Three hired armed cutters named Earl Spencer served the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary or Napoleonic Wars.
[1] At some point in early 1800, Earl Spencer and the hired armed cutter Nile recaptured Molly, which was in ballast.
[3] On 11 April Earl Spencer brought into the Downs the Danish East Indiaman Dintelle Catherina, Andrew Leistner, master.
[4] On 15 September Lieutenant Peter Rye[5] and Earl Spencer brought into Portsmouth a neutral vessel they had detained.
[7] Then on 23 November Earl Spencer left Portsmouth in search of a privateer reported to be off the back of the Isle of Wight.
[8] Around 19 September Earl Spencer brought into Portsmouth Maria Margaretta, which had been on her way to Havre with a cargo of iron, pitch, and tar.
A few days earlier Earl Spencer had chased a French 16-gun privateer lugger but had lost her quarry in a thick fog.
[14] On 5 February 1801 Earl Spencer brought into Portsmouth the Swedish ship Cupido, Bottcher, master, from Salo and Benecarlo.
She had chased some French gun vessels into Calais and had taken a shot from shore batteries that took away her boom, but causing no other damage.
[21] Shortly after the start of the Napoleonic Wars, Captain Thomas Chitty received a letter of marque on 25 May 1803 for the cutter Earl Spencer, of 162 tons (bm).
[22] On 8 July Lloyd's List reported that Earl Spencer had captured Jeune Anacaarsin, from New Orleans to Bordeaux, and sent her into Dover.
Earl Spencer, of Dover, was in company with the privateers Phoenix, of Jersey, and Henry, of Weymouth, when they captured Robuste, from New Orleans.
[24] On 13 September Lloyd's List reported that the French privateer Venus, of Nantes, had captured Royal Charlotte, Hamilton, master, sailing from Wilmington to London.
[35][b] Because Earl Spencer was based at Cork, and perhaps was even in the harbour on 19 November 1813, she shared with Trent, Tartarus, and Castilian in a grant of £5,000 for the detention there on that day of the Russian vessel Charlotte.