Sir Francis Geary, 1st Baronet (1709 – 7 February 1796) was an officer of 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 ...
. He served during the
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...
, the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
, and the
American War of Independence
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, eventually rising 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, ...
.
Family and early life
Geary was born in 1709 to a family that resided at
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
in
Ceredigion
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...
but that moved to England shortly after his birth.
He spent his early years at
Ercall Magna Ercall may relate to a number of things in Shropshire, England:
*Ercall Hill, a small hill to the north of the Wrekin near Wellington
*High Ercall
High Ercall, also known in the past as Ercall Magna, is a village in the borough of Telford and Wre ...
, near
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a market town in Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It is situated 4 miles (6 km) northwest of central Telford and 12 miles (19 km) east of Shrewsbury. The summit of The Wrekin lies 3 miles southwest of the town.
The ...
, and later at
Cheddington
Cheddington is a village and civil parish in the Buckinghamshire district of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England. The parish has an area of . The village is about 6 miles north-east of Aylesbury and three miles north of Tring in Her ...
,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
.
Before joining the navy, he was a noted
bellringer
A bell-ringer is a person who rings a bell, usually a church bell, by means of a rope or other mechanism.
Despite some automation of bells for random swinging, there are still many active bell-ringers in the world, particularly those with an adv ...
, a member of the
Ancient Society of College Youths
The Ancient Society of College Youths (ASCY) is a change ringing society, founded in 1637 and based in the City of London. The society played a leading role in the early development of change ringing, and today, it provides ringers for important e ...
, he participated in several early, record-breaking peals at
St Bride's Church
St Bride's Church is a church in the City of London, England. The building's most recent incarnation was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1672 in Fleet Street in the City of London, though Wren's original building was largely gutted by fire d ...
,
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
He entered the navy in 1727, serving as a volunteer aboard
HMS ''Revenge''. He sailed with ''Revenge'' into the
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
, as part of a squadron under Admiral
Sir John Norris.
On her return to Britain ''Revenge'' was reassigned to sail with a fleet under
Sir Charles Wager that was despatched to relieve
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
.
Geary spent the next fifteen years with the navy gradually progressing to midshipman, and then lieutenant.
First commands
Geary was promoted to command on 30 June 1742.
He cruised off
Madeira
)
, anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira")
, song_type = Regional anthem
, image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
, map_alt=Location of Madeira
, map_caption=Location of Madeira
, subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
, capturing a Spanish
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 ...
, and capturing and burning a Spanish armed ship. On 10 February 1743 he came across the Spanish chartered French merchant ''Pierre Joseph''.
The ''Pierre Joseph'' was carrying a valuable cargo of silver,
cochineal
The cochineal ( , ; ''Dactylopius coccus'') is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessility (motility), sessile parasitism, parasite native to tropical and subtropical Sout ...
,
indigo
Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...
,
hides and other goods. Geary boarded the vessel and took her as a prize. Geary then moved to command in early 1744, but was assigned to command on 17 February.
He quickly departed on a cruise in company with , and on 20 February the two ships came across the French frigate ''Elephant'', capturing her after a short battle. Geary took part in the capture of eight French merchants later in 1744, and took part in a
court-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
aboard in February 1745.
He was then assigned to go to
Louisbourg
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, ...
and support Commodore
Peter Warren's assault on the fortress.
He briefly participated, but was ordered home with despatches and so did not receive a share of the rewards.
Geary had by now secured a powerful patron,
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, (30 September 17105 January 1771) was an 18th-century British statesman.G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peera ...
, who was then the
First Lord of the Admiralty
The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...
, and through Russell's actions, Geary was appointed to command the 74-gun .
He was sent to reinforce Rear-Admiral
Edward Hawke
Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, KB, PC (21 February 1705 – 17 October 1781), of Scarthingwell Hall in the parish of Towton, near Tadcaster, Yorkshire, was a Royal Navy officer. As captain of the third-rate , he took part in the Battle of ...
in the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
in 1747, and spent the rest of the
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
there, returning in 1748.
He was then promoted to
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 ...
and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the squadron in the
Medway
Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...
, but relinquished the command in September that year. He married Mary Bartholomew that month and spent the peace in quiet retirement.
He had purchased the estate of
Polesden Lacey
Polesden Lacey is an Edwardian house and estate, located on the North Downs at Great Bookham, near Dorking, Surrey, England. It is owned and run by the National Trust and is one of the Trust's most popular properties.
This Regency house was exp ...
in 1747.
Return to service
![Admiral Sir Francis Geary full length](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Admiral_Sir_Francis_Geary_full_length.jpg)
The increase of tensions prior to the outbreak of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
led to Geary's return to service in 1755.
He was assigned to the 70-gun , and sailed to North America with Admiral
Edward Boscawen
Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen, PC (19 August 171110 January 1761) was a British admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall, England. He is known principally for his various naval commands during ...
's fleet, returning in November.
At the end of 1755 Geary received orders to join the
Channel Squadron
Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to:
Geography
* Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water.
Australia
* Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
under Sir Edward Hawke. During the winter of 1756 and into early 1757 Geary was part of the court-martial of Admiral
John Byng
Admiral John Byng (baptised 29 October 1704 – 14 March 1757) was a British Royal Navy officer who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participated at the Battle of Cape Passa ...
. In April Geary aboard the ''Somerset'', and in company with , captured a number of
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. In February 1758 Geary was given command of , moving the following year to .
He sailed ''Resolution'' as part of the fleet under Hawke, quickly being assigned to command a squadron of ten
ships of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...
, two frigates and a
fireship
A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...
.
He was promoted to Rear-Admiral of the Blue on either 19 May or 5 June, and on 7 July moved his flag to the 90-gun . He moved again on 29 August to whilst the ''Sandwich'' underwent a refit, returning to ''Sandwich'' in late September.
Geary remained with Hawke, patrolling off the French coast, before returning with the fleet in November. The ''Sandwich'' had lost her main-mast in a storm, and was forced to remain in port as Hawke put to sea again.
Geary was therefore unable to take part in Hawke's
victory at Quiberon Bay on 20 November.
Geary spent the rest of 1759 and some of 1760 patrolling off
Ushant
Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of governm ...
. After a stay in port, he put to sea again on 30 April to intercept a French squadron assembling at
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
for a voyage to the
East Indies
The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...
.
He cruised off the port until it became clear the French had abandoned the expedition, on which he was ordered to rejoin Hawke. He returned to Britain in October and became Port Admiral at
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 ...
, flying his flag aboard . He oversaw preparations for
the expedition
''The Expedition'' is the live album by the American metal band Kamelot, released in October 2000 through Noise Records. The last three tracks are rare studio recordings: "We Three Kings" (instrumental) and "One Day" are additional material from ...
against
Belle ÃŽle
Belle-Île, Belle-Île-en-Mer, or Belle Isle ( br, Ar Gerveur, ; br, label=Old Breton, Guedel) is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the ''département'' of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is from the Quiberon pe ...
, and those for Sir
George Pocock
Admiral Sir George Pocock or Pococke, KB (6 March 1706 – 3 April 1792) was a British officer of the Royal Navy.
Family
Pocock was born in Thames Ditton in Surrey, the son of Thomas Pocock, a chaplain in the Royal Navy. His great grandfat ...
's
expedition against Cuba.
Further advances
Geary was promoted to Vice-Admiral of the Blue on 21 October 1762.
He remained at Spithead, with a brief period as
Commander-in-Chief, The Nore
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 ...
, until the peace in 1763 ended the war. He struck his flag and entered another period of retirement until November 1769, when he became
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Sir Thomas Williams's tenure, his succe ...
. Increasing tensions with Spain led to his return to service and his promotion to Vice-Admiral of the Red on 17 October 1770.
He retired again after the relieving of tensions led to a reduction in the navy. Though not on active service, he continued to rise through the ranks based on his seniority. He became Admiral of the Blue on 31 March 1775, and Admiral of the White on 29 January 1778.
The death of Admiral Sir
Charles Hardy
Sir Charles Hardy (c. 1714 – 18 May 1780) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1764 and 1780. He served as colonial governor of New York from 1755 to 1757.
Early career
Born at Portsmouth, the ...
in May 1780 led to Geary being recalled to service, despite being in poor health.
He hoisted his flag aboard the 100-gun
first rate
In the rating system of the British Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a first rate was the designation for the largest ships of the line. Originating in the Jacobean era
The Jacobean era was the period in English and Scot ...
, with
Richard Kempenfelt
Rear-Admiral Richard Kempenfelt (1718 – 29 August 1782) was a British rear admiral who gained a reputation as a naval innovator. He is best known for his victory against the French at the Second Battle of Ushant and for his death when acciden ...
as his
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 ...
and took command of the Channel Fleet. Geary put to sea, patrolling off
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
in the hope of preventing the joining of the French and Spanish fleets.
Sails were sighted on 9 July, and Geary gave chase believing them to be one of the enemy fleets. It was found that they were instead an enemy merchant convoy. Geary engaged and captured twelve of the merchants, the rest escaping under cover of fog.
Retirement and death
Geary returned to port in August, but was taken ill and returned to Polesden Lacey. Feeling himself unfit to retain command, he requested and received permission to resign. He was created a
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
on 17 August 1782,
and died at the age of 86 on 7 February 1796.
Family and personal life
Geary married Mary Bartholomew in 1747. The marriage produced two sons and three daughters. His eldest son, also named Francis, joined the army. He became a Cornet of the
16th The Queen's Lancers
The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers to form the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.
History
Early war ...
, but was killed in North America in
an ambush in 1776. Mary died on 28 August 1778. Geary's second son,
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, inherited the baronetcy on his death.
File:Portrait of Mary Bartholomew, as a shepherdess (by Pieter Van Bleeck).jpg, Mary Bartholomew,
portrait by Peter van Bleeck
Petrus Johannes (Pieter) van Bleeck (baptized 25 June 1697 in The Hague – 20 July 1764 in London) was a Dutch portrait painter and mezzotint engraver active in London, where he moved in 1723.
Van Bleeck is especially known for theatrical sub ...
File:Lady Elizabeth Twisden, by George Romney.jpg, Elizabeth Geary, later Lady Twisden
Notes
References
*
History and portraits of Admiral Sir Francis Geary*
External links
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geary, Francis, 2nd Baronet
1709 births
1796 deaths
Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain
Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War
Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War
Royal Navy admirals
People from Aberystwyth
Bellringers
Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession