Algernon de Horsey

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Sir Algernon de Horsey
Born25 July 1827
Died22 October 1922 (1922-10-23) (aged 95)
Allegiance
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

DL (25 July 1827 – 22 October 1922) was a Royal Navy officer, appointed aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria. He distinguished himself in Canada during the Fenian raids, and was thanked in Parliament for suppressing riots in Jamaica
.

Early life

De Horsey was the son of Spencer de Horsey, of Great Glemham Suffolk, and Lady Louise, a daughter of the first Earl of Stradbroke. His only sister was the Countess of Cardigan, whose reminiscences caused a scandal when they were published.

Naval career

De Horsey joined the

Senior Naval Officer in Jamaica with his pennant in HMS Aboukir and responsible for superintending Jamaica Dockyard.[1] He captured the Spanish slave ship Manuela, and suppressed riots in Jamaica for which he was thanked in Parliament.[2]

He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station in 1876, with his flag in HMS Repulse, HMS Shah and then HMS Triumph.[1] In this capacity he engaged with the Huáscar during the Peruvian civil war.[1] He was made Commander-in-Chief, Channel Squadron with his flag in HMS Northumberland in December 1884.[1] He was promoted to full Admiral in April 1885 and placed on retired list in July 1892.[1]

On 8 September 1878, Admiral de Horsey in the Shah visited Pitcairn Island.[3] His Admiralty report includes the remark, "One stranger, an American, has settled on the island – a doubtful acquisition." This line inspired Mark Twain to write the short story The Great Revolution in Pitcairn (1879).[4]

He was appointed KCB on 9 November 1903 and lived at Melcombe House in Cowes. He frequently contributed letters to The Times and wrote An African Pilot and The Rule of the Road at Sea. He was chairman of Isle of Wight magistrates for many years and Deputy Lieutenant. On 7 November 1913, he was appointed a deputy governor of the Isle of Wight.[5] He died on 22 October 1922 and was described by The Times as "Doyen of the Navy".[2] He is buried, together with his wife Caroline, at Carisbrooke (Mountjoy) Cemetery within sight of Carisbrooke Castle.[6]

Family

He married Caroline, daughter of Admiral Andrew Drew, in 1861 and was the father of Louisa Mary Adeline de Horsey Phillips and grandfather of Admiral

Tom Phillips. His son was Vice Admiral Victor Yorke de Horsey while his other daughter married Major William Croughton of the 3rd Dragoon Guards
.

Legacy

De Horsey Island at the mouth of the Skeena River on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, was named for de Horsey, as was De Horsey Passage, which separates it from Smith Island to its west.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h William Loney RN
  2. ^ a b c Obituary: Algernon De Horsey, The Times, October 1922
  3. ^ Young, Rosalind Amelia (1881). "The Mutineers of the 'Bounty': The Pitcairn Islanders from 1859–80". Scribner's Monthly. 22. Scribner & Co.: 60.
  4. ISBN 0-8240-7212-X
    .
  5. ^ "No. 28773". The London Gazette. 14 November 1913. p. 7965.
  6. ^ "Algernon Frederick Rous DeHORSEY 1922 burial record at Carisbrooke Cemetery Isle of Wight". foncc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  7. ^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "De Horsey Island"
Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station
1876–1879 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senior Officer in Command of the Channel Squadron
1884–1885 		Succeeded by
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