George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
William Baker George Treby | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Edgcumbe 3 March 1720 |
| Died | 4 February 1795 (aged 74) |
| Spouse |
Emma Gilbert
(m. 1761) |
| Children | Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe |
| Parent(s) | Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe Matilda Furnese |
| Education | Eton College |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Branch/service |  Royal Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | Plymouth Command |
| Battles/wars | Seven Years' War |
Early life
Edgcumbe was the second surviving son of Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe and his wife Matilda, the only child of Sir Henry Furnese. He is thought to have been educated at Eton.[1]
Career
In 1739, Edgcumbe was commissioned a
In 1751, he went to the Mediterranean as senior officer in HMS Monmouth, and the following year in the 50-gun HMS Deptford. He was still in her and with his small squadron at Menorca, when the French invaded the island on 19 April 1756. He hastily landed the marines and as many of the seamen as could be spared, and sailed the next day for Gibraltar before the French had taken any measures to block the harbour. At Gibraltar, he was joined by Admiral John Byng, by whom he was ordered to move into the 66-gun HMS Lancaster. In the Battle of Minorca, on 20 May the Lancaster was one of the ships in the van, under Rear-Admiral Temple West, which did get into action, and being unsupported suffered severely. In 1758, still in the Lancaster, he was in the fleet under Edward Boscawen at the reduction of Louisbourg. On his return to England, with the despatches announcing this success, he was appointed to the 74-gun HMS Hero, in which he took part in the blockade of Brest during the long summer of 1759, and in the crowning Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 November 1759.[4]
He continued in the Hero, attached to the grand fleet under Hawke or Boscawen, until the death of his brother Richard on 10 May 1761, when he inherited his brother's barony, and succeeded him to Mount Edgcumbe House and as Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall.[4] He was promoted to Rear Admiral on 21 October 1762 and Admiral in 1778.[2]
Political career
In 1746, Edgcumbe was returned as
He was appointed
He was created
Personal life
On 16 August 1761, he had married Emma Gilbert, the only daughter of
- Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe (1764–1839), who married Lady Sophia Hobart, daughter of John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire.[1]
Lord Mount Edgcumbe died on 4 February 1795 and his only son, Richard, succeeded to his titles.[4]
Descendants
Through his only son Richard, he was a grandfather of
Legacy
In English folklore, Emma has been identified as the subject of the story of the "Lady with the Ring". Lady Emma's Cottage on the Mount Edgcumbe estate is named after her.[6]
A manuscript journal, kept by Edgcumbe and Captain William Marsh, from 30 April 1742 to 1 June 1744, is in the Bodleian Library. A letter from Edgcumbe to Garrick is printed in the latter's 'Private Correspondence'.[4]
The town of Edgecomb, Maine was named for George Edgcumbe due to his support of the colonists during the American Revolution.
References
- ^ a b c d "Mount Edgcumbe, Earl of (GB, 1789)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- ^ a b c Sedgwick, Romney (1970). The House of Commons 1715-1754 v.2. New York: Oxford University Press.
- ^ The portrait of Edgcumbe is in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, catalogue no BHC 2677
- ^ a b c d Laughton 1888.
- ^ a b "Library and Archive Catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 29 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Lady Emma's cottage".
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Laughton, John Knox (1888). "Edgcumbe, George". In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 16. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
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