Born into a naval family, Macnamara served in the East Indies during the last years of the American War of Independence, seeing action with Hughes at the Battle of Cuddalore.

He returned to naval service during the Spanish and Russian armaments, and was serving with Lord Hood aboard HMS Victory on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars.

He finished his service in the Mediterranean with action at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, and later served in the West Indies before the Peace of Amiens.

Macnamara found himself in trouble with the law after killing a man in a duel, but summoned a bevy of naval officers to testify in his defence, and was acquitted.

He married in 1818 and died in 1826, having served with prominent naval officers like Hood, Jervis and Nelson in a long and distinguished career.

[1] Gibraltar went out that year to the East Indies, flying the broad pennant of Commodore Sir Richard Bickerton.

He took part in the occupation of Toulon and was promoted by Hood to the rank of master and commander on 22 October 1793, at about the time of the evacuation of the port.

[2] Southampton was assigned to a squadron commanded by Commodore Horatio Nelson, supporting the Austrian army in Genoa.

[5] But as Southampton prepared to lower her boats to take possession of the French ship, her foremast, which had been damaged during the engagement, went by the board.

[6] The captain replied with a broadside, and Macnamara brought Southampton alongside and sent his first lieutenant, Charles Lydiard, over in command of the boarders.

[6] Macnamara reported his triumph to Jervis Sir, in obedience to the orders I received from you on the Victory's quarter-deck last evening, I pushed through the Grande Passe, and hauled up under the batteries on the N.E.

of Porguerol with an easy sail, in hopes that I should be taken for a French or neutral frigate, which I have great reason to believe succeeded, as I got within pistol-shot of the enemy's ship before I was discovered, and cautioned the Captain through a trumpet not to make a fruitless resistance, when he immediately snapped his pistol at me, and fired a broadside.

At this period, being very near the heavy battery of Fort Breganson, I laid him instantly onboard, and Lieutenant Lydiard, at the head of the boarders, with an intrepidity that no words can describe entered and carried her in about ten minutes, although he met with a spirited resistance from the captain (who fell) and a hundred men under arms to receive him ... After lashing the two ships together, I found some difficulty in getting from under the battery, which kept up a very heavy fire, and was not able to return through the Grande Passe before half after one o'clock this morning...The prize, a 24-gun corvette named Utile, was taken into service with the Royal Navy as HMS Utile and Lydiard was promoted and given command of her, a commission confirmed on 22 July 1796.

[7][8][a] Macnamara's later service with Nelson included the capture of Portoferraio, the evacuations of Caprera and Corsica, and expeditions against Piombino and Castiglione.

[9][10] Macnamara had already developed a reputation for intrepidity bordering on recklessness, and he displayed these qualities again in an attack on the 18-gun Spanish brig Corso in a strong gale under enemy shore batteries.

[3][9] Southampton returned to Britain within a few months of the battle, and Macnamara was appointed to command the 32-gun HMS Cerberus, initially on the Irish station.

[9][11] During his time there he captured the 10-gun French privateer Echange, and on 20 October 1799 came across a convoy of Spanish merchantmen escorted by five frigates and two brigs.

[14] Macnamara defended himself from the charge on the grounds that he had received an affront and that it was necessary for him to challenge it in order to maintain his position as a naval officer.

He summoned many of his naval friends, among whom Viscounts Hood and Nelson, Lord Hotham, Sir Hyde Parker, Sir Thomas Troubridge, Captains Martin, Towry, Lydiard, Moore and Waller; and General Churchill and Lord Minto, to testify in his defence.

I immediately despatched John, for Mr. Heavyside, and Barrie to Cooper’s for pistols, and we were all in less than an hour on Primrose Hill, where we waited a long time.