George Wilson (Royal Navy officer)
George Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 March 1756 |
| Died | 6 March 1826 (aged 70) Redgrave Hall, Suffolk |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | c.1775-1826 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Red |
| Commands held | HMS Gaspée HMS Eurydice HMS Fame HMS Inconstant HMS Bellona |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War
|
| Relations | Rowland Holt, uncle William Raven, brother-in-law |
| Other work | Magistrate for Suffolk |
Admiral George Wilson (4 March 1756 – 6 March 1826) was an officer in the
Early life
George Wilson was born the son of the Honourable Thomas Wilson, who served as Chief Justice of Dominica, on 4 March 1756.[1] His grandfather, Richard, also served in that position.[1]
Early career
Wilson joined the Royal Navy in around 1775 as a
Post-captain
His first action as a post-captain was to take command of the recently captured Spanish ship of the line Guipuscoano as HMS Prince William.[1][5] In January 1781 he took command of the brand new post ship HMS Eurydice and sailed to join the squadron of Sir Samuel Hood in the Leeward Islands.[6][7] As such he participated in the Battle of Saint Kitts in January 1782 where after the French fleet had been repulsed, his was one of four ships that covered the landings of the invasion itself.[7] Continuing in Hood's squadron, Eurydice and Wilson were thus participants in the Battle of the Saintes between 9 and 12 April, where the French admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse was finally captured.[7] After having made a trip back to England with dispatches Wilson returned and was appointed to the command of the ship of the line HMS Fame in either April or May, staying with Hood's squadron to cruise off Hispaniola to observe the remaining enemy forces.[6][8][7] On 21 July Fame and Wilson sailed to America to wait out the hurricane months with the fleet of Admiral Hugh Pigot.[8] Wilson stayed at New York between 5 September and 24 October before returning to the Leeward Islands.[6] He continued there until the American Revolutionary War began to end, paying off Fame in July 1783.[8][7]
Wilson's next command came in August 1790 when he was given command of the frigate
While Caldwell served only briefly as commander-in-chief Wilson and Bellona stayed on the station, and on 5 January 1795 Bellona was cruising off Deseada Island in company with the frigate HMS Alarm when they discovered a fleet of French transports.[7] The transports were escorted by two frigates and three armed ships; one of these, the 20-gun Duras, was taken by the pair in the ensuing action.[11] Wilson continued his successful month by later capturing the French 44-gun frigate la Duquesne, adding that to a tally of ships taken in the Leeward Islands that included several privateers.[Note 1][12] One of these was the privateer schooner La Bellone, taken on 11 May.[10]
Wilson sailed Bellona home to England sometime after this but returned on 13 February 1796 to join the Cape of Good Hope Squadron of Rear-Admiral George Elphinstone.[10] On 17 August the squadron forced the surrender of a Dutch expeditionary force in the Capitulation of Saldanha Bay.[10] Wilson and Bellona then continued their attacks on privateers, taking the French 6-gun La Legere off Cape Descada on 7 January 1797 and destroying another three days later.[10] Wilson then took part in the successful Invasion of Trinidad in February and in April similarly participated in the unsuccessful Invasion of Porto Rico.[12] In the former invasion Wilson assisted with the other ships of the line of Rear-Admiral Henry Harvey's fleet in destroying a Spanish squadron of four ships of the line and a frigate before the main invasion force of Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby landed.[13] Towards the end of 1797 Wilson was sent back to England in Bellona where he re-joined the Channel Fleet.[13]
Flag rank
Wilson was promoted to
Other work
Wilson was politically active in his native Suffolk and supported the parliamentary candidacy of 'Gaffer' Gooch in 1820, which was based on improving agricultural and commercial rights. While Gooch was successful, Wilson was hissed and booed by the crowd for his martial stance against poachers which had previously resulted in a violent attack on his land.[14] He also served the county as a magistrate.[15]
Death
He died on 6 March 1826, at the age of seventy, at his seat Redgrave Hall in Suffolk.[4][1] Upon his death it was noted that as an officer he was 'generally beloved' throughout the navy.[2]
Family
He married Catherine Pollard of Ewell, Surrey, on 22 August 1801.[13] Together they had four sons and two daughters including:[16][17][2]
- George St. Vincent Wilson (1806-1852)
- Susan Mary Wilson (b. 1809)
- John Wood Wilson (1812-1872)
Wilson also had a sister, Lucinda, who married the master mariner William Raven who in turn stood godfather for Wilson's daughter Susan.[16] Wilson's uncle was the politician Rowland Holt and upon the death of Holt's brother Thomas, he inherited the family home of Redgrave Hall.[1]
Notes and citations
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h Urban, The Gentleman's Magazine, p.273.
- ^ a b c Monthly Magazine or British Register, p. 546.
- ^ a b Winfield, British Warships 1714-1792, p. 218.
- ^ a b c Syrett and DiNardo, Commissioned Sea Officers, p.475.
- ^ Winfield,British Warships 1714-1792, p. 533.
- ^ a b c Winfield, British Warships 1714-1792, p. 1257.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Marshall, Royal Naval Biography, p. 111.
- ^ a b c Winfield, British Warships 1714-1792, p. 316.
- ^ a b Winfield, British Warships 1714-1792, p. 975.
- ^ a b c d e f Winfield, British Warships 1714-1792, p. 331.
- ^ Marshall, Royal Naval Biography, pp. 111-2.
- ^ a b Marshall, Royal Naval Biography, p. 112.
- ^ a b c d Marshall, Royal Naval Biography, p. 113.
- ^ Escott, Margaret. "Suffolk 1820-1832". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "Ipswich, March 11". The Ipswich Journal. 11 March 1826.
- ^ a b Parsons, 'Raven, William (1756-1814)'.
- ^ Kingsley, Nick (30 September 2017). "Redgrave Hall, Suffolk". Landed families of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
References
- Parsons, Vivienne (1967). "Raven, William (1756–1814)". ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- Marshall, John (1823–1835). . Royal Naval Biography. London: Longman and company. pp. 111–3.
- The Monthly Magazine or British Register of Literature, Sciences, and the Belles-Lettres. London: Geo B. Whittaker. 1826.
- Syrett, David and R.L. DiNardo (1994). The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815. Aldershot: Scholar Press. ISBN 1 85928 122 2.
- Urban, Sylvanus (1826). The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle. From January to June, 1826. Volume XCVI. London: John Nichols and Son.
- Winfield, Rif (2007). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. London: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.