Robert Roddam was born to a gentry family in northern England, and entered the navy some years before the outbreak of the War of Jenkins' Ear.

He impressed his superior officers, including George Anson and Sir Peter Warren, with his ability and enthusiasm, particularly during a daring attack on a French force at Cedeira .

Sent to the Caribbean shortly after the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, Roddam encountered a powerful French squadron, and after a hard-fought struggle, was captured and taken prisoner.

He spent some time with the Channel Fleet watching the French coast, and was briefly employed as senior officer of one of the blockading squadrons, where he again showed his willingness to fight against heavy odds.

His final period of active service came during the Spanish armament of 1790, when he was commander-in-chief at Portsmouth, and readied ships for the anticipated war with Spain.

[1] Roddam entered the navy in 1735, joining the 20-gun HMS Lowestoffe as a midshipman under Captain Drummond, with whom he served in the West Indies for the next five years.

[1][4] With Superb paid off at Plymouth, Roddam was appointed third lieutenant of the 64-gun HMS Monmouth on 7 September 1742, serving under Captain Charles Wyndham.

Roddam was advanced to second lieutenant on 14 July 1744, during the captaincy of Henry Harrison, and two years later, on 7 June 1746, was promoted to his first command, that of the 14-gun sloop HMS Viper, which was nearing completion at Poole.

[1][5] Viper was launched at Poole on 11 June, and having got her ready for sea, Roddam sailed to join the Channel Fleet at Spithead, arriving on 26 July.

[6] Anson was later superseded by Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Warren, who in mid-1747 received word from a Bristol-based privateer that a fleet of some 30 ships were assembled at Cedeiro Bay, near Cape Ortegal, loaded with naval stores.

Roddam's time in the North Sea came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, which brought the War of the Austrian Succession to a close.

[1][8] He retained command of Greyhound and went out to North America to serve under Admiral Charles Watson at Louisbourg, who based Roddam at New York for the next three years until 1751.

A civil trial and court martial resulted, causing Roddam considerable trouble, and hinting at an anti-English mood among some sections of colonial society.

[1] While cruising off Cape Cabron, San Domingo on 18 March 1757, mysterious sails were sighted, which were at first assumed to be a small fleet of merchant ships being conveyed by two frigates.

Realising that with the wind in the Frenchman's favour, he could not escape, Roddam attempted to lure the frigate towards him, hoping to capture her before the rest of the fleet could intervene, and then send her immediately to Rear-Admiral George Townshend, the commander at Jamaica, with news of the French movements.

[9] Roddam still hoped to carry his plan of capturing one of them into execution, and assembled his men in an attempt to board the 64-gun Éveillé, but several of her consorts bore up and opened fire, damaging Greenwich's rigging and leaving her unmanageable.

The French commander, Captain Merville, gave Roddam the bedding of the ordinary ship's company and a dirty rug, and did not allow him to change his clothes.

[1] He had hoped for similar success to the minutes printed from Admiral Sir John Byng's court martial, which had been held earlier that year, but found they did not sell as well as he had expected.

[14] Roddam was exchanged shortly after his arrival in England, and went out as a passenger aboard HMS Montagu to join the fleet off Ushant under Sir Edward Hawke.

To do so he sailed Colchester through Le Ras, a narrow channel separating the Saints from the mainland, and entered Audierne Bay, and became the first known English ship to do so.

[15] On arriving he received orders to watch a fleet of transport ships, with an escort of 16 frigates, moored there, believed to be preparing to carry troops to invade Ireland.

[16] On Duff's return aboard HMS Rochester to resume command of the squadron, and finding Colchester in need of repairs, Roddam was sent back to Plymouth, to refit and re-provision.

[16] Roddam returned to Plymouth, with Colchester leaking badly, but the port admiral, Commodore Hanaway, merely sent some caulkers on board, and sent her back to sea to join Sir Edward Hawke off Vans with a convoy.

[17] Roddam was then sent to Saint Helena, with Captain Jeekill's 60-gun HMS Rippon under his orders, to bring home the East Indies convoy.

Pocock gave the order to lie-to, but Roddam, seeing that some of the convoy were in danger of running onto South Foreland, signalled for the ships to bear away to the Downs.

The crisis died down without breaking into open conflict, and Roddam remained in command of Lenox, which was used as the Portsmouth guardship, until 19 December 1773, when he was relieved by Captain Matthew Moor.

[1][18] With the outbreak of the American War of Independence Roddam again returned to active service, taking command of the 74-gun HMS Cornwall at Chatham on 17 March 1777, and took her to Spithead.

^ Hervey's actions in the Caribbean had, as early as October 1740, led the port admiral to recommend that he be relieved of command, but the Admiralty declined to act.

^ The controversy eventually involved a number of colonial leaders, including Chief Justice James DeLancey, Governor George Clinton, who was also Roddam's father-in-law, and John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, the Secretary of State for the Southern Department.