Neptune
Wood Location
Abingdon, OXFORDSHIRE
Ship Information
Ship Commander - Capt Thomas Francis Fremantle
Guns - 98
Constructed at - Deptford
Killed in the battle - 10
Injured in the battle - 34
Wood Information
Size - 11 acres
Owner - Northmoor Trust
To be planted - between 7th November - 18th December 2005
The captain of Neptune was born at Aston Abbotts in Buckinghamshire, relatively close to this site.
The Northmoor Trust is hosting and planting Neptune Wood during the 2005/06 planting season. 10,000 oak from France, Spain and Great Britain will be planted with help from at least 600 school children and community groups on land adjacent to College Farm, Long Wittenham, kindly donated by Sir Martin and Lady Wood.
The key elements of Neptune will be:
- The creation of 4.5 ha woodland (10,215 trees) of French, Spanish and British oak
- A 130m avenue of hornbeam leading up to the entrance of Paradise Wood, (the forest research centre of the Northmoor Trust)
- A woodland pond to create wetland habitat and increase biodiversity
- A small area of woodland representing the other species utilised in the construction of the fleet
- An oak arboretum
- Woodland trails with full disabled access
- A small car park (400m2) for approximately six cars
- Interpretation boards
- Full open access to the public
The Northmoor Trust is based in South Oxfordshire and manages an estate of 300 hectares, including Little Wittenham Nature Reserve SAC, a conservation farm and new woodlands dedicated to forestry research. The Trust promotes conservation through exemplary land management, education and land science. It has a board of six trustees with 33 staff working in ecology, estate managment, education and forest research.
Events in Neptune Wood
A planting programme will take place throughout November and into December 2005 for local schools and youth groups to take part in.
A community planting day will take place on Saturday 12th November 2005. More details to follow.
To find out more about how to join in the planting events at Neptune Wood, visit the Northmoor Trust website.
More information
Thomas Francis Fremantle
Third son of John Fremantle, of Aston Abbots, Bucks., by his marriage with Frances, daughter and co-heiress of John Edwards of Bristol. Born in 1765, he entered the service in 1778. Captain of the Neptune at Trafalgar, the 21st October, 1805: she was the third ship in the weather column, and lost forty-four killed and wounded – gold medal, sword of honour from the Patriotic Fund. Died in 1819 at Naples, aged 54 when Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean.
HMS Neptune
HMS Neptune was one of a class of four ships, and with two others, the Dreadnought and the Temeraire, was present at the Battle of Trafalgar. She was built at Deptford dockyard and launched in 1797, being commissioned at the Nore before joining first the Channel Fleet, and then moving to the Mediterranean to join the command of Lord Keith.
At Trafalgar she was third in the line commanded by Lord Nelson, following Temeraire and HMS Victory. Neptune did not join close action until 1.45 p.m. when she passed through the enemy line and discharged her port broadside into the stem of the French Bucentaure (80 guns), which was the flagship of the French Admiral Villeneuve. She sailed on and discharged her guns at other ships, before Captain Fremantle laid Neptune alongside the Spanish Santissima Trinidad, the (then) largest warship in the world carrying 140 guns on four decks. As a three decker carrying 98 guns herself, Neptune was strong enough to engage such a formidable opponent, and maintained close action until the Santissima Trinidad was disabled. The Neptune then drew ahead and exchanged fire with other enemy ships until the end of the battle, in which she suffered 44 casualties, 10 killed and 34 wounded.
As one of the less damaged ships Neptune assisted other vessels during the storm that followed the battle, first towing the Royal Sovereign and then the Victory, which she led into Gibraltar on the 28th October. After repair she resumed service in the Channel Fleet and was also stationed in the West Indies, where she participated in other actions. In 1813 she was hulked at Plymouth and served as a temporary prison ship before being broken up in 1818.
Many thanks to Alan Aberg at the Society for Nautical Research for providing us with information on the ships and their commanders.
