Shrewsbury's greatest navel commander Admiral John Benbow, the son of a local tanner, who was born in a house on Coton Hill around 1650. Part of the house remained in Furrows Garage until the building was demolished in 2004. In a glass fronted case on the side of the house was a section of a sycamore tree with a key hanging from a rusty old nail. It was supposed to have been put there by Benbow on the day he ran away to sea as a boy. William III called him "Honest Benbow" and he has become known as the Nelson of the 17th century.

He fought the French off Beachy Head in 1690 and at La Hague in 1692. His greatest battle was off the coast of Jamaica where he drove off a much larger French fleet after some of his captains refused to fight. During the battle he was mortally wounded but his gallantry is recorded in a ballad that tells us that after having his legs removed by chain-shot, he remained in control of the battle by having his bed brought up onto the quarterdeck. His remains lie in St. Andrew's Church in Kingston Jamaica and in 1841 a beautiful marble monument was erected to his memory in St. Mary's Church after £60 was raised by a number of Shrewsbury residents.

Just thought it was interesting...

Sal