Robert Honyman (Royal Navy officer)
Robert Honyman | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1765 |
| Died | 31 July 1848 Paris, France |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | HMS Garland HMS Topaze HMS Leda HMS Ardent HMS Sceptre HMS Marlborough |
| Battles/wars | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
Admiral Robert Honyman (c. 1765 – 31 July 1848) was a Scottish admiral in the British Royal Navy who served in the French Revolutionary Wars and in the Napoleonic Wars. A native of Orkney, he also held office for ten years as a member of parliament (MP) for Orkney and Shetland.
Early life and family
Honyman was born in about 1765, the oldest son of Patrick Honyman of
He married before 1808 Margaret Henrietta Knight, the granddaughter of Admiral Sir John Knight. They had one son and one daughter.[1]
Honyman joined the Royal Navy in 1782, becoming a midshipman in 1783,[1] and being promoted to lieutenant in 1790.[4] While serving under Captain Theophilus Jones on HMS Defiance in 1796,[5] he was promoted to commander, and commanded the sloop Tsiphone in 1797 when she captured the French privateers Le Cerf Volant and Le Prospere.[4] He was promoted to post-captain in December 1798.[1][4]
In 1800 Honynman took command of HMS Garland, initially on service in the English Channel. He sailed Garland to the Caribbean Sea in June 1801, bringing Rear-Admiral Robert Montagu to Jamaica,[4] where the ship was wrecked the following year. Honyman returned to England in October 1802 in command of HMS Topaze.[4]
In early 1803 he took command of the 38-gun frigate
Honyman then commanded the 64-gun HMS Ardent, and two successive 74-gun ships HMS Sceptre and Marlborough.[4] He retired from active service in the navy in 1816,[5] and was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue in 1825,[6]
Parliament
In the 1780s, Honyman's father Patrick had passed the family estates to Robert's older half-brother
Sir Thomas's cousin Colonel Thomas Dundas had won the Orkney and Shetland seat in 1784. However at the 1790 election, the Balfours and Honymans combined to oust Col Thomas, electing John Balfour by 19 votes to Dundas's 13.[10] However, Balfour felt let down by the lack of the government patronage which he had expected in return for his support, and refused to stand again. After much negotiation, William Honyman put forward Robert, who was returned unopposed.[9] At the next election, in 1802 Robert was again returned unopposed in William's interest, this time in his absence.[9]
Robert was on active service with the navy for nearly all his decade in Parliament, and appears to have never voted or spoken in the House of Commons.[1] He stood down at the 1806 election, when his nephew Robert Honyman (Sir William's oldest son) was elected unopposed.[1][9]
Death
Honyman died in Paris on 31 July 1848.[1][4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Fisher, David R. (1986). R. Thorne (ed.). "HONYMAN, Robert I (c.1765–1848)". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790–1820. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- ^ Burke, (John) Bernard (1868). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. London: Henry Colburn & Co. p. 582. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ "Obituaries: Sir Ord Honeyman". The Gentleman's Magazine. March 1863. p. 394. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Obituaries: Admital Honeyman. October 1848. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
{{cite book}}:|newspaper=ignored (help) - ^ "No. 18141". The London Gazette. 28 May 1825. p. 933.
- ^ "No. 19456". The London Gazette. 10 January 1837. p. 7.
- ^ "No. 20706". The London Gazette. 23 February 1847. p. 742.
- ^ a b c d e Fisher, David R. (1986). R. Thorne (ed.). "Orkney and Shetland, 1790–1820". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790–1820. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ a b Haden-Guest, Edith (1964). L. Namier; J. Brooke (eds.). "Orkney and Shetland, 1754–1790". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754–1790. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 26 April 2015.