George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith (7 January 1746 – 10 March 1823), was a British naval officer active throughout the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
Career
Early service
George Elphinstone was the fourth son of
Charles Elphinstone, 10th Lord Elphinstone
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
, and his wife Lady Clementina Fleming, the daughter and heiress of
John Fleming, 6th Earl of Wigtown
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
. Elphinstone was born on 7 January 1746 at
Elphinstone Tower, Scotland. Of his three elder brothers, two joined the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
while the third,
William Fullerton Elphinstone, initially served in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
before joining the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
. Elphinstone followed his third brother into the navy, joining the 100-gun
ship of the line on 4 November 1761. He stayed in her only briefly, transferring to the 44-gun
frigate , commanded by Captain
John Jervis, on 1 January of the following year.
Serving in ''Gosport'' on the
North American Station
The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the ...
, Elphinstone saw action in the campaign that culminated in the removal of the French from
Newfoundland at the
Battle of Signal Hill
The Battle of Signal Hill was fought on September 15, 1762, and was the last battle of the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. A British force under Lieutenant Colonel William Amherst recaptured St. John's, which the French had sei ...
in September. At the end of the year ''Gosport'' sailed back to Britain, and in March of the following year Elphinstone left her to join the 32-gun frigate
HMS ''Juno''. He stayed in ''Juno'' only briefly, transferring from her to the 20-gun frigate
HMS ''Lively'' after two months. As part of the
Mediterranean Fleet, Elphinstone served in ''Lively'' until January 1765, at which point he went on leave at home. His leave over, Elphinstone was next appointed to serve on the 32-gun frigate
HMS ''Emerald'' in August 1766. In December, however, he obtained permission from his captain to leave ''Emerald'' in order to join his brother William's East India Company ship, ''Tryton'', as
third mate on a trip to China. The two brother's uncle,
George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal
{{Infobox noble
, name = George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal
, title = Earl Marischal
, image = George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal by Placido Costanzi.jpg
, caption = George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal ...
, lent each £2,000 for the journey, which money allowed them to profit from the expedition. He became lieutenant in 1770,
commander in 1772, and
post captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.
The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:
* Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...
in 1775.
Post-Captain
During the
war in America he was employed against the privateers, and with a naval brigade at the occupation of
Charleston, South Carolina. In January 1781, when in command of the 50-gun , he captured a Dutch 50-gun ship which had beaten off a British vessel of equal strength a few days before. On 15 September 1782 in the
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean.
The bay is bordered inland ...
he led a squadron
that captured the French
38 gun frigate ''Aigle'' during which Captain
Latouche Tréville was taken prisoner. After peace was signed he remained on shore for ten years, serving in
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
as member first for
Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders Pe ...
, and then for
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.
It borders Perth ...
. He was elected a
fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...
in 1790.
Admiral
When war broke out again in 1793, he was appointed to the
74-gun
The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...
, in which he took part in the occupation of
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
by
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood. He particularly distinguished himself by beating a body of the French ashore at the head of a
naval brigade of British and Spaniards. He was entrusted with the duty of embarking the fugitives when the town was evacuated. In 1794 he was promoted
rear-admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
, and in 1795 he was sent to occupy the Dutch colonies in South Africa thereby establishing the
Cape of Good Hope Station
The Commander-in-Chief, Africa was the last title of a Royal Navy's formation commander located in South Africa from 1795 to 1939. Under varying titles, it was one of the longest-lived formations of the Royal Navy. It was also often known as the C ...
. He had a large share in the capture of the Cape in 1795, and in August 1796 captured a whole Dutch squadron in
Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay ( af, Saldanhabaai) is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local ...
. In the interval he had gone on to India, where his health suffered, and the capture at Saldanha was effected on his way home. When the
Nore Mutiny broke out in 1797 he was appointed to the command, and was soon able to restore order. He was equally successful at
Plymouth, where the squadron was also in a state of effervescence.
At the close of 1798, he was sent as second in command to St Vincent. It was for a long time a thankless post, for St Vincent was at once half incapacitated by ill-health and very arbitrary, while
Horatio Nelson, who considered that Keith's appointment was a personal slight to himself, was peevish and insubordinate. In May 1799, he was unable to counter
Bruix' expedition, mainly due to sparring among the British naval commanders. Keith followed the enemy to Brest on their retreat, but was unable to bring them to action.
He returned to the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
in November as commander-in-chief. He co-operated with the
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
ns in the
siege of Genoa, which surrendered on 4 June 1800. It was however immediately afterwards lost in consequence of the
Battle of Marengo
The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General Mich ...
, and the French made their re-entry so rapidly that the admiral had considerable difficulty in getting his ships out of the harbour. The close of 1801 and the beginning of the following year were spent in transporting the army sent to recover
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
from the French. As the naval force of the enemy was completely driven into port, the British admiral had no opportunity of an action at sea, but his management of the convoy carrying the troops, and of the landing at
Aboukir
Abu Qir ( ar, ابو قير, ''Abu Qīr'', or , ), formerly also spelled Abukir or Aboukir, is a town on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, near the ruins of ancient Canopus, Egypt, Canopus and northeast of Alexandria by rail. It is located o ...
, was greatly admired.
He was made
Baron Keith of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, an
Irish barony having been conferred on him in 1797. On the renewal of the war in 1803 he was appointed
Commander-in-Chief, North Sea (which at the time included
Nore Command
The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Th ...
), which post he held until 1807. In February 1812 he was appointed commander-in-chief in the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, and in 1814 he was raised to a
viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
cy. During his last two commands he was engaged first in overlooking the measures taken to meet a threatened invasion, and then in directing the movements of the numerous small squadrons and private ships employed on the coasts of Spain and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, and in protecting trade.
He was at Plymouth when
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
surrendered and was brought to England in by
Captain Maitland
Rear-Admiral Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland (7 September 177730 November 1839) was an officer in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of rear admiral and held a number of commands. The most ...
(1777–1839). The decisions of the
British government were expressed through him to the fallen Emperor. Lord Keith refused to be led into disputes, and confined himself to declaring steadily that he had his orders to obey. He was not much impressed by the appearance of his illustrious charge and thought that the airs of Napoleon and his suite were ridiculous. Lord Keith died in 1823 at
Tulliallan Castle
Tulliallan Castle is a large house in Kincardine, Fife, Scotland. It is the second structure to have the name, and is a mixture of Gothic and Italian style architecture set amid some of parkland just north of where the Kincardine Bridge spans t ...
, near
Kincardine-on-Forth
Kincardine ( ; gd, Cinn Chàrdainn) or Kincardine-on-Forth is a small town on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife, Scotland. The town was given the status of a burgh of barony in 1663. It was at one time a reasonably prosperous ...
, Fife, his property in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, and was buried in the parish church.
Family life
He was twice married: in 1787 to Jane Mercer, daughter of Colonel William Mercer of Aldie; and in 1808 to
Hester Thrale
Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi (née Salusbury; later Piozzi; 27 January 1741 or 16 January 1740 – 2 May 1821),Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded her birth as 16 January ...
, daughter of
Henry Thrale
Henry Thrale (1724/1730?–4 April 1781) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1765 to 1780. He was a close friend of Samuel Johnson. Like his father, he was the proprietor of the large London brewery H. Thrale & Co.
B ...
and
Hester Thrale
Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi (née Salusbury; later Piozzi; 27 January 1741 or 16 January 1740 – 2 May 1821),Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded her birth as 16 January ...
, who is spoken of as 'Queeney' in
Boswell's ''Life of
Johnson
Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...
'' and
Mme d'Arblay's ''Diary''. He had a daughter by each marriage, the second being Georgina Augusta Henrietta Keith, but no son. Thus the viscountcy became extinct on his death, but the British and Irish baronies descended to his elder daughter
Margaret (1788–1867), who married the
Comte de Flahault de la Billarderie, only to become extinct on her death.
A portrait of him by Owen is in the
Painted Hall
The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of "outstanding ...
in
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
and another by George Sanders in the
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unite ...
, Greenwich.
Freemasonry
He was initiated into Scottish Freemasonry in Lodge Holyrood House (St Luke's), No. 44, on 16 June 1769.
[A History of the Mason Lodge of Holyrood House (St.Luke's), No. 44, holding of the Grand Lodge of Scotland with Roll of Members, 1734–1934, by Robert Strathern Lindsay, W.S., Edinburgh, 1935. Vol. II, p. 676.]
In fiction
Lord Keith and his wife 'Queeney' appear in several of the novels in
Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian, CBE (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000), born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of sea novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, and cent ...
's
Aubrey–Maturin series. He is also mentioned in passing in Robert Brightwell's novel ''
Flashman and the Seawolf'', based loosely on the exploits of Thomas, Lord Cochrane (as is, in part, the character of Jack Aubrey).
Arms
Citations
References
*
*
Further reading
*McCrannie, Kevin. ''Admiral Lord Keith and the Naval War against Napoleon (New Perspectives on Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology''). April 30, 2006
Mercer, Keith. ''Mercer on McCranie, 'Admiral Lord Keith and the Naval War against Napoleon'. Beyond Nelson: The Life of a Forgotten British Admiral.'' Reviewed by Keith Mercer (Department of History, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia) Published on H-Maritime (November, 2006)
External links
*
slowly being put online here.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount
1746 births
1823 deaths
People from Falkirk (council area)
Royal Navy admirals
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