Journal of Reverend Edward Mangin, Chaplain, 1812, HMS GLOUCESTER, a 74-gun ship, HMS VALIANT, also a 74-gun, third rate ship; and NELSON (probably a wherry transporting him to the GLOUCESTER), from April to August 1812, serving for a period of three months and fourteen days with watercolour drawings inside about everyday life.

Administrative / biographical background
Edward Mangin son of Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Henry Mangin of Dublin, Ireland. His father commanded the 12th Light Dragoons at the time of his death in 1798. Edward was born in 1772. He matriculated at Balliol College on 9 June 1792, aged 19. He received his BA in 1793 and MA in 1795. He later had the position of prebendary of St Patrick's, Dublin, 1800 to 1803; Dysart 1798-1800 and prebendary of Rath, in Killaloe, in 1803; a position he held for the rest of his life without being hampered by the responsibilities attached to it. He died on 17 October 1852, aged 80. He therefore was aged 40 during his time as navy chaplain at sea in 1812. After his short time at sea he lived in Toulouse and Paris at the time of its occupation by the Allied Armies. From this time until his death he dwelt at Bath. Mangin was widely read; had an aptitude for drawing and was 'universally recognised as the head of literary students' of the city of Bath. His literary output was large and varied which ranged from theological and liturgical tracts to essays. Perhaps one of his best-known works was 'A View of the Pleasures Arising from a Love of Books' (1814). A transcript of the journal is provided in 'Five Naval Journals', edited by Rear-Admiral H.G. Thursfield and published by the Navy Records Society in 1951. A copy is provided on open-access in the Caird Library at the Sammy Ofer Wing.