Benbow captured the popular imagination of the day, in part because he was that unusual thing, a naval commander risen from the ranks.  I believe that he started out as a butcher's boy.  He also had his share of brushes with authority; in the 1680s he was court-martialed for something or other, and transferred to the Merchant service for a few years, re-joining the navy in 1689.  The inn in Treasure Island was named after him.

There is a broadside copy of this song at the Bodleian Library:

Admiral Benbow  Printed between 1820 and 1824 for W. Armstrong, Banastre Street, Liverpool.

Malcolm