Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington
The Earl of Torrington | |
---|---|
Born | c.1648 |
Died | 13 April 1716 (aged 67–68)[1] |
Buried | |
Allegiance | Kingdom of England |
Service/ | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1663–1690 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held | HMS Pembroke HMS Constant Warwick HMS Dragon HMS Dreadnought HMS Cambridge HMS Rupert |
Battles/wars | Second Anglo-Dutch War Franco-Dutch War Nine Years' War |
Early life
Born the son of
Promoted to post-captain in 1666, he was given command of the fifth-rate HMS Pembroke in April 1667, of the fourth-rate HMS Constant Warwick in September 1668 and of the fourth-rate HMS Dragon in May 1672.[3]
He went on to captain the third-rate HMS Dreadnought in spring 1672 and commanded her at the Battle of Solebay in May 1672 during the Franco-Dutch War.[2] After that he took command of the third-rate HMS Cambridge in October 1673 and was severely injured while commanding her at the Battle of Schooneveld in June 1673.[3] He commissioned the third-rate HMS Rupert in February 1678, and then commanded a squadron tasked with defending Tangier from the Moors in December 1679.[2]
Flag officer
Herbert was appointed
Herbert went to
Herbert commanded the English and Dutch fleets at the Battle of Beachy Head in July 1690, a serious defeat for the allied fleet, in the Nine Years' War.[2] He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and was court-martialed for failing to support the Dutch van squadron against the French, but was acquitted. Nevertheless, he lost his position as First Lord of the Admiralty, and took no further part in public life. The stories that Torrington was not a popular commander, because of his reputation of being a drunk and his habit of taking several prostitutes with him to sea, have been discredited.[9][10]
In 1696, he acquired Oatlands Park, an estate forfeited by his brother, Sir Edward Herbert, who had followed King James II into exile.[11] He died on 13 April 1716 without children, rendering his titles extinct,[2] and was buried in Westminster Abbey.[12]
Marriages
Torrington married twice, but had no issue by either wife:[13]
- Firstly to Anne Hadley, from whom he later separated;
- Secondly to the twice widowed Anne (dowager Lady Crew), daughter and co-heiress of Sir William Armine, 2nd Baronet.
See also
- List of deserters from King James II to William of Orange
References
- ^ Edward Wedlake Brayley; Mantell (1850). A topographical history of Surrey: the geological section by Gedeon Mantell. G. Willis. p. 383.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Laughton, John Knox (1891). Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney (eds.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 26. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In
- ^ a b "Arthur Herbert". Three Decks. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
- ^ Macaulay, Thomas Babington (1848). The History of England from the Accession of James the Second. Porter & Coates.
- ^ Rodger, p. 34
- ^ "Sainty, JC, Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660–1870, Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660–1870 (1975), pp. 18–31". Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ^ "No. 2458". The London Gazette. 3 June 1689. p. 2.
- ^ Maltby, p. 160
- ^ van Gent, p. 90
- ^ Le Fevre, pp. 19–42
- ^ "Herbert, Arthur (c.1648–1716), of Oatlands Park, Weybridge, Surrey". History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington". Cracroft's Peerage. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
Sources
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Hattendorf, John B. "Herbert, Arthur, earl of Torrington (1648–1716)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13017. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Laughton, John Knox (1891). Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney (eds.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 26. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In
- Le Fevre, Peter (2000). "Arthur Herbert Earl of Torrington". Precursors of Nelson: British Admirals of the Eighteenth Century. Stackpole Books. pp. 19–42. ISBN 978-0-8117-2901-7.
- Maltby, William S (1994). "The Origins of a global strategy: England from 1558 to 1713". In Williamson Murray; et al. (eds.). The making of strategy: rulers, states, and war. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-56627-8.
- ISBN 0900963948.
- van Gent, T. (2000). 17 Zeventiende Eeuwse Admiralen en hun Zeeslagen (in Dutch). Den Haag: Koninklijke Vereniging van Marineofficieren. p. 90. ISBN 9789090136585.
- Burke's Extinct Peerages: TORRINGTON, E