. Both ships arrived at port safely, but Jones filed for a court-martial of Simpson, keeping him detained on the ship. Partly through the influence of John Adams, who was still serving as a commissioner in France, Simpson was released from Jones's accusation. Adams implies in his memoirs that the overwhelming majority of the evidence supported Simpson's claims. Adams seemed to believe Jones
612-419: A considerable distance at Countess . Quickly recognizing that he could not win a battle of big guns, and with the wind dying, Jones made every effort to lock Richard and Serapis together (his famous, albeit apocryphal, quotation, "I have not yet begun to fight!" was said to have been uttered in reply to a demand to surrender in this phase of the battle). After about an hour, he succeeded, and he began clearing
714-552: A decoration of "l'Institution du Mérite Militaire" and a sword. By contrast, in Britain at this time, he was usually denigrated as a pirate. Jones was also admitted as an original member of The Society of the Cincinnati in the state of Pennsylvania when it was established in 1783. In June 1782, Jones was appointed to command the 74-gun USS America , but his command fell through when Congress decided to give America to
816-538: A defensive strategy, and bickered with Nassau Segan, who wanted to rush in and attack. Jones wanted to use a V shape with his fleet, placing it at the mouth of the Bug river to funnel the Turkish navy down the river into a killing field created by deadly cross-fire, but the wind was against him. Still, he had his fleet create this formation by throwing their anchors out and dragging themselves into place. The strategy worked, and
918-425: A fire broke out in the steeple, and the forestair was added in 1742. Further repairs to the roof were needed in the 1740s and 1750s. In 1763, the forestair was modified to accommodate a fresh water pump. By the later eighteenth century the council decided that a larger building was needed, since the tolbooth had no storage space for records, and the council chambers were too small for county meetings and elections; it
1020-637: A foothold in Paris society. Thomas Carlyle wrote of him, "Poor Paul! Hunger and dispiritment track thy sinking footsteps". During this time he made several attempts to re-enter the service in the Russian Navy. However, Catherine did not respond to his letters, explaining to their go-between Baron von Grimm that Jones' service record was not exceptional, and that as a result of the rape suit against Jones Russian seamen refused to serve under him. Catherine also used her influence to block attempts by Jones to join
1122-423: A glove factory. In 1971 the tolbooth, along with the fountain in its forestair and the mercat cross, were designated a Category A listed building . In 1993 it was renovated by the council, and re-opened by Queen Elizabeth II as an art centre. Kirkcudbright Tolbooth was used at several times in its history to imprison people convicted of practising witchcraft or, in later years, of pretending to do so. In
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#17327724047771224-563: A keyhole he saw Jones was in a gown, not his uniform. Bahl also stated he "...later saw the girl leaving, her lips covered in blood and face swollen from weeping. He further told the police that he entered his master’s chamber to make the bed that night and discovered drops of blood on the floor." The rape had been reported slightly over a day after it was said to have occurred, which meant the case would ordinarily not have continued due to Russian statutory codes considering any such delay evidence of consent, but Catherine intervened directly to allow
1326-432: A loan of £2000. Construction began in 1627, and the building was completed in 1629. The converted church initially continued to house the town's clock and bell, but in 1642 the council declared "the necessity of ane steple and bellhouse to keep their knok (clock) and bell quhilk (which) is a special ornament belonging to every burgh, and which they are bound by the ancient laws of this kingdom to maintain and uphold". A tax
1428-546: A local dignitary commented: Of old, balls and concerts took place in the highest room of the Old Tolbooth, now occupied by the Rifle Company; and I have conversed with persons who told me that they had frequently tripped 'the light fantastic toe' there, over the heads of the miserable debtors and criminals in the prison below. How the ladies dressed out in all their feathers and war paint, with hoops or trains made
1530-509: A reconnaissance boat and learned that Drake had taken on dozens of soldiers with the intention of grappling and boarding Ranger , so Jones made sure that did not happen, capturing Drake after an hour-long gun battle in which British captain George Burdon was killed. Lieutenant Simpson was given command of Drake for the return journey to Brest. The ships separated during the return journey as Ranger chased another prize, leading to
1632-633: A result of this and other frustrations, Jones was assigned the smaller command of the newly constructed USS Ranger on June 14, 1777, the same day that the new Stars and Stripes flag was adopted. After making the necessary preparations, Jones sailed for France on November 1, 1777, with orders to assist the American cause however possible. The American commissioners in France were Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane , and Arthur Lee , and they listened to Jones's strategic recommendations. They promised him
1734-844: A revolutionary spirit. It is known that he was elected to the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia in 1774. Jones left for Philadelphia shortly after settling in North America to volunteer his services around 1775 to the newly founded Continental Navy , precursor to the United States Navy . During this time, the Navy and Marines were being formally established, and suitable ship's officers and captains were in great demand. Jones's potential would likely have gone unrecognized were it not for
1836-624: A sailor at the age of thirteen, and served in the British Merchant Navy , including several slave ships . After killing a mutinous subordinate, he fled to the British colony of Virginia to avoid being arrested and in c. 1775 joined the newly established Continental Navy. During the ensuing war with Great Britain , Jones participated in several naval engagements with the British Royal Navy . Commanding
1938-401: A strong ebb tide. They successfully spiked the town's big defensive guns to prevent them being fired, but lighting fires proved difficult, as the lanterns in both boats had run out of fuel. To remedy this, some of the party were sent to raid a public house on the quayside, but the temptation to stop for a quick drink led to a further delay. Dawn was breaking by the time they returned and began
2040-498: A sword in a dispute over wages. Years later, in a letter to Benjamin Franklin describing the incident, John Paul claimed that the killing was committed in self-defense, but he was not willing to wait to be tried in an Admiral's Court , which would have taken months to assemble, and where the family of his first victim had been influential. He felt compelled to flee. There is an 18-month gap in Jones's history, and some biographers explore
2142-414: A tried naval commander, especially sought out by her agents abroad, during wartime, showing that she merited the allegations against Jones higher than his potential martial service. In May 1790, Jones arrived in Paris. He still retained his position as Russian Rear Admiral, with a corresponding pension which allowed him to remain in retirement until his death two years later, but he was no longer able to find
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#17327724047772244-558: A variety of uses. Amongst the people incarcerated in the tolbooth during its use as a prison were people accused of witchcraft , and as late as 1805 it was used to imprison a woman convicted of pretending to be a witch. It was also used to imprison Covenanters during the Killing Time of 1679–1688; in 1684 a crowd stormed the building, killing a guard and freeing the Covenanters held within. American naval hero John Paul Jones
2346-516: A vessel carrying a vital supply of winter clothing intended for General John Burgoyne 's troops in Canada. Despite his successes at sea, Jones' disagreements with those in authority reached a new level upon arrival in Boston on December 16, 1776. While at the port, he began feuding with Commodore Hopkins, as Jones believed that Hopkins was hindering his advancement by talking down his campaign plans. As
2448-561: A veteran of the American Revolutionary War. Kościuszko advised him to leave the service of the autocratic Russia and serve another power, suggesting Sweden . On March 31, 1789, Jones was accused of raping a 10-year-old Russian girl named Katerina Stepanova, a "daughter of German immigrants living in St. Petersburg." Stepanova testified to the police that she had been summoned to Jones' apartment to sell him butter, when she
2550-631: Is thought that during this time Jones developed his close friendship with Franklin, whom he greatly admired. On February 6, 1778, France signed the Treaty of Alliance with America, formally recognizing the independence of the new American republic. Eight days later, Captain Jones's Ranger became the first American naval vessel to be formally saluted by the French, with a nine-gun salute fired from Captain La Motte-Piquet 's flagship. Jones wrote of
2652-510: The 1735 Witchcraft Act was introduced in both England and Scotland, making it impossible to apply penalties to someone for actually practising witchcraft, but allowing for people to be convicted for the pretence of witchcraft; penalties could be applied to people who gained financially by claiming to have supernatural powers. Those who still believed that witchcraft was a real threat had no option but to prosecute those whom they suspected of practising it under this new law. In 1805 Jean Maxwell, who
2754-518: The Raid on Canso . Jones's next command came as a result of Commodore Hopkins's orders to liberate hundreds of American prisoners forced to labour in coal mines in Nova Scotia, and also to raid British shipping. On November 1, 1776, Jones set sail in command of Alfred to carry out this mission. Winter conditions prevented freeing the prisoners, but the mission did result in the capture of Mellish ,
2856-671: The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright on the southwest coast of Scotland. His parents married on November 29, 1733, in New Abbey , Kirkcudbrightshire. John Paul started his maritime career when he was 13, sailing out of Whitehaven in the northern English county of Cumberland as apprentice aboard Friendship under Captain Benson. Paul's older brother William Paul had married and settled in Fredericksburg , Colony of Virginia . Virginia
2958-527: The Turks , in concert with the Dnieper Flotilla commanded by Prince Charles of Nassau-Siegen . Jones faced a considerable and larger Turkish fleet that consisted of over 100 vessels including 18 ships of the line and 40 frigates. Jones ships were poorly built, manned by impressed serfs, and were not fully armed. Additionally, he had to communicate with his fleet through a translator. He wanted to use
3060-492: The sloop USS Providence . Congress had recently ordered the construction of thirteen frigates for the American Navy, one of which was to be commanded by Jones. In exchange for this prestigious command, Jones accepted his commission aboard the smaller Providence . Over the summer of 1776 as commander of Providence , Jones performed various services for the Continental Navy and Congress. These services included
3162-422: The 'old wife of Bogha', was imprisoned in the tolbooth from 1696 to 1698, accused of bewitching animals. The harsh conditions during her incarceration eventually led her to wish to die, and she confessed to the crimes; she was executed and burned on 24 August 1698. By 1735, lawmakers had come around to the idea that the practice of witchcraft, as traditionally understood, was not a real-world possibility. As such,
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3264-403: The 1990s, most of the internal partitions were modern, probably due to rearrangements due to frequent changes in the building's use in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is now used as an art gallery and visitor centre: most of the upper part of the building is gallery space, with a small reception area and a gift shop and café on the ground floor. At least two buildings served as the tolbooth for
3366-490: The 42-gun USS Bonhomme Richard , a merchant ship rebuilt and given to America by the French shipping magnate, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray . On August 14, as a vast French and Spanish invasion fleet approached England, he provided a diversion by heading for Ireland at the head of a five-ship squadron including the 36-gun USS Alliance , 32-gun USS Pallas , 12-gun USS Vengeance , and Le Cerf , also accompanied by two privateers, Monsieur and Granville . When
3468-494: The British decks with his deck guns and his Marine marksmen in the rigging. Alliance sailed past and fired a broadside, doing at least as much damage to Richard as to Serapis . Meanwhile, Countess of Scarborough had enticed Pallas downwind of the main battle, beginning a separate engagement. When Alliance approached this contest, about an hour after it had begun, the badly damaged Countess surrendered. With Bonhomme Richard burning and sinking, it seems that her ensign
3570-399: The British to board Bonhomme Richard was thwarted, and a grenade caused the explosion of a large quantity of gunpowder on Serapis 's lower gun-deck. Alliance returned to the main battle, firing two broadsides. Again, these did at least as much damage to Richard as to Serapis , but the tactic worked to the extent that Serapis was unable to move. With Alliance keeping well out of
3672-569: The Campaign of the Liman . In his addendum to the Encyclopedia of American Biography entry on Jones, Walter R. Herrick —citing S. E. Morison 's, John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography (1959)—concluded "In sum, Jones was a sailor of indomitable courage, of strong will, and of great ability in his chosen career. On the other side of the coin, it must be admitted that he was also a hypocrite,
3774-585: The Danish and Swedish navies. By this time, his memoirs had been published in Edinburgh. Inspired by them, James Fenimore Cooper and Alexandre Dumas later wrote their own adventure novels: Cooper's 1824 novel The Pilot contains fictionalized accounts of Jones's maritime activities, and Dumas' Captain Paul is a follow-up novel to The Pilot , published in 1846. During this period, he wrote his Narrative of
3876-555: The French as replacement for the wrecked Le Magnifique . As a result, he was given assignment in Europe in 1783 to collect prize money due his former hands. At length, this too expired and Jones was left without prospects for active employment, leading him on April 23, 1787, to enter into the service of the Empress Catherine II of Russia , who placed great confidence in Jones, saying: "He will get to Constantinople ". He
3978-475: The Revolution. Regardless of any controversy surrounding the mission, Ranger ' s capture of Drake was one of the Continental Navy's few significant military victories during the Revolution. Ranger ' s victory became an important symbol of the American spirit and served as an inspiration for the permanent establishment of the U.S. Navy after the revolution. In 1779, Captain Jones took command of
4080-772: The Royal Navy. The earl was discovered to be absent from his estate, so his wife entertained the officers and conducted negotiations. Canadian historian Peter C. Newman gives credit to the governess for protecting the young heir to the Earldom of Selkirk , Thomas Douglas , and to the butler for filling a sack half with coal and topping it up with the family silver, in order to fob off the Americans. Jones claimed that he intended to return directly to his ship and continue seeking prizes elsewhere, but his crew wished to "pillage, burn, and plunder all they could". Ultimately, Jones allowed
4182-469: The area and change his name while on bail. The man who died of his injuries was not a usual sailor but an adventurer from a very influential Scottish family. Leaving Scotland, John Paul commanded a London-registered vessel named Betsy , a West Indiaman mounting 22 guns, engaging in commercial speculation in Tobago for about 18 months. This came to an end, however, when he killed a mutinous crew member with
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4284-401: The arson attacks, so efforts were concentrated on the coal ship Thompson in the hope that the flames would spread to adjacent vessels, all grounded by the low tide. However, in the twilight, one of the crew slipped away and alerted residents on a harbourside street. A fire alert was sounded, and large numbers of people came running to the quay, forcing the Americans to retreat, and extinguishing
4386-478: The ascent of the horrid stairs, I know not... In the early nineteenth century, the tolbooth had four cells: two for debtors, and two for criminals. Between 1815 and 1816, a new block with seventeen cells was built adjoining the new courthouse at 85 High Street, making the tolbooth redundant as a prison. The new courthouse was itself rebuilt in 1868, and was succeeded by the County Buildings , which became
4488-484: The assault with two boats of fifteen men just after midnight on April 23, hoping to set fire to and sink all of the ships anchored in Whitehaven's harbor, which numbered between 200 and 400 wooden vessels and consisted of a full merchant fleet and many coal transporters. They also hoped to terrorize the townspeople by lighting further fires. As it happened, the journey to shore was slowed by the shifting wind, as well as
4590-429: The attack resulted in the death of one of the tolbooth's guards, and John Graham of Claverhouse pursued the attackers. In an engagement at Auchencloy several days afterwards, Graham captured a number of people including William Hunter and Robert Smith, who were taken to the tolbooth and held there until their trial and execution. John Paul Jones , who would go on to become a hero of the American Revolutionary War ,
4692-447: The attempt and drive Ranger towards Ireland, causing more trouble for British shipping on the way. On April 20, Jones learned from captured sailors that the Royal Navy sloop of war HMS Drake was anchored off Carrickfergus , Ireland. According to the diary of Ranger ' s surgeon, Jones's first intention was to attack the vessel in broad daylight, but his sailors were "unwilling to undertake it", another incident omitted from
4794-648: The building), added in the 18th century and blocking a door to the prison at the base of the tower. The town's mercat cross now stands on the landing of the forestair; it has a carved base, a 1.95-metre (6.4 ft) chamfered stone shaft, and a triangular finial carved with the date 1610 and the initials EME. At the base of the forestair is a well, with lead spouts and a bolection moulded frame with an inscription which reads: THIS FOUNT – NOT RICHES – LIFE SUPPLIES, ART GIVES WHAT NATURE HERE DENIES; POSTERITY MUST SURELY BLESS SAINT CUTHBERT'S SONS WHO PURCHAS'D THIS. WATER INTRODUCED 23D MARCH 1763. Attached to
4896-534: The centre of local government and law enforcement. From the twelfth century, royal burghs were allowed to hold markets and conduct international trade, and to levy tolls and customs on these commercial activities; the word tolbooth derives from the role the buildings played as the centre of that commercial administration. Their most important functions were as a place for councils and courts to convene, for ceremonial civic functions, and as prisons for debtors and criminals. They usually had bells, which were used to mark
4998-518: The command of Indien , a new vessel being constructed for America by the Netherlands in Amsterdam. Britain, however, was able to divert L'Indien away from American hands by exerting pressure to ensure its sale to France instead (which had not yet allied with America). Jones was again left without a command, an unpleasant reminder of his stagnation in Boston from late 1776 until early 1777. It
5100-417: The councilors were complaining about the condition of the building, and declared their intention to construct a new building that would serve the needs of the town. Funds were raised from local landowners, by giving over a portion of the fines collected by local magistrates to the council, and by selling rights to the booths that would be available in the new building; Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar also provided
5202-464: The crew acted as if they were aboard a privateer , not a warship, led by Lieutenant Thomas Simpson, Jones's second-in-command. Jones led Ranger back across the Irish Sea, hoping to make another attempt at Drake , still anchored off Carrickfergus . Late in the afternoon of April 24, the ships, roughly equal in firepower, engaged in combat. Earlier in the day, the Americans had captured the crew of
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#17327724047775304-450: The crew to seize a silver plate set adorned with the family's emblem to placate their desires, but nothing else. Jones bought the plate when it was later sold off in France, and he returned it to the Earl of Selkirk after the war. The attacks on St Mary's Isle and Whitehaven resulted in no prizes or profits which would be shared with the crew under normal circumstances. Throughout the mission,
5406-553: The details below. Request from 172.68.168.151 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 904986028 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:40:04 GMT Kirkcudbright Tolbooth Kirkcudbright Tolbooth is a historic municipal building in Kirkcudbright in Kirkcudbrightshire in the administrative area of Dumfries and Galloway , Scotland. Built between 1627 and 1629 to serve
5508-627: The endorsement of Richard Henry Lee , who knew of his abilities. With help from influential members of the Continental Congress , Jones was appointed as a 1st Lieutenant of the newly converted 24-gun frigate USS Alfred in the Continental Navy on December 7, 1775. Jones sailed from the Delaware River in February 1776 aboard Alfred on the Continental Navy's maiden cruise. It was aboard this vessel that Jones took
5610-511: The event: "I accepted his offer all the more for after all it was a recognition of our independence and in the nation". On April 10, Jones set sail from Brest, France , for the western coasts of Great Britain. Jones had some early successes against British merchant shipping in the Irish Sea . He persuaded his crew on April 17, 1778, to participate in an assault on Whitehaven , the town where his maritime career had begun. Jones later wrote about
5712-479: The flames with the town's two fire-engines. The townspeople's hopes of sinking Jones's boats with cannon fire were dashed because of the prudent spiking. Jones next crossed the Solway Firth from Whitehaven to Scotland, hoping to hold for ransom Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk , who lived on St Mary's Isle near Kirkcudbright. The earl, Jones reasoned, could be exchanged for American sailors impressed into
5814-468: The honour of hoisting the first U.S. ensign, the Grand Union Flag , over a naval vessel. The fleet had been expected to cruise along the coast but was ordered instead by Commodore Esek Hopkins to sail for The Bahamas, where Nassau was raided for military supplies. The fleet had an unsuccessful encounter with a British packet ship on their return voyage. Jones was then assigned command of
5916-452: The inscription "SOLI DEO GLORIA MICHAEL BVRGERHVYS ME FECIT ANNO 1646" (Glory to God alone. Michael Burgerhuys made me in the year 1646). The smaller bell in the steeple was made in London in 1841 by Thomas Mears . A third bell, known as 'the toun's litle bell', is displayed within the tolbooth. It measures 34 centimetres (13 in) in height and 44 centimetres (17 in) in diameter, and
6018-457: The island of Texel in neutral (but American-sympathizing) Holland. In the following year, King Louis XVI of France honored Jones with the title " Chevalier ". Jones accepted the honor and desired the title to be used thereafter: when the Continental Congress in 1787 resolved that a medal of gold be struck in commemoration of his "valor and brilliant services" it was to be presented to "Chevalier John Paul Jones". He also received from Louis XVI
6120-462: The judgment of the Russian sovereign." However, the international pressure applied by American and French connections via the Comte de Ségur persuaded Catherine to grant Jones two years' leave abroad, a de facto exile, rather than the usual punishment for rape by an officer of decapitation or a lifetime of penal labor; according to Jacob Bell: The Empress' actions here proved her priorities. She dismissed
6222-615: The larger Turkish navy was defeated. During the battle, Nassau Segan's flagship fled the battle to a safe position. But when the battle was won, and the enemy flagship was trapped, grounded on a sandbar, Jones ordered his crew to approach and capture the flagship. Instead, his Russian captain pulled up short, anchored himself, and let Nassau Segan claim the prize. Despite it being Jones's successes and strategies, during this time, Potemkin's letters to Empress Catherine gave credit to Nassau Segan to prevent Jones from gathering power at court. When Jones confronted Potemkin and told him that he (Potemkin)
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#17327724047776324-519: The legal proceedings to continue (she was known to intercede in "cases where women faced insurmountable odds."). Jones hired a lawyer, who soon quit the case, speculatively by order of Catherine via the Governor-General of St. Petersburg. Jones claimed in a statement to prosecutors that he had "often" paid Stepanova for sex previously, but denied that he had raped her. Jones stated he had not taken her virginity and believed her to be older than
6426-458: The line of his own great guns, Captain Pearson of Serapis accepted that prolonging the battle could achieve nothing, so he surrendered. Most of Bonhomme Richard ' s crew transferred to other vessels, and after a day and a half of frantic repair efforts, it was decided that the ship could not be saved. Bonhomme Richard was allowed to sink, and Jones took command of Serapis for the trip to
6528-405: The meeting place for the newly formed Kirkcudbrightshire County Council in 1890. The town council retained ownership of the tolbooth, and the town's mercat cross was moved to the top of the forestair. Over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the building was put to a number of different purposes, including a coastguard station, offices for a volunteer rifle company and, for a time,
6630-412: The official report. Therefore, the attack took place just after midnight, but the mate responsible for dropping the anchor to halt Ranger right alongside Drake misjudged the timing in the dark (Jones claimed in his memoirs that the man was drunk), so Jones had to cut his anchor cable and run. The wind shifted, and Ranger recrossed the Irish Sea to make another attempt at raiding Whitehaven. Jones led
6732-406: The point of starving having nothing of ther own nor nothing allowed them for ther sustenance", and in the winter of that year Paine died "through cold, hunger [and] other inconveniences of the prison". The other women were found to have been "maliciously misrepresented as guiltie of the most horrid crymes", and were released in the summer of 1672. Elspeth McEwen , from Balmaclellan , also known as
6834-414: The poor command qualities of his senior officers (having tactfully avoided such matters in his official report): "'Their object', they said, 'was gain not honor'. They were poor: instead of encouraging the morale of the crew, they excited them to disobedience; they persuaded them that they had the right to judge whether a measure that was proposed to them was good or bad". Contrary winds forced them to abandon
6936-566: The possibility that in order to escape Tobago, he may have become a pirate. Rumors of piracy followed him, but may have been created by his detractors. But he eventually reappeared in Fredericksburg, Virginia, leaving his fortune behind; he also sought to arrange the affairs of his brother, who had died there without leaving any immediate family. He was granted land in Frederick County, Virginia. About this time, John Paul assumed
7038-445: The profitable Two Friends while docked in the British colony of Jamaica . He found his own passage back to Scotland and eventually obtained another position. John Paul's career was quickly and unexpectedly advanced during his next voyage aboard the brig John , which sailed from port in 1768, when both the captain and a ranking mate suddenly died of yellow fever . With the crew encouraging and voting him to, Paul managed to navigate
7140-469: The rank of rear admiral . However, after he was accused of raping a 10-year-old girl, Katerina Stepanova, he was forced out of the Russian navy and soon died in Paris at the age of 45. A Freemason , Jones made many friends among U.S. political elites, including John Hancock , Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin . John Paul, as he was then known, was born on the estate of Arbigland near Kirkbean in
7242-430: The royal burgh of Kirkcudbright prior to the construction of the surviving building. The whereabouts of the original medieval tolbooth are uncertain; the site and its building materials were sold by the burgh council a few years after they acquired a former church to replace it in 1570. The church, which stood a short distance to the east of the current building, was converted for use as a tolbooth and maintained, but by 1625
7344-482: The ship back to a safe port, and in reward for this feat the vessel's grateful Scottish owners made him master of the ship and its crew, giving him ten percent of the cargo. He led two voyages to the West Indies before running into difficulty. During his second voyage in 1770, John Paul had one of his crew flogged after trying to start a mutiny about early payment of wages, leading to accusations that his discipline
7446-477: The squadron met a large merchant convoy off the coast of Flamborough Head , East Yorkshire . The 44-gun British frigate HMS Serapis and the 22-gun hired armed ship Countess of Scarborough placed themselves between the convoy and Jones's squadron, allowing the merchants to escape. Shortly after 7 p.m. the Battle of Flamborough Head began. Serapis engaged Bonhomme Richard , and Alliance fired from
7548-502: The squadron was only a few days out of Groix , Monsieur separated because of a disagreement between her captain and Jones. Several Royal Navy warships were sent towards Ireland in pursuit of Jones, but on this occasion, he continued right around the north of Scotland into the North Sea . Jones's main problems, as on his previous voyage, resulted from insubordination, particularly by Pierre Landais, captain of Alliance . On September 23,
7650-555: The start of the working day, of curfew , and of public events, and from the seventeenth century it was obligatory for them to house a clock; the steeple of the tolbooth's clock tower was considered a mark of civic pride, and of the authority of the council. From the seventeenth century onwards the word became increasingly synonymous with 'prison', and from the eighteenth century town councils started to erect larger and more commodious buildings, known as town houses or council houses, from which to conduct council business, while maintaining
7752-473: The summer of 1671, five women were accused of casting charms on animals and of attempting to cure children and adults using witchcraft. Bessie Paine, Janet Hewat, Grissall McNae (or Rae), Margaret McGuffok and Margaret Fleming were arrested in Dumfries , bound, and transported to Kirkcudbright to be imprisoned in the "dark dungeon" of the tolbooth. They were held in "a most miserable conditione being alwayes at
7854-759: The surname of Jones (in addition to his original surname). There is a long-held tradition in the state of North Carolina that John Paul adopted the name "Jones" in honor of Willie Jones of Halifax, North Carolina . Jones courted Dorothea Spotswood Dandridge , the future bride of Patrick Henry , and made a valuable friendship with Dr. John K. Read during his time in Virginia. In the summer of 1775, Jones met Joseph Hewes and other revolutionary leaders in Philadelphia. From that period, America became "the country of his fond election", as he afterwards expressed himself to Baron Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol . It
7956-517: The tolhouse as a place of incarceration. Kirkcudbright Tolbooth is a large building, somewhat church-like in appearance, at the corner of Kirkcudbright's right-angled High Street. It has a long, three-storey block running roughly east-west, measuring 22.1 metres (73 ft) by 6.6 metres (22 ft), with a square tower at the east end. The main block and the lower portion of the tower, which would originally have been harled , are made of rubble with red sandstone dressings. The upper stages of
8058-408: The tower, which bear a nineteenth-century clockface, are of ashlar , and are surmounted by a corbeled parapet which is drained by stone spouts. There are obelisks on each of the corners of the parapet, and in the centre is a conical stone spire topped by a boat-shaped weathervane . Beneath the tower on the north face of the building is an ashlar forestair (an outside stair at the front of
8160-408: The town as a centre of commercial administration, a meeting place for the council, and a prison, it was used for all these roles until the late eighteenth century when the council moved much of its business to new, larger premises they had constructed across the street; the tolbooth remained in use as a prison until the early nineteenth century, after which it remained in council ownership and was put to
8262-524: The transport of troops, the movement of supplies, and the escort of convoys. During this time, Jones was able to assist a 'brig from Hispaniola' that was being chased by HMS Cerberus and laden with military stores. The brig was then purchased by Congress and put in commission as USS Hampden with Captain Hoysted Hacker commanding. During a later six-week voyage to Nova Scotia, Jones captured sixteen prizes and inflicted significant damage in
8364-520: The wall of the tolbooth are two surviving sets of iron jougs , one at the north-west corner of the building about 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) above the level of the street, and one at the top of the forestair. Secured around the neck, these were used to restrain and publicly shame people convicted of misdemeanours . Hanging within the steeple are two bells. The principal bell, cast in the Netherlands in 1646, measures 52 centimetres (20 in) in height and 61 centimetres (24 in) in diameter, and carries
8466-630: The war. His immediate superior, Prince Potemkin, was known for his deviousness and court intrigue, and as a man who allowed only sycophants to serve under him, and chafed at Jones' pride and inexpert courtly intrigue. After Jones' Victory, Potemkin began to assign him impossible missions, designed to force him to fail. On June 8, 1788, Jones was awarded the Order of Saint Anna , but he left the following month, an embittered man. In 1789, Jones arrived in Warsaw , Poland , where he befriended Tadeusz Kościuszko ,
8568-621: The warship Ranger , Jones conducted a naval campaign in the North Sea , attacking British merchant shipping and other civilian targets. As part of the campaign, he raided the English town of Whitehaven , won the North Channel Naval Duel and fought at the Battle of Flamborough Head , gaining him an international reputation. Left without a command in 1787, Jones joined the Imperial Russian Navy and rose to
8670-479: Was "unnecessarily cruel". These claims were initially dismissed, but his favorable reputation was destroyed when the sailor died a few weeks later. John Paul was arrested for his involvement in the man's death. He was imprisoned in Kirkcudbright Tolbooth but later released on bail. The negative effect of this episode on his reputation is indisputable. The local governor encouraged John Paul to leave
8772-487: Was 12 rather than 10 years old and that his wife had left him for another man, lived in a brothel, and was herself promiscuous. Jones involved the Comte de Ségur , the French representative at the Russian court (and also Jones's last friend in the capital), to whom he claimed that Stepanova had come asking him for "linen or lace to mend" and then "Performed indecent gestures," but that he had "Advised her not to enter upon so vile
8874-442: Was being claimed; he wrote "I love women, I confess, and the pleasures that one only obtains from that sex; but to get such things by force is horrible to me." However, Jones would later claim the accusation was entirely false, stemming from the supposed desire of Katerina's mother, Sophia Fyodorovna, to gain financially from a prominent man. He also produced Katerina's father, Stephan Holtszwarthen, to testify in court that his daughter
8976-485: Was being manipulated by Nassau Segan, Potemkin responded "No one manipulates me, not even the Empress!" Jones (and Nassau-Siegen) repulsed the Ottoman forces from the area, but the jealous intrigues of Nassau-Siegen (and perhaps Jones's own ineptitude for Imperial politics) turned the Russian commander Prince Grigory Potemkin against Jones. Jones was recalled to Saint Petersburg for the claimed purpose of transfer to
9078-616: Was believed by her community to be a witch, was sentenced to a year's incarceration at the Kirkcudbright Tolbooth for "pretending to exercise witchcraft, sorcery, inchantment, conjuration, &c." The tolbooth was used to imprison a number of Covenanters in the period after the 1660 Restoration of Charles II , when adherence to the Covenant was abandoned by the Church of Scotland and outlawed. John Neilson of Corsock
9180-472: Was cast in Rotterdam. It is inscribed with "QUIRIN DE VISSER ME FECIT 1724" (Quirin[ius] de Visser made me, 1724). There is also a clock, which was installed in 1897; the tower's original clock, of a single-hand design and probably made in the Netherlands prior to 1580, is on display in the nearby Stewartry Museum . The interior features of the building are mostly modern; even before its refurbishment in
9282-472: Was charged in 1770 over the death of a ship's carpenter, Mungo Maxwell. Jones had ordered Maxwell flogged while they were both serving on the brig John . He later died of yellow fever while serving on another ship, the Barcelona Packet , and Maxwell's father complained that the wounds from the flogging had contributed to his death. Jones was arrested and incarcerated at Kirkcudbright Tolbooth. He
9384-400: Was decided to build a new town house, on the other side of the high street. This was completed in 1788, and the council offices and courthouse were moved over to the new building, but the tolbooth remained in use as a prison. It also continued to be used for some time to host public events; when a memorial stone was being laid to mark the construction of new public buildings in the town in 1878,
9486-544: Was freed on bail , and ultimately acquitted when testimony from the master of the Barcelona Packet indicated that Maxwell had been in good health when he joined its crew. Kirkcudbright Tolbooth has been the subject of paintings by a number of notable artists. Examples include William Hanna Clarke 's painting 'The Tolbooth, Kirkcudbright', which is in the collection of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum , and William Stewart MacGeorge 's painting of
9588-586: Was granted name as a French subject Павел де Жонес ( Pavel de Zhones , Paul de Jones). Jones avowed his intention, however, to preserve the condition of an American citizen and officer. As a rear admiral aboard the 24-gun flagship Vladimir , he took part in the naval campaign in the Dnieper-Bug Liman , an arm of the Black Sea , into which the Southern Bug and Dnieper rivers flows, against
9690-479: Was held at the tolbooth, having been arrested for allowing ministers loyal to the Covenant to preach in his house. He was fined 2,000 pounds Scots and released, but was later captured at the Battle of Rullion Green and hanged at Edinburgh . In late 1684, during the Killing Time of 1679–1688, a band of over 100 Covenanters mounted a raid on the tolbooth, and successfully freed some of their brethren;
9792-418: Was held in the tolbooth in 1770, following his arrest on suspicion of homicide after a sailor under his command died following a flogging Jones had ordered. Kirkcudbright Tolbooth was designated a Category A listed building in 1971. It was renovated in the 1990s, and is currently used as a visitor centre and art gallery . In Scottish towns from the medieval period to the nineteenth century, tolbooths were
9894-486: Was hoping to monopolize the mission's glory, especially by detaining Simpson on board while he celebrated the capture with numerous important European dignitaries. Even with the wealth of perspectives, including the commander's, it is difficult to determine what occurred. It is clear, however, that the crew felt alienated by their commander, who might well have been motivated by his pride. Jones believed his intentions were honorable and his actions were strategically essential to
9996-401: Was not long afterward that John Paul Jones joined the American navy to fight against Britain. Sources struggle with this period of Jones's life, especially the specifics of his family situation, making it difficult to pinpoint historically Jones's motivations for emigrating to America. It is not known whether his plans were not developing as expected for the plantation or if he was inspired by
10098-463: Was punched in the face by "a man wearing a white uniform, gold braids and a red ribbon," who then gagged her with a white handkerchief and vaginally penetrated her. A regimental surgeon and a midwife both examined her and found evidence to substantiate these physical and sexual assaults. Jones' manservant, Johann Gottfried Bahl, testified that Jones had been wearing his dress uniform when Stepanova entered Jones' chamber. He reported that on looking through
10200-399: Was raised to pay for construction, and work started on the new tower, which by 1644 was ready to receive the bell and clock from the church; the church's bell would shortly afterwards be replaced by the 1646 bell currently hanging in the steeple. In the years that followed, numerous repairs, alterations and extensions were made to the building. Extensive repairs were needed in the 1720s after
10302-428: Was shot away; when one of the officers shouted a surrender, believing his captain to be dead, the British commander asked, seriously this time, if they had struck their colors . Jones later remembered saying something like "I am determined to make you strike", but the words allegedly heard by crew-members and reported in newspapers a few days later were more like: "I may sink, but I'll be damned if I strike". An attempt by
10404-462: Was the destination of many of the younger Paul's voyages. For several years, Paul served in the British Merchant Navy , sailing aboard several merchantmen and slave ships , including the King George in 1764 (age 17) as third mate and Two Friends as first mate in 1766 (age 19). Once John Paul matured, he grew dissatisfied in slavery, and in 1768, he abandoned his prestigious position on
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