Joshua Loring (3 August 1716 – September 1781Charles Henry Pope
''Loring Genealogy''
(Cambridge, Mass., 1917), pp. 78-79) was an 18th-century colonial American naval officer in British service. During the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, he served as a

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

in the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

region and was active during much of the Ontario and Quebec campaigns.

Biography

Born in Boston, Massachusetts to parents Joshua and Hannah (Jackson) Loring, and a great-great-grandson to colonist

Thomas Loring Thomas Loring was an early settler of Hingham and Hull, Massachusetts. He was present at some of the key moments in the earliest history of Hingham, Massachusetts. But later " e large Loring families were prominent in the town f Hull and remain ...

, he was apprenticed as a tanner but instead chose to enlist 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 F ...

as a young man. He rose to command a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

during

King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in t ...

, however he was captured by the French in 1744. Held as a prisoner in

Louisbourg, Nova Scotia Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, ...

for several months, he was eventually released and was made a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 19 December 1757 on .

Seven Years War

During the

, he was involved in naval operations on Lake George and

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

in 1759 and served under General

James Wolfe James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a Major-general (United Kingdom), major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the Kingdom of France, French ...

at the capture of Quebec later that year. Transferred to

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

, he commanded the advance guard at the

Battle of the Thousand Islands The Battle of the Thousand Islands was an engagement fought on 16–24 August 1760, in the upper St. Lawrence River, among the Thousand Islands, along the present day Canada–United States border, by British and French forces during the closing ...

while accompanying Field Marshal Jeffrey Amherst with his thrust against Montreal in August 1760. During the campaign, Loring was seriously wounded at an engagement on Lake Ontario and retired at half-pay due to his injuries.

Later life

Loring settled in

Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commun ...

and lived at Loring-Greenough House for over a decade. He was appointed as a member of the

governor's council The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the British constitution. After the Thirteen Colonies had become the United States, the experience under colonial rule would ...

by Governor

Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army general officer and colonial official best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British commander-in-chief in the early days of the ...

, a position which made him so unpopular that he was attacked by mobs. A popular story recounts that, asked by an old friend what he would do when faced by a choice between remaining loyal and supporting the popular spirit of revolt, Loring replied "I have always eaten the King's bread, and always intend to." However the ''Loring Genealogy'' suggests this was not a decision made lightly nor in advance: "He decided after serious consideration and consultation with friends, "the whole night through." In the morning he took his horse, rode to Boston and joined the English commander." Loring was forced to flee, with his family, to the safety of the British Army's garrison in Boston in August 1774. He was denounced by the

Massachusetts Provincial Congress The Massachusetts Provincial Congress (1774–1780) was a provisional government created in the Province of Massachusetts Bay early in the American Revolution. Based on the terms of the colonial charter, it exercised ''de facto'' control over the ...

as "an implacable enemy to their country" on 30 March 1775. The Lorings remained in Boston until 17 March 1776, when the British Army left Boston for Halifax, evacuating as it went those Loyalists who had sought refuge in the city. The Lorings traveled on from Halifax to England, having been named in the

Massachusetts Banishment Act The Massachusetts Banishment Act, officially named the "Banishment Act of the State of Massachusetts", was passed in September 1778 "to prevent the return to this state of certain persons therein named and others who have left this state or either o ...

of 1778. Their home and property in Jamaica Plain, used as a hospital by the rebels during the siege of Boston, were confiscated by the state in 1779 and sold at auction. Loring received a royal pension until his death at

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1781.

Family

Loring's eldest son, Joshua Loring, Jr., served as high-sheriff in

Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county comprises the cities of Boston, Chel ...

and was Commissary General of American

prisoners-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from 1777 until 1783. Together with William Cunningham, he was held responsible for the deaths from starvation and disease of thousands of Americans held prisoner on ships moored in New York Harbor. " t it is not easy to ascertain the truth, or to determine his personal responsibility in the treatment of prisoners." He was discharged from his office on the grounds of corruption and departed for England, where he died in 1789. Joshua Loring, Jr's son,

John Wentworth Loring Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, KCB, KCH (13 October 1775 – 29 July 1852) was a Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who is best known for his service in the Napoleonic Wars as a frigate commander. Born in the Thirteen ...

, served in the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

. Henry Lloyd Loring, another son of Joshua Loring, Jr., also had a successful career in the service of Britain, becoming an

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

.Pope, Charles Henry ''Loring Genealogy''. Cambridge, MA: Murray and Emery Co., 1917. (pg. 226)

References

External links

*
Biography at the ''Jamaica Plain Historical Society''

Loring Genealogy (Pope 1917)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loring, Joshua 1716 births 1781 deaths Royal Navy officers Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War American Loyalists from Massachusetts Members of the colonial Massachusetts Governor's Council People from Highgate People from colonial Boston People of colonial Massachusetts People from Jamaica Plain 18th-century American politicians