Admiral Thomas Cochrane

Overview

A memorial to Admiral Thomas Cochrane, whose life formed the inspiration for the daring fictional naval hero Horatio Hornblower, has been unveiled in Culross, where he grew up.

The impressive tribute to Scotland's greatest naval hero has come about largely through the efforts of Culross Community Council, whose members were conscious that the life of Cochrane was celebrated in many South American countries and Greece, but not in his homeland.

Prior to the unveiling of the plinth and bust in the Town Square, the only reference to Cochrane in Culross was a plaque and housing development, Cochrane Haven.

Worshipped by his men, Cochranes success also owed much to his unpredictable tactics, the result of a highly inventive mind and to his remorseless valour.

In 1831 he succeeded his father's title as the 10th Earl of Dundonald.

Also an MP and great inventor, he was buried in Westminster Abbey, London, in 1860. Lord Bruce, who received it from the Ministry of Defence, gifted the bronze bust to the people of Culross.

West Fife Villages
updated 03/2009 by Action for Change Scotland