John Willett Payne

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John Willett Payne
Rear-Admiral
Battles/warsAmerican Revolutionary War
• Battle of Sullivan's Island
• Battle of Lake Pontchartrain
French Revolutionary Wars
• Glorious First of June
Other workMP for Huntingdon, 1787–1796

John Willett Payne (23 April 1752 – 17 November 1803) was an officer of the

Member of Parliament and noted for his bravery in several military actions during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. Out of favour in his later years, Payne was reconciled with the Prince in 1799, but died whilst still in the service aged 51, from an illness which developed during blockade operations in the Western Approaches
.

Early career

Payne was born in 1752, son of Ralph Payne, Chief Justice of

Hugh Seymour Conway, with whom he had a lifelong friendship and close naval partnership. In 1769 he left the academy to join HMS Quebec.[1]

Quebec served in the West Indies but after only a few months Payne moved to the

Guinea Coast. In 1775 he was back in England, where he passed for lieutenant aboard Egmont.[1]

American Revolutionary War

With the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775, Payne joined HMS Bristol and participated in the Battle of Sullivan's Island under the command of Sir Peter Parker. Shortly afterward, Payne joined HMS Eagle in New York City to serve as Lord Howe's aide-de-camp. In 1777, Payne joined HMS Brune and the following year transferred to HMS Phoenix in which he participated in numerous coastal operations on the Eastern Seaboard.[1]

Payne returned to Britain aboard

HMS Artois which he commanded in European waters. He was also embroiled in a scandal when he was accused of impressing Portuguese citizens out of merchant ships in the Tagus.[1]

In 1781, Payne sailed to the

HMS Enterprize and the following year took over HMS Leander. In Leander, Payne fought a duel with a much larger enemy ship in which both vessels were severely damaged. The identity of the other ship was never established, but Payne was given the 80-gun HMS Princess Amelia as a reward. At the war's conclusion, Payne returned to Europe and Princess Amelia was paid off.[1]

Royal service

During the early 1780s, Payne had formed a friendship with the rakish heir to the throne,

Lord Northington on a Grand Tour of Europe in 1785, Payne returned to the service of the Prince as his private secretary and Keeper of the Privy Seal.[1] Payne also ran the Prince's household and lent money to Lord Sandwich, who was obliged to obtain for Payne the parliamentary seat of Huntingdon, which he held from 1787 to 1796. During this period he was appointed captain of HMS Phoenix but never served at sea, drawing the pay whilst pursuing his other duties.[1]

Following the succession crisis of 1788 when

illegal marriage to Maria Fitzherbert and was once rebuked by the Duchess of Gordon in the terms "You little, insignificant, good-for-nothing, upstart, pert chattering puppy" after being overheard making insulting comments about the Queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.[1]

French Revolutionary Wars

The King's recovery, combined with the outbreak of the

Thomas Pasley sent to engage the French and Russell fought well in this action and the following day. In the culminating engagement, the Glorious First of June, Payne's ship was heavily engaged and fought a succession of French ships, inflicting severe damage and making a great contribution to the eventual victory.[1]

In the aftermath of the action, Payne was rewarded with a gold medal and in 1795 was tasked with escorting the Prince of Wales's official wife, Caroline of Brunswick to Britain. Payne became friends with Caroline, and the bitter marriage between her and the Prince angered Payne. In addition, Payne had earned the enmity of Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey and these factors combined to alienate him from the Prince, who dismissed Payne from all his offices in 1796.[1]

The same year, Payne took command of

rear-admiral, but it was becoming clear that he was no longer fit for sea service.[1]

Retiring to the prestige post of treasurer of the

Lady Hamilton
.

Notes

  1. ^
    Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
    , Randolph Cocks, Retrieved 27 January 2008

References
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
Lancelot Brown
Henry Speed
(1790–1796) 		Succeeded by
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