Place Name
The name for this street, which is in honour of Admiral Sir Edmund Affleck (April 19, 1725 – November 19, 1788) the former Royal Navy hero of several battles. It was approved in 1884. Affleck sailed with Admiral Sir George Rodney to relieve Gibraltar, and was appointed commissioner of the navy at New York, then being threatened by American rebels under George Washington. But it was at the Battle of St Kitts that his reputation was secured. As Rear Admiral, in command of The Bedford he fought off the French, saving much of the rest of the fleet from serious damage. In March 1782 Affleck was elected the MP for Colchester, however he also continued his career in the Royal Navy and rarely took part in debates. Eventually, in August 1788, it was announced he was taking over his former superior, Vice Admiral Lord Hood’s post as commander-in-chief at Portsmouth. But just weeks after taking up the post he died. The street, which was laid out over a former women’s Penitentiary, was originally much longer. Although it was built by a local businessman, Alfred Attneave, he followed the precedent set by Henry Penton (who developed Pentonville), the long-standing MP who marked his appointment as Lord of the Admiralty by naming a new street after Admiral Rodney and other famous naval figures.
