Sir William Burnaby, 1st Baronet

Sir William Burnaby, 1st Baronet
Sir William Burnaby, 1st Baronet
Born	ca. 1710
Died	1776
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Rear-Admiral
Commands held	HMS Thunder; HMS Lichfield; HMS Jersey; HMS Royal Anne; Jamaica Station

Sir William Burnaby, 1st Baronet (c. 1710 – 1776) was a British naval officer who became Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station.

Naval career

Burnaby was the son of John Burnaby of Kensington.

Admiral Vernon's squadron in the West Indies. In 1742 he became captain of the fourth-rate HMS Lichfield.^[2]

On his return to England he bought Broughton Hall in Oxfordshire in 1747, was knighted in 1754 and served as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire for 1755.^[2]

On the outbreak of war with France he was given command of the fourth-rate

rear-admiral. In 1763 he was back in the West Indies in command of the fourth-rate HMS Dreadnought with orders to protect and exploit local trade. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Station in 1763^[3] and Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station in 1764.^[4] In 1765 he sailed to Belize at the request of the loggers there to protect them from Spanish attacks, drawing up a Civil Law for the colony called Burnaby's Code, which some claim to be the world's first constitution^[5]

and that has been signed by two women. He returned to England in 1767 and on 31 October 1767 was created a baronet. He was promoted to Vice-admiral of the White on 20 October 1770 and to Vice-admiral of the Red soon afterward.

He died in 1776, and was succeeded by his son Sir William Chaloner Burnaby. He had married twice: firstly Margaret, widow of Tim Donovan of Jamaica (they had the son, William Chaloner, and a daughter, Elizabeth) and secondly Grace, daughter of Drewry Ottley with whom he had six children, including Edward, who followed his father into the Royal Navy.[2] His daughter Charlotte married the MP Josias Du Pré Porcher.

His six times great-grandson is actor Daniel Craig.^[6]

Charlotte Burnaby (daughter)
Georgiana Grace Burnaby (daughter)
Harriet Emma Burnaby (daughter)

References

^ "Complete baronetage". Retrieved 4 July 2011.
^
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/64850. (Subscription or UK public library membership
required.)

^ Schomberg, Issac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace: Vol 5. London, England: T. Egerton. p. 238.
^ Cundall, p. xx
^ "Burnaby's Code 1765". St Georges Caye,Belize. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022.
^ "Je m'appelle Bond... James Bond". Genealogy Reviews. Retrieved 1 May 2015.

Sources

Cundall, Frank (1915). Historic Jamaica. West India Committee.

Military offices
Preceded by George Brydges Rodney	Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Station 1763	Succeeded by Robert Swanton
Preceded by Augustus Keppel	Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station 1764–1766	Succeeded by William Parry
Baronetage of Great Britain
New creation	Baronet (of Broughton Hall) 1767–1776	Succeeded by William Chaloner Burnaby

[1] "Complete baronetage". Retrieved 4 July 2011.

[DNB-2] 
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/64850. (Subscription or UK public library membership
required.)

[3] Schomberg, Issac (1802). Naval Chronology: Or, An Historical Summary of Naval & Maritime Events, from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace: Vol 5. London, England: T. Egerton. p. 238.

[4] Cundall, p. xx

[5] "Burnaby's Code 1765". St Georges Caye,Belize. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022.

[6] "Je m'appelle Bond... James Bond". Genealogy Reviews. Retrieved 1 May 2015.

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