George Carnegie, 6th Earl of Northesk

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The Earl of Northesk
Arms of the 1st to 6th and 15th Earls of Northesk
Born2 August 1716
Ethie Castle, Angus, Scotland
Died22 January 1792, age 76
Ethie Castle, Angus, Scotland
AllegianceKingdom of Great Britain Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch Royal Navy
Years of servicec.1737-1792
RankAdmiral of the White
Commands heldHMS Bideford
HMS Looe
HMS Preston
HMS Orford
Battles/warsWar of the Austrian Succession

rear-admiral
in 1756. He died on 20 January 1792 at age 75.

Early life

George Carnegie was born on 2 August 1716 as the second son of David Carnegie, 4th Earl of Northesk and his wife Margaret, the daughter of James Wemyss, Lord Burntisland and Margaret Wemyss, 3rd Countess of Wemyss.[1][2]

Naval career

Carnegie became a

Minorca, at one point coming so close to death that his funeral arrangements were made.[1] Having recovered from his illness he was appointed as fourth lieutenant of the ship of the line HMS Marlborough on 2 February 1740 and transferred on 7 May to be second lieutenant of the ship of the line HMS Edinburgh.[1]

On 23 June 1741 Carnegie's elder brother

battery.[5] Carnegie then put to sea again and on 7 July joined with the frigate HMS Deal Castle upon learning that a number of enemy ships were taking shelter in Vigo.[5][6] The two warships anchored outside the town and sent their boats in to the harbour where they captured four ships, of which they burned two, while under considerable fire from the enemy ships and shore.[5]

On 19 July Carnegie learned that the privateer he had chased at Pontevedra was still there in the river and so he armed one of the ships captured at Vigo and sent it in chase up the river. The ship failed to capture the privateer but did run ashore another vessel and destroy a town which privateers had been using as a base of operations.[5] Carnegie returned to England in September 1742 and was immediately appointed to command the recently rebuilt ship of the line HMS Preston in the English Channel fleet of Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Norris.[7] In April 1744 he was still serving as such and helping to protect convoys sailing from Lisbon.[7]

Carnegie and Preston sailed to the East Indies Station on 5 May in the squadron of its first commander-in-chief, and Carnegie's friend, Commodore Barnett.[5][7] The ships arrived at Porto Praya on 26 May.[8] After sailing to and then leaving Madagascar the squadron split in two with Carnegie and Preston going with Commodore Barnett and the ship of the line HMS Deptford.[9] The two ships disguised themselves as Dutch vessels and sailed through the Sunda Strait to Banca where on 25 January 1745 they found three French ships at anchor.[9] They approached the ships and found them to be heavily armed merchant ships from China and managed to come alongside them before the French realised the deception and that they were enemies.[9] Carnegie was ordered to board one of the ships while Barnett boarded another and after a fight of two hours the three French ships were captured.[9] The cargoes of the merchants were valued at over £300,000 and were sent in to Batavia.[9]

Throughout 1745 Carnegie continued in Preston to protect British commerce in the East Indies. In October he was detached from Barnett's squadron with Preston and the frigate

Alexander Melville, 5th Earl of Leven in August 1749.[13]

In March 1755 he was given command of the ship of the line

vice-admiral on 14 February 1759 and admiral on 18 October 1770.[Note 3][16]

Death

Carnegie died on 22 January 1792 at his seat Ethie Castle in Angus, Scotland, his titles passing down to his eldest surviving son.[16] At the time of his death he was the third most senior officer in the Royal Navy.[17]

Family

He married his maternal first cousin once removed, Lady Anne Leslie (1730-1779),[18] daughter of the 5th Earl of Leven and Elizabeth Monypenny, on 30 April 1748 and had six children:[14]

  • Lady Mary Anne Carnegie (d. 2 June 1798) married Rev John Kemp of Edinburgh in 1797[19]
  • David Carnegie, Lord Rosehill (5 April 1749 – 19 February 1788)
  • Lady Elizabeth Carnegie (1751 – 19 August 1793) married James Hope-Johnstone, 3rd Earl of Hopetoun.[20]
  • Admiral William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk (10 April 1756 – 28 May 1831)
  • Lieutenant Colonel George Carnegie (21 August 1773 – 1839)
  • Margaret Carnegie (1779 – 15 March 1793)

Notes and citations

Notes

  1. ^ Bideford also spelt Biddeford.[2]
  2. ^ Looe also spelt Loo.[2]
  3. admiral of the white 29 January 1772.[16][14]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Fraser, History of the Carnegies, p. 397
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Charnock, Biographia Navalis Vol. V, p. 109
  3. ^ Winfield, British Warships, p. 589
  4. ^ a b Winfield, British Warships, p. 1180
  5. ^ a b c d e Charnock, Biographia Navalis Vol. V, p. 110
  6. ^ Winfield, British Warships, p. 810
  7. ^ a b c d e Winfield, British Warships, p. 703
  8. ^ Charnock, Biographia Navalis Vol. IV, p. 218
  9. ^ a b c d e Charnock, Biographia Navalis Vol. IV, p. 219
  10. ^ a b Charnock, Biographia Navalis Vol. IV, p. 220
  11. ^ Charnock, Biographia Navalis Vo. IV, p. 221
  12. ^ a b Fraser, History of the Carnegies, p. 402
  13. ^ a b Fraser, History of the Carnegies, p. 404
  14. ^ a b c Charnock, Biographia Navalis Vol. V, p. 111
  15. ^ Winfield, British Warships, p. 290
  16. ^ a b c d Syrett and DiNardo, Commissioned Sea Officers, p. 333
  17. ^ Fraser, History of the Carenegies, p. 409
  18. ^ William Fraser (1890). The Melvilles, Earls of Melville, and the Leslies, Earls of Leven: Memoirs. p. 336.
  19. ^ Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae; by Hew Scott
  20. ^ Debrett, Peerage of the United Kingdom, p. 460

References

Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Northesk
1741–1792 		Succeeded by
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