Robert Fairfax (February 1666 – 17 October 1725) was a
rear admiral and politician.
Origins and early life
Robert Fairfax was born in
Newton Kyme, and baptised in the chapel in
Steeton, North Yorkshire
Steeton is a civil parish about 6 miles from York, in North Yorkshire, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 27. The parish touches Appleton Roebuck, Bilbrough, Bolton Percy, Catterton, Colton, Oxton and Tadcaster.
Landmarks
There ...
on 23 February 1666. He was the second son of William Fairfax (1630–1673) and Catherine Stapleton (d. 1695), and grandson of
Sir William Fairfax.
Ships
He first went to sea in 1681, in a
merchant ship
A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...
, the Mary, commanded by Captain Bushell, the son of an old
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
officer. With Bushell he made two voyages 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 ...
. On his return in December 1685 his friends were desirous that he should enter 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 ...
, but it was not till January 1687–8 that he was received as a volunteer on board the Mary, the
flagship of Sir
Roger Strickland
Sir Roger Strickland (1640–1717) was an English admiral and Member of Parliament.
Life
Strickland was the second son of Walter Strickland of Nateby Hall, Lancashire, and lived at Thornton Bridge near Aldborough in Yorkshire, a property a ...
.
Bonaventure
Within a few weeks after the accession of
William III and
Mary II, Fairfax was promoted to be lieutenant of the
Bonaventure
Bonaventure ( ; it, Bonaventura ; la, Bonaventura de Balneoregio; 1221 – 15 July 1274), born Giovanni di Fidanza, was an Italian Catholic Franciscan, bishop, cardinal, scholastic theologian and philosopher.
The seventh Minister G ...
, commanded by Captain (afterwards Sir)
Thomas Hopsonn
Sir Thomas Hopsonn or Hopson (1643 – 1717) was an English naval officer and member of parliament. His most famous action was the breaking of the boom during the battle of Vigo Bay in 1702. After retiring from active service, he became a Navy Co ...
. In her he was present at the
Battle of Bantry Bay, 1 May 1689, and afterwards at the relief of
Derry, 28 July.
In June 1690 Hopsonn was relieved in the command of the Bonaventure by Captain Hubbard, but Fairfax, remaining in her, was present at the
Battle of Beachy Head on 30 June 1690. On 15 November he was promoted to the command of the , and for the next two years was stationed at
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
, cruising against the French
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 ...
s.
Pembroke, Ruby, Newark, Cornwall
In June 1693 Fairfax was moved into the Pembroke of 60 guns, and, returning in her to England, was appointed to the command of the Ruby, a 48-gun ship, ordered to cruise on the coast of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
for the protection of trade. While on this service he had the good fortune to capture, after a hard-fought action, the Entreprenant, a French privateer of the same nominal force, but larger, and with a more numerous complement. In recognition of this service he was promoted, 24 December 1694, to the command of the Newark of 80 guns, in which, and afterwards in the Cornwall, he was employed in convoy service, 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 ...
, in the
Bay of Biscay, or on the coast of
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 ...
, till the
Peace of Ryswick
The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included England, ...
.
Severn, Cambridge, Restoration
In May 1699 Fairfax commissioned the Severn, which in the following year was one of the fleet sent under Sir
George Rooke
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke (1650 – 24 January 1709) was an English naval officer. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Solebay and again at the Battle of Schooneveld during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. As a captain, ...
to maintain the Treaty of
Altona between
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
and
Holstein
Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...
. On returning from the
Baltic he was appointed to the Cambridge, and in January 1701 – 1702, on the eve of the declaration of war, was transferred to the 70-gun ship , one of the squadron which sailed under
Sir John Munden in May. After failing to intercept the French squadron off
Corunna, Munden and his ships returned to
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...
, and in the following autumn Fairfax was sent out to reinforce the grand fleet, which he joined at
Vigo
Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the ...
on 18 October, too late to share in the glory or the treasure, but in time to take part in the labour of refitting the prizes and bringing them to England.
Somerset, Kent
HMS ''Restoration'' was then put out of commission, and in January 1702–3 Fairfax was appointed to the
''Somerset'', from which in May he was transferred to the
''Kent'' as
flag-captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First ...
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 ...
Thomas Dilkes
Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Dilkes (c.1667 – 12 December 1707) was an officer in the Royal Navy.
Early life
Thomas Dilkes was born in around 1667 to a junior branch of the Dilke family of Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire. He was also related to ...
, with whom he served during the summer, and especially in the wholesale capture or destruction of the French merchant ships at
Granville on 26 July, a service for which Fairfax and the other captains engaged, as well as the rear-admiral, received a gold medal.
Berwick
With the new year Fairfax commissioned the Berwick, a 70-gun ship, in which he sailed in March to join Sir
George Rooke
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke (1650 – 24 January 1709) was an English naval officer. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Solebay and again at the Battle of Schooneveld during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. As a captain, ...
and the grand fleet at
Lisbon. With this the Berwick continued during the summer and was one of the six ships which vainly chased a French squadron off
Cape Palos
Cape Palos ( es, Cabo de Palos) is a cape in the Spanish municipality of Cartagena, in the region of Murcia. It is part of a small range of volcanic mounts that form a small peninsula. The Mediterranean islands of Grosa and the group known as ...
on 8 May - a failure for which Fairfax and the other captains were tried by
court-martial, but fully acquitted. He was one of the division actually engaged under
Byng at the
reduction of Gibraltar (23 July), for his share in which exploit ‘the Queen afterwards presented Fairfax with a silver cup and cover bearing a suitable inscription, which is still preserved by his descendants’. The Berwick took an honourable part in the
Battle of Málaga (13 Aug.), where her masts, rigging, and sails were shattered and torn, and she had sixty-nine men killed and wounded. The fleet afterwards returned to England for the winter, and in the following February the Berwick was paid off at
Chatham.
Torbay
Fairfax was immediately appointed to the Torbay. In her he again went to the Mediterranean, under the command of Sir
Cloudesley Shovell
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell (c. November 1650 – 22 or 23 October 1707) was an English naval officer. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Solebay and then at the Battle of Texel during the Third Anglo-Dutch Wa ...
, and participated with the fleet in the
reduction of Barcelona. After the capture of
Montjuich the prisoners were sent on board the Torbay. The Torbay supplied guns to arm the fort and sailors to haul them up the hill. Her marines were landed for service in the trenches and Fairfax himself had command of the seven bomb vessels, whose terrible fire cowed the garrison and rendered the approaches of the besiegers easier and safer. When the town capitulated on 4 Oct. the season was already far advanced and, according to the custom of the day, the fleet at once returned to England.
Barfleur, Albemarle
In March 1706 Fairfax was appointed to the Barfleur, and as commander-in-chief in the
Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
and
Medway. In May he was ordered round to Spithead to join Shovell, who was then preparing to carry over an expeditionary force intended to effect a descent on the coast of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. After vainly waiting for a promised Dutch squadron till the summer was passed, the fleet was forced, by a westerly gale, to take shelter in
Torbay
Torbay is a borough and unitary authority in Devon, south west England. It is governed by Torbay Council and consists of of land, including the resort towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, located on east-facing Tor Bay, part of Lyme ...
. It was detained for several weeks, and the original idea of a landing in France had to be given up. The Berwick, by stress of weather, sprang a leak, and was found to be unseaworthy. She returned with difficulty to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, where Lord Rivers, the general in command of the troops, and his staff, were transhipped to the Tartar frigate. In December Fairfax, with his ship's company, was turned over to the Albemarle, and during the early part of 1707 was commander-in-chief at Portsmouth. In August he was superseded, Sir
John Leake having chosen the Albemarle as his flagship.
Political difficulties
Consequent on the death of Sir
Clowdisley Shovell (22 Oct. 1707), a promotion of flag-officers was made on 8 January 1708. Fairfax, by his seniority, was properly included, and a commission as
Vice Admiral of the Blue was made out for him. This was signed by the
Lord High Admiral, and was gazetted. It was then cancelled, and
Lord Dursley, who was much his junior, was, by the political interest of his family, made Vice Admiral of the Blue in his stead, with seniority of 10 January. Fairfax, naturally indignant at this unworthy treatment, refused all further service.
Prince George obtained for him a commission as rear-admiral, and half-pay equal to that of the rank which he had been deprived of and on 20 June 1708 had him nominated a member of the Council of the Lord High Admiral. With the Prince's death, 28 October 1708, this appointment came to an end, and Fairfax retired altogether from naval life.
Political career
At a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
in 1713 he was returned to Parliament for the
city of York
The City of York is a unitary authority area with city status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The district's main settlement is York, and it extends to the surrounding area including the town of Haxby and the villages of ...
, but lost his seat in the
general election after the accession of
George I George I or 1 may refer to:
People
* Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631)
* George I of Constantinople (d. 686)
* George I of Antioch (d. 790)
* George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9)
* George I of Georgia (d. 1027)
* Yuri Dolgor ...
. He had meantime been elected an
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, of which city he was further elected
Lord Mayor in 1715. He spent the remainder of his life in these, and other local duties, and in the management and development of his handsome property.
Personal life
By the death of his elder brother, on 20 January 1694, he succeeded to the Steeton and Newton Kyme estates. On 20 November of the same year he married Esther, the sister of his old captain, Bushell, and widow of Mr. Charles Tomlinson of
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
. Although she was ten years older than him, he had had a boyish attachment to her from the time of his first going to sea.
Death
He died on 17 October 1725. He was buried in the church of Newton Kyme where, sixty years before, he had been christened. His wife, though ten years older, survived him by ten years, and died at the age of eighty in 1735.
Descendants
He left two children, a daughter, who married Mr. Henry Pawson, the son of an alderman of York, and a son, Thomas, whose posterity still hold the estates of Steeton, Newton Kyme, and
Bilbrough
Bilbrough () is a village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south-west of York, and just outside the York city boundary. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 319 increasing to 348 at the 2011 ...
, which last Fairfax acquired by purchase from the collateral family of
Lord Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Lord Fairfax of Cameron is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Despite holding a Scottish peerage, the Lords Fairfax of Cameron are members of an ancient Yorkshire family, of which the Fairfax baron ...
. There are three portraits of the admiral, taken at the ages of thirty, forty-two, and shortly before his death. They are all in the possession of his family at Bilbrough. In a register ticket, dated 1696, he is described as a tall and well-set man of a fair complexion, which corresponds with the earlier portrait of the same date.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairfax, Robert
1666 births
1725 deaths
17th-century English people
18th-century English people
People from Selby District
17th-century Royal Navy personnel
18th-century Royal Navy personnel
Royal Navy rear admirals
British naval commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British MPs 1713–1715
Lord Mayors of York
Military personnel from Yorkshire
Lords of the Admiralty