Edward Masson: A Scot in the Greek Revolutionary Navy, 1827

This research note publishes and contextualises a Greek-language naval diploma issued in 1827. It was drafted in the context of the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire (1821–32), in which foreign volunteers also participated. The signatory of the document was Edward Masson, a Scot from Kincardineshire. Masson served as personal secretary to Thomas Cochrane, later 10th Earl of Dundonald, during the latter’s brief stint as admiral of the Greek navy. The recipient of the diploma was an American volunteer, George Brown. The note elaborates upon Masson’s little-known but extraordinary career in Greece, with a particular focus on his relationship to Cochrane, and analyses the hands and watermarks of the diploma.