Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Historical Figure
Nationality:	England
Year of Birth:	1625
Year of Death:	1672
Cause of Death:	Killed in battle
Religion:	Anglicanism
Occupation:	Admiral
Spouse:	Jemima Crew
Children:	Ten
Relatives:	Samuel Pepys (cousin)
Fictional Appearances:

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, KG (1625–1672) was an English naval officer. He was the only surviving son of Sir Sidney Montagu and Paulina Pepys, and was brought up at Hinchingbrooke House.

Montagu was the first cousin of the father of Samuel Pepys. Pepys started his career as a minor member of the Montagu household and owed his appointments first to the Wardrobe and then as Clerk of the Acts to the Navy Board to Montagu's influence. Pepys' diary provides a detailed primary source for Montagu's career in the 1660s.

Montagu was killed during the Battle of Solebay, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. His ship was attacked by a group of fire ships and was destroyed with the loss of many lives. Sandwich's charred body was found washed ashore and only recognizable from the remains of his clothing.

Earl of Sandwich in A Different Flesh

The Earl of Sandwich was one of the first people Samuel Pepys shared the transformational theory of life with when it was still in an early stage in Pepys' thoughts. While Sandwich did not comment on the idea, he invited Pepys to hear a speaker at the Royal Society. That speaker, giving a presentation on the extinction of the hairy elephant in the Old World, helped Pepys fully realize his theories.