# Sampson Michell

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**Sampson Michell** (1755–1809) was a British [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) officer who became an admiral and commander of the [Portuguese Navy](/source/Portuguese_Navy).[1]

## Life

He was born in [Truro](/source/Truro) in 1755 the son of Dr Thomas Michell MD (1726-1811) a "fox-hunting squire" in Cornwall, and his wife Jane Sprey (1728-1759).[1] His mother died when he was only four. His paternal uncle appears to have been Admiral [Reynell Michell](/source/Reynell_Michell) and he chose ro join the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy).[2]

He joined [Admiral Howe](/source/Admiral_Howe)'s fleet as a lieutenant in August 1778.[3] In 1790 he was serving as a lieutenant on the impressive 98-gun [HMS *St George*](/source/HMS_St_George_(1785)) under Sir [George Collier](/source/George_Collier).[4]

He left the Royal Navy in 1790 (with consent of the Royal Navy) to join the [Portuguese Navy](/source/Portuguese_Navy) and initially lived in Lisbon with his family.[5] He left Portugal when the [French invaded in 1807](/source/Invasion_of_Portugal_(1807)) and, after a brief time back in [Cornwall](/source/Cornwall), accompanied the King of Portugal in his exile to Brazil where he was given the rank of Admiral and stationed in Rio de Janeiro.[6] He formed part of the flotilla containing [the Portuguese Royal Family](/source/Transfer_of_the_Portuguese_court_to_Brazil) and many military and naval leaders which left Europe in December 1807 under command of [Captain Graham Moore](/source/Graham_Moore_(Royal_Navy_officer)) and arrived in Brazil in January 1808. Here the King promoted him to Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese Navy in exile.[7]

He died in Rio de Janeiro on 20 January 1809 aged 53 and is buried there in the Bastion.[citation needed]

## Family

In 1787 he married Ann Shears (1755-1838) and they lived at Croftwest in [Cornwall](/source/Cornwall).

They had two sons, Admiral Sir [Frederick Thomas Michell](/source/Frederick_Thomas_Michell) and [Charles Collier Michell](/source/Charles_Collier_Michell), and four daughters including [Emma Caroline Michell](/source/Emma_Caroline_Michell) who married Rev. [John Stuart Wood](/source/John_Stuart_Wood) in 1820. Their children included [Henry Evelyn Wood](/source/Henry_Evelyn_Wood) VC.[5] Their daughter Anna Marie Michell (1791–1889) married Sir [Benjamin Wood](/source/Benjamin_Wood_(MP)) MP.[8]

## References

1. ["Admiral Sampson MICHELL b. 1755 of Truro, Cornwall. England d. 20 Jan 1809 Rio de Janeiro. Brazil: Devon Mitchells"](http://www.devon-mitchells.co.uk/getperson.php?personID=I340&tree=Bruton). *www.devon-mitchells.co.uk*

1. Admiral Frederick Thomas Michell by T W Windsatt

1. ["Sampson Michell (D.1809)"](https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_crewman&id=10490)

1. ["British Second Rate ship of the line 'Saint George' (1785)"](https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_ship&id=112)

1. ["Dame Emma Carolina MICHELL b. 15 Jan 1802 Lisbon. Portugul d. 15 Dec 1879 Belhus Park, South Ockendon, Essex. England: Devon Mitchells"](http://www.devon-mitchells.co.uk/getperson.php?personID=I358&tree=Bruton). *www.devon-mitchells.co.uk*

1. ODNB: Charles Collier Michell

1. ["S2A3 Biographical Database of Southern African Science"](http://www.s2a3.org.za/bio/Biograph_final.php?serial=1917). *www.s2a3.org.za*

1. Boase, George Clement (1890). [*Collectanea Cornubiensia: A Collection of Biographical and Topographical Notes Relating to the County of Cornwall*](https://books.google.com/books?id=eO_p8xlaR7cC&pg=PA563). Netherton and Worth, Truro, for the author. p. 563. ISBN 978-0-598-93682-0.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sampson Michell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampson_Michell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampson_Michell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.