A correction to the list of Blake's fleet in 1654: Thomas Foules

Andrew asked me about "John Foules" and I couldn't find anything about him. The only clue I had was that he commanded the Taunton from 1654 to 1655. I checked the list in Clowes, and found that the correct name was "Thomas Foules". That name still didn't appear in Anderson's list of captains. There, he is called "Thomas Vallis", which is sort of a phonetic spelling of "Foules" ("Vallis", "Vollis", or "Foulis"). Thomas Foules served in the Commonwealth navy. From 1650 to 1651, he commanded the 5th Rate Nicodemus. From 1651 to 1654, he commanded the old 4th Rate Expedition. He fought in the Battle of the Gabbard, where he was assigned to Lionel Lane's division. He probably fought in the Battle of Scheveningen, as well. In December 1653, he was assigned to the Winter Guard, and his ship was lying at Chatham. From 1654 until 1655, he commanded the Taunton. In February 1655, he took part in the blockade of Porto Farina, under the command of Captain Stayner. Michael Baumber omits the Taunton from the list of ships that actually attacked. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, "English Fleet-Lists in the First Dutch War," The Mariner's Mirror, Vol.XXIV No.4, October 1938.

2. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964.

3. Michael Baumber, General-at-Sea, 1989.

4. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898.