Silver Vinaigrettes Pertaining to;
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collinwood

Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood (26 September 1748 – 7 March 1810) was an Admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as Nelson's successor in commands.
 
Two extremely rare Georgian commemorative silver Vinaigrettes, the first of oval form with reeded sides and base, the cast top depicting Admiral Lord Cuthbert Collingwood, life long friend and fellow commander of Lord Nelson. The cast and pierced silver gilt grille depicting Britannia, a lion couchant at her feet under a cypress tree. By Westwood Nicols & Co, Birmingham, 1809. The second of plain rounded rectangular form with raised thumb-piece, the lid engraved with script initials - 'CC' (possibly for Lord Cuthbert Collingwood). The silver gilt die-stamped vertical grille depicting Lord Nelson's ship Victory. Named on a banner above and inscribed below - "TRAFALGAR OCR.21.1805. By Matthew Linwood, Birmingham, 1805. It is interesting to postulate that 'CC' could be for Cuthbert Collingwood and that this Vinaigrette was actually his own property.
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood is most remembered as a partner of Lord Horatio Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars and in particular for his role at the battle of Trafalgar where he led the lee line as commander of the Royal Sovereign and succeeded to Chief Commander on Nelson’s death.

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Cuthbert Collingwood was first educated at the Royal Grammar School and then, aged twelve years, went to sea as a volunteer under the command of his cousin Captain Richard Braithwaite who took charge of his nautical education.  After several years he saw service in the American Revolutionary War and the West Indies before meeting Nelson in 1777 and succeeding him to the command of HMS Badger (1779) and HMS Hinchinbrook (1780). 

He was shipwrecked by a hurricane in 1781 whilst commanding HMS Pelican, was promoted to HMS Sampson followed by HMS Mediator and returned to the Caribbean alongside Nelson and his brother Captain Wilfred Collingwood with the task of preventing American ships from trading with the West Indies. He remained there until the end of 1786 before returning to England where he undertook various commands and married Sarah Blackett, daughter of a Newcastle merchant and politician in June 1791. After a few years he was away at sea again and was present at the Glorious First of June and participated in the victory of the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797 and the blockading of Cadiz. 

He was raised to the rank of Rear-Admiral of the White on 14^th February 1799 and of the Red on 1^st January 1801. He continued actively employed blockading the enemy until the Peace of Amiens (1801) allowed him to return to England, but with the resumption of hostilities with France in the Spring of 1803, he left again and, initially blockading the French fleet off Brest, spent nearly two years here while Napoleon planned and equipped his armed forces for an invasion of Britain and the campaign that would decide the fate of Europe and the command of the sea.

He was promoted to Vice-Admiral of the Blue on 23^rd April 1804 and, when the French fleet sailed from Toulon, was given command of a squadron with orders to pursue. The squadron met with the combined fleets of France and Spain on their return to Cadiz, resumed the blockade and was soon joined by Nelson who hoped to lure it into a major engagement. When the combined fleet sailed from Cadiz in October 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar followed immediately with Villeneuve, the French Admiral, drawing up his fleet in the form of a crescent and the British fleet bearing down in two lines, one led by Nelson in the Victory and the other by Collingwood in the Royal Sovereign which, being the faster ship, drew ahead of the rest and was first to engage. On the death of Nelson, Collingwood assumed the command-in-chief, transferring his flag to the frigate Euryalus as the Royal Sovereign had been severely damaged and left unable to maneuver. Nelson had intended the fleet to anchor after the battle, but Collingwood did not issue this order as many of the British ships and prizes were so damaged. Efforts were concentrated on taking damaged vessels in tow but, in the ensuring gale, many of the prizes were wrecked and others destroyed to prevent their recapture, although no British ships were lost.

On 9^th November 1805, Cuthbert Collingwood was promoted Vice-Admiral of the Red and raised to the peerage as Baron Collingwood of Caldburne and Hethpool in the County of Northumberland. He received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament and was awarded a pension of £2000 per annum.  He also received a Naval Gold Medal, making him, with Nelson and Sir Edward Berry, one of only three to hold the distinction of being awarded three gold medals for service during the wars against France.