His very active service career was especially highlighted by his actions in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar, where his ship HMS Revenge was severely damaged and Moorsom was himself seriously wounded.

Born into a seagoing family at Whitby in Yorkshire in 1760, Moorsom was late to the navy, only joining aged 17, a good four years later than most of his contemporaries.

He was made lieutenant rapidly in 1784[1] following commendations from an action against a French convoy to America two years before, and then profited by the buildup to war in 1790 when he was granted promotion to Post captain.

[2] His service in the Revolutionary Wars was unremarkable, maintaining position in the blockading fleets of several ports where there was small opportunity for glory or action, especially in ships of the line, which he had soon graduated into.

[4] Robert Moorsom died peacefully in 1835 as a full Admiral of the Blue[5] and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath[6] and was buried at St Peter's Church, Cosgrove, Northamptonshire,[7] where a memorial plaque to him and his wife Eleanor (sister of cotton milling entrepreneur Jonathan Scarth) can still be seen.