Clerk, JOHN

Clerk, JOHN, of Eldin, writer on naval tactics, was born in 1728, the seventh son of the antiquary, Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, Midlothian (1676-1755). He prospered as an Edinburgh merchant, and by 1773 purchased the small estate of Eldin at Lasswade, where he devoted himself to etching, to geology, and to studying deeply both the theory and practice of naval tactics. In 1779 he communicated to his friends a new manœuvre for 'breaking the enemy's line' in a naval battle; and during a visit to London the following year, he claimed to have had some conferences on the subject with naval officers, among whom was Sir Charles Douglas, Lord Rodney's captain of the fleet in the memorable action of April 12, 1782, when the experiment was tried for the first time, and a decisive victory gained over the French. In 1782 Clerk printed 50 copies of his Essay on Naval Tactics, for private distribution among his friends. It was reprinted and published in 1790; three parts were added in 1797; and the work was republished entire in 1804, with a preface explaining the origin of his discoveries. Clerk died May 10, 1812.—His son, JOHN CLERK (1757-1832), was raised to the Scottish bench in 1823, when he assumed the judicial title of Lord Eldin.