Edward Vernon (1684-1757) made his career, in the style of his hero Sir Francis Drake (see THE GOLDEN HIND), out of harassing the Spanish, and was present during the capture of Gibraltar (1704) and Barcelona (1705), as well as seeing action during the Battle of Malaga on 24 August 1704.

In 1728 tentative peace was made with Spain, but this didn't last long and Vernon was once again despatched to sort out the Spanish. The renewal of hostilities was all down to one Robert Jenkins, a merchant seaman who claimed his ship had been boarded in the West Indies by the Spanish coastguard, who had tied him to the mast and cut off his ear with a sword, threatening to do the same to the King of England if he ever had the chance.

In 1738 Jenkins presented his severed ear to Parliament and they in turn were provoked enough to declare a new war against Spain, sending Vernon, now promoted to vice admiral, to the West Indies with a small fleet to test the Spanish defences.

Vernon's first act in what became known as the War of Jenkins' Ear (1739-42) was to seize Portobelo, a silver-exporting port on the Spanish-held coast of Panama. His men occupied the port for three weeks, completely destroying its defensive positions before withdrawing.The Spanish economy had been dealt a severe blow from which it would take years to recover. News of Vernon's actions was enthusiastically received in London.

Places were named in celebration of the victory, including a farm in what is now Notting Hill and the country road running from it: Portobello Lane. In 1740, at a society dinner in honour of the admiral, 'Rule Britannia' (see THE BRITANNIA) was performed for the first time, stirring up great national pride. Over time Portobello Lane became, of course, Portobello Road, one of the best-known London street names and the location of possibly the most famous street market in the world.

During the War of Jenkins' Ear, a sailor called Lawrence Washington was fighting in an American regiment as part of Vernon's fleet (America being still a British colony at that time). Washington received notice from his father that he was building a house for him overlooking the Potomac River at Alexandria, Virginia. The young sailor replied that his father should name the new house Mount Vernon in honour of the admiral. After Lawrence Washington's death in 1752, the Mount Vernon estate passed over to his younger brother, George, who in 1789 became the first President of the United States of America, returning to Mount Vernon when he retired in 1797. Mount Vernon was designated by the American government a National Historic Landmark in 1960, as well as being listed in the American National Register of Historic Places. It stands today as a proud memorial to the first president and a reminder of one of England's greatest naval commanders. But that isn't Vernon's only legacy.

By 1740 the admiral was a well-known figure, easily recognized by his trademark grogram coat (grogram being a coarse mixture of mohair and silk), earning himself the affectionate nickname 'Old Grog'. During the War of Jenkins' Ear, Vernon had ordered that all rum rations, issued to the sailors twice daily, be watered down, possibly in an attempt to prevent drunken ill-discipline. The rum was also to be laced with lime or lemon juice to prevent scurvy. It wasn't long before the entire British navy followed suit. In response, in 1781, Thomas Trotter, a sailor on board the Berwick, wrote the following poem about Vernon and his Portobelo flagship:

A mighty bowl on deck he drew
And filled it to the brink
Such drank the Burford's gallant crew
And such the gods shall drink.

The sacred robe which Vernon wore
Was drenched within the same
And hence his virtues guard our shore
And Grog drives its name.

The unhappy sailors of the fleet soon began calling the watered-down ration 'grog' and as an extension of that drunken sailors were labelled 'groggy'. In 1746 Old Grog retired from active service and spent the rest of his days concentrating on politics and naval affairs. His lasting monuments remain Mount Vernon, home of America's first president, Portobello Road in London and his name on many English pubs that will do their level best to help you feel 'groggy' the next morning.