MOOREHEAD, JOHN (d. 1804), violinist and composer, was born in Ireland, where he received some musical instruction. After playing among the principals in the orchestra of the Three Choirs Festival at Worcester in 1794, he was brought to London by Thomas Dibdin, and engaged at Sadler's Wells Theatre as viola-player in the band and occasional composer. From 1796 to 1800 Moorehead set to music many of the entertainments performed at this theatre, among them 'Alonzo and Imogene,' 'Birds of a Feather,' 'Sadak and Kalasrade,' 'Old Fools,' and 'Blankenberg.'
About 1798 Moorehead entered the band of Covent Garden Theatre, and wrote the music of such pieces as 'The Naval Pillar,' produced on 7 Oct. 1799; 'The Volcano.' pantomime, 23 Dec. 1799; with Thomas Attwood [q. v.] he composed 'The Dominion of Fancy' and 'Il Bondocani,' musical farce, 15 Nov. 1800; with Davy, 'La Perouse,' historical pantomime, 28 Feb. 1801; with Reeve, Davy, Corri, and Braham, 'The Cabinet,' 9 Jan. 1802; with Braham and Reeve, 'Family Quarrels,' 18 Dec. 1802, all published. Besides the popular dance in ' Speed the Plough,' 8 Feb. 1800, songs in farces, several ballads, and a duo concertante for violins, he was also author of the 'favourite' overture to 'Harlequin Habeas,' 27 Dec. 1802. Many of these compositions possess exceptional originality.
After undertaking to compose music for the 'Cabinet,' Moorehead was attacked by a nervous malady, and was unable to produce more than four numbers. He grew rapidly worse, developed symptoms of insanity, and was confined in Northampton House, Clerkenwell, London, which he quitted for Richmond. Here, as T. Dibdin relates, 'a relapse led Moorehead into an extraordinary series of eccentricities . . . and he was committed in a strait-waistcoat to Tothill Fields Prison.' He was released, and was next heard of in 1803 on board H.M.S. Monarch as sailor, and afterwards bandmaster. About March 1804, during a walk in the neighbourhood of Deal, he hanged himself with a handkerchief to the bar of a gate.
Moorehead's brother, Alexander, violinist, and leader of the Sadler's Wells orchestra, died in 1803 in a Liverpool lunatic asylum.
[Annals of the Three Choirs, p. 76; Thomas Dibdin's Reminiscences, i. 190, 261,314; Collection relating to Sadler's Wells, vol. iii. passim; European Mag. 1799 to 1803; St. James's Chron. 5 April 1804; Thespian Dict.; Grove's Dict. of Music and Musicians, ii. 362.]
MOORSOM, CONSTANTINE RICHARD (1792–1861), vice-admiral, born 22 Sept. 1792, was the son of Admiral Sir Robert Moorsom, K.C.B., who, after being present as a midshipman in Keppel's action off Ushant in 1778, and as a lieutenant at the relief of Gibraltar by Darby in 1781, and by Howe in 1782, commanded the Revenge at Trafalgar in 1805, was master-general of the ordnance in 1809, and died an admiral on 14 May 1835. His mother was Eleanor, daughter of Thomas Scarth of Stakesby, near Whitby, and William Scarth Moorsom [q. v.] was his brother (Gent. Mag. 1835, ii. 321). At the date of the battle of Trafalgar Constantine was nominally with his father on board the Revenge; actually he was at school, and in July 1807 entered the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth, then newly organised under the care of Dr. James Inman [q. v.] From the college he carried off the first medal and three mathematical prizes, and was appointed in November 1809 to the Revenge, employed on the coast of Portugal and at the defence of Cadiz. In May 1812 he returned to England in the Warspite, and on 6 June was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He was afterwards in the Superb on the Cadiz station, in the Bay of Biscay, and on the coast of North America, till 19 July 1814, when he was promoted to the command of the Goree sloop at Bermuda. In June 1815 he was moved into the Terror bomb, which he took to England, and in July 1816 he was appointed to the Fury bomb for service in the expedition against Algiers, under Lord Exmouth [see Pellew, Edward, Viscount Exmouth]. In the bombardment of that stronghold of piracy, on 27 Aug. 1816, the Fury in nine hours threw 318 shells, or double the number thrown by any other bomb. This difference gave rise to an admiralty inquiry, when it was found to be due to the fitting of the mortars on a plan which Moorsom had himself devised. It was forthwith adopted for general service, but Moorsom did not receive post rank till 7 Dec. 1818, after he had commanded the Prometheus on the home station.
In April 1822 he was appointed to the Ariadne, and during the summer carried out a series of experimental cruises, with the Racehorse and Helicon under his orders. The Ariadne was originally built as a corvette, but had been converted into a frigate by the addition of a quarter-deck and six guns, thus increasing her draught of water, and most seriously affecting her sailing qualities. She appeared a hopeless failure, but Moorsom, by a readjustment of her stowage and ballast, 'succeeded in making her sail as fast, work as well, and prove as good a sea-boat as could possibly be expected.' He afterwards went out in her to the Cape of Good Hope, was for
