Edward Knowles (Royal Navy officer)

Edward Knowles
Edward Knowles, portrait by Francis Cotes
Born	1744
Died	c. 28 December 1761 At sea in the English Channel aboard HMS Peregrine
Allegiance	Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	– 1761
Rank	Post Captain
Commands held	HMS Peregrine
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War Siege of Louisbourg Battle of the Plains of Abraham
Relations	Sir Charles Knowles, 1st Baronet (father)

Edward Knowles (1744 – c. 28 December 1761) was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the Seven Years' War.

Knowles was born into a distinguished naval family, with his father rising to the rank of admiral and receiving a baronetcy for his services. Edward followed him into the navy, and served with several important officers in operations during the Seven Years' War, which he spent mostly in North American waters. He supported the sieges of Louisbourg and Quebec and made the acquaintance of the natural philosopher John Robison, who spent some time as his mathematics tutor.

Knowles was eventually promoted to command his own ship, an elderly and much reworked vessel, which already had a reputation for being difficult to steer. He set off in poor weather to deliver important despatches to the British commands in the Bay of Biscay but never returned. His ship was presumed to have foundered at sea with the loss of all hands.

Edward Knowles was born in 1744, the only son from the marriage of Captain Charles Knowles and Mary Alleyne, the sister of John Alleyne. His father became a noted naval officer, rising to the rank of admiral and receiving a baronetcy for his services to his country. Edward attended Eton College and then followed his father into the navy. He first served with a colleague of his father, Captain Richard Howe, of HMS Magnanime. He afterwards went out with Admiral Sir Charles Saunders to the Siege of Louisbourg in February 1759, aboard the 90-gun HMS Neptune. Accompanying him as his personal mathematics tutor was John Robison, who spent the next few years with Edward, and would later serve with his father as a personal secretary. At Louisbourg Knowles took part in the assault on the 64-gun French ship Prudent, anchored in the harbour, and was later promoted to lieutenant during the voyage and operations to capture Quebec. He transferred to the 100-gun HMS Royal William to serve his commission.