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, ...
Sir Phipps Hornby, (27 April 1785 – 19 March 1867) was a prominent and experienced
Royal Navy officer of the nineteenth century. Hornby served on
frigates throughout most of his wartime experience, which included witnessing the
Nore Mutiny
The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. They were the first in an increasing series of outbreaks of maritime radicalism in the Atlantic World. Despite their temporal proximity, the mutinies d ...
first hand aged 12 in 1797. Later, commanding his own
sixth-rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works and ...
in 1811, Hornby played a vital role in the British victory at the
Battle of Lissa. At Lissa a British squadron under
William Hoste overwhelmed a French force more than twice their own strength, ''Volage'' combating a much larger ship alone for several minutes and taking numerous casualties, including Hornby, who was wounded.
Later in life, Hornby accepted a succession of home and seagoing positions to ensure the promotion prospects for his son in the navy as well as to support his close allies in Parliament under the
Earl of Derby, to whom he was related. These positions included a period in command of the Pacific Fleet and later a role as one of the
Lords of the Admiralty. During his career, Hornby accrued numerous awards and accolades, being made a
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...
and a full admiral before his death in 1867.
Origins
Hornby was born in 1785, the 5th son of Rev. Geoffrey Hornby (1750–1812), of Scale Hall, near
Lancaster in Lancashire, Rector of
Winwick,
High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1774 and a
Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire, Colonel of a regiment of Lancashire militia, by his wife Lucy Smith-Stanley (d.1833) a daughter of
James Smith-Stanley, Lord Strange (1716–1771), (son and heir apparent of
Edward Stanley, 11th Earl of Derby (1689–1776) of
Knowsley Hall in Lancashire) and a sister of
Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby
Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby PC (1 September 1752 ( O.S.) – 21 October 1834), usually styled Lord Stanley from 1771 to 1776, was a British peer and politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He held office a ...
(1752–1834). Phipps Hornby's sister Charlotte Margaret Hornby (d.1817) married their first cousin
Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby (1775–1851),
KG, and was the mother of
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (1799–1869), thrice
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1852, 1858–9, 1866–8), thus Phipps Hornby's nephew. His eldest brother was
Edmund Hornby (1773–1857) of Dalton Hall near Burton, Westmorland, a
Member of Parliament for
Preston
Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to:
Places
England
*Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement
**The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement
**County Boro ...
, Lancashire, from 1812 to 1826, who married his first cousin Lady Charlotte Stanley (d.1805), a daughter of
Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby
Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby PC (1 September 1752 ( O.S.) – 21 October 1834), usually styled Lord Stanley from 1771 to 1776, was a British peer and politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He held office a ...
. The close association between the Earls of Derby and the Hornby family would play a significant role in Phipps Hornby's career and politics.
Career
Hornby received education at
Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames (or commonly Sunbury) is a suburban town on the north bank of the River Thames in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, centred southwest of central London. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, in 1965 Sunbury and other ...
and joined the Navy as a
midshipman
A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...
in 1797 aged 12.
[Hornby, Sir Phipps](_blank)
'' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', J. K. Laughton, Retrieved 1 April 2008
In 1797, Britain was embroiled in the
French Revolutionary Wars, and Hornby's ship became caught up in the
Nore Mutiny
The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. They were the first in an increasing series of outbreaks of maritime radicalism in the Atlantic World. Despite their temporal proximity, the mutinies d ...
just weeks after he joined her. ''Latona's'' captain,
John Bligh, took Hornby with him when he moved ships, and Hornby saw service on , and , mainly serving in the Americas.
Napoleonic Wars
In 1804 following the
Peace of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it se ...
, Hornby joined
Horatio Nelson
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
's flagship in the Mediterranean briefly before being posted to with the admiral's recommendation. ''Excellent'' was detached from Nelson's fleet soon afterwards and in 1805 and 1806 participated in numerous operations on the Italian coast, particularly at
Gaeta
Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples.
The town has played a consp ...
. ''Excellent'' was also present at the capture of
Capri
Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...
. Hornby was granted his first independent command in 1806, the small armed vessel HMS ''Duchess of Bedfordshire'' and in her fought off two large Spanish
privateers. In 1807 he was promoted to commander and took over the sloop in which he fought numerous engagements with Spanish gunboats off
Cadiz.
In 1809, ''Minorca'' operated briefly with the squadron in the
Adriatic Sea and the following year Hornby was promoted to
post captain, becoming temporary commander of before moving to the small
sixth rate to serve in the Adriatic squadron under
William Hoste. Hornby was wounded in March 1811 during the
Battle of Lissa, at which his ship fought a much larger French vessel and despite losing all but one gun, remained in combat throughout. Recovering from his injuries, Hornby took command of off the
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
the next year and later moved to in the Mediterranean. While commander of ''Spartan'', Hornby participated in the capture of
Elba from the French, for which he was invested with the Austrian order of St Joseph of Würzburg.
Later service
In 1814, Hornby married Sophia Maria Burgoyne, daughter of General
John Burgoyne. The couple had five daughters and three sons. The eldest son,
John, died in service with the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
in 1848 aged 27, while his younger sons
Geoffrey Hornby and
James John Hornby had lengthy and successful careers in the Royal Navy and education respectively. Hornby was appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion may refer to:
Relationships Currently
* Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance
* A domestic partner, akin to a spouse
* Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach
* Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...
on 4 June 1815
and the following year paid off ''Spartan'' and entered semi-retirement. During his retirement, Hornby dabbled in politics, a supporter of the Earls of Derby.
In 1832, Hornby returned to service to promote his son's career through preferment, initially becoming superintendent of
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
Naval Hospital and in 1838 moving to become superintendent of the
Woolwich Dockyard. In 1841 he became comptroller-general of the Coast Guard until 1846 when he was promoted to
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 ...
. In order to further his son's career, Hornby then accepted the position of commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, raising his flag in in 1847. In 1852 Hornby returned to Europe to serve as a
Second Naval Lord
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of Time in physics, time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally t ...
under the
Duke of Northumberland and remained in post until his final retirement in 1853, shortly after the fall of
Lord Derby's government.
In retirement Hornby continued to receive honours, eventually being promoted full admiral in 1858 and becoming a
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...
in 1861. He died a widower at his estate in the village of Little Green near
Petersfield in
Hampshire in March 1867.
See also
*
Notes
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, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornby, Phipps
1785 births
1867 deaths
Royal Navy admirals
Lords of the Admiralty
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars