Josiah Burchett

In addition to his administrative duties, he was the author of the first general history of the Royal Navy, published in 1720 and based on official Admiralty records.

[1][2] Burchett served on Russell's flagship, the 100-gun HMS Britannia, at the battle of Barfleur in 1692 during the War of the Grand Alliance.

[3] Using official reports received by the Admiralty, Burchett wrote the Memoirs of Transactions at Sea during the War with France, which was published in 1703[4] by the Queen's Printer, Edward Jones.

In 1720 he published the lengthy book A Complete History of the Most Remarkable Transactions at Sea, which was reissued in 1995 by John Hattendorf of the U.S.

This book was published by the printing firm J. Walthoe under royal licence of King George I of Great Britain and was clearly based on the official reports received in the Admiralty.

The "Entire and Genuine Collection of Pictures of Josiah Burchett, Esquire" was auctioned by Christopher Cock from his house in the Great Piazza, Covent Garden on 6–9 April 1747.