Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Parker, 1st Baronet, GCB (1 December 1781 – 13 November 1866), was a

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 ...

officer. As a captain's servant he took part in the Battle of The Glorious First of June in June 1794 during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

and, as a captain, he participated in the capture of the French ships ''Marengo'' and ''Belle Poule'' at the action of 13 March 1806 during 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 ...

. He was detached on an independent command on the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see #Name, below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections ...

in September 1831 with a mission to protect British interests during the Portuguese Civil War. As Commander-in-chief of the East Indies and China Station, he provided naval support at various actions between 1841 and 1842 during the

First Opium War The First Opium War (), also known as the Opium War or the Anglo-Sino War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty of China between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese enforcement of the ...

. Appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet in February 1845, he was briefly (for a week)

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in the

First Russell ministry Whig Lord John Russell led the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1846 to 1852. History Following the split in the Tory Party over the Corn Laws in 1846 and the consequent end of Sir Robert Peel's second governm ...

from 13 July 1846 to 24 July 1846 but gave up the role due to ill health before returning to his command with the Mediterranean Fleet.

Early career

HMS Amazon (1799) pursuing possible Belle Poule

Born the son of George Parker (himself the second son of Sir Thomas Parker who had been

Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" (meaning judge) of the English Exchequer of Pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who pre ...

), William Parker entered the

in February 1793 as a captain's servant on the third-rate HMS ''Orion'', serving under Captain John Duckworth. In the ''Orion'', which was part of the

Channel Fleet The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915. History Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...

commanded by Lord Howe, Parker took part in the Battle of The Glorious First of June in June 1794 during the

.Heathcote, p. 206 When Captain Duckworth was assigned to another ship, the third-rate HMS ''Leviathan'', Parker followed him, and sailed with him to the

West Indies Station The Jamaica Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed at Port Royal in Jamaica from 1655 to 1830. History The station was formed, following the capture of Jamaica, by assembling about a dozen frigates in 165 ...

where Duckworth appointed him acting lieutenant in the fifth-rate HMS ''Magicienne''. He was appointed to the second-rate HMS ''Queen'', flagship of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, in May 1798 and he became acting captain of the sixth-rate HMS ''Volage'' on 1 May 1799.Heathcote, p. 207 Promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 5 September 1799, he cruised for the next few months in HMS ''Volage'' in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

and off the coast of

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. Promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on 10 October 1799, he was given command of the

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

HMS ''Stork'' in November 1799. He returned to England and then spent nearly a year in HMS ''Stork'' in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

or with the blockade fleet off

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. Promoted to

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 9October 1801, Parker assumed command of the sixth-rate HMS ''Alarm'' in March 1802 and then the fifth-rate HMS ''Amazon'' in October 1802 and remained with her for the next 9 years. The ''Amazon'' was attached to the fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson engaged in the pursuit of the French fleet to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. She was then sent on a cruise westward and therefore missed the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

. The ''Amazon'' was later attached to a squadron under Admiral Sir John Warren, participating in the capture of the French ships ''Marengo'' and ''Belle Poule'' at the action of 13 March 1806 during the

. After ''Amazon'' was paid off in January 1812, Parker went onto half-pay. He 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. Parker purchased Shenstone Lodge near

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west of B ...

, where he lived for the next 15 years. He returned to sea as captain of the third-rate HMS ''Warspite'' in 1827, and acted as senior officer off the coast of Greece in 1828. He was given command the

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

HMS ''Prince Regent'' in December 1828 and, having been promoted to rear-admiral on 22 July 1830, he was appointed second-in-command of 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 Codrington, in April 1831.Heathcote, p. 208 He was detached on an independent command on the Iberian

Tagus River The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

, hoisting his flag aboard the second-rate HMS ''Asia'', in September 1831 with a mission to protect British interests during the Portuguese Civil War. He was advanced to

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

on 16 July 1834. Parker returned to England and briefly served as

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 ...

in the

Wellington caretaker ministry King William IV had dismissed the Whig government of Lord Melbourne on 14 November 1834 and asked the Duke of Wellington to form a government but he declined, instead recommending Sir Robert Peel. Peel was in Sardinia at the time, so the Duke of ...

from August 1834 to December 1834. He became Second Sea Lord again, this time in the

Second Melbourne ministry The second Lord Melbourne ministry was formed in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland by the Viscount Melbourne in 1835. History Lord Melbourne's second government came to power after Sir Robert Peel's minority government resigned in ...

, in April 1835.

Senior command

Parker left the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

to become Commander-in-chief of the East Indies and China Station, hoisting his flag in the third-rate HMS ''Cornwallis'', in June 1841. He provided naval support at the

Battle of Amoy The Battle of Amoy was fought between British and Qing forces at Amoy (present-day Xiamen) on Xiamen Island, Fujian, in the Qing Empire on 26August 1841 during the First Opium War. The British captured the forts at Xiamen and on nearby Gulang ...

in August 1841, and having been promoted to vice-admiral on 23 November 1841, also took part in the Battle of Ningpo in March 1842, the

Battle of Woosung The Battle of Wusong (Woosung) () was fought between British and Chinese forces at the entrance of the Wusong River (present-day Huangpu River), Jiangsu province, China, on June 16th, 1842 during the First Opium War. The British capture of the ...

in June 1842 and the Battle of Chinkiang in July 1842 during the

. Parker was advanced to

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 ...

on 2 December 1842, given a substantial good-service pension on 26 April 1844 and awarded 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 ...

cy on 11 November 1844. He became Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, hoisting his flag in the first-rate HMS ''Hibernia'' in February 1845. In May 1846, because of his knowledge of Portugal and its politics, he was given the additional command of the

while still remaining in charge of the Mediterranean Fleet. He was briefly (for a week)

in the

from 13 July 1846 to 24 July 1846 but gave up the role due to ill health before returning to his command with the Mediterranean Fleet. Promoted to full

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, ...

on 29 April 1851, Parker became Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth in May 1854. He retired in May 1857, and, having been promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 27 April 1863, he died from bronchitis on 13 November 1866. He was buried in the churchyard at St John the Baptish Parish Church in Shenstone, and a monument to his memory was erected in

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...

Family

In 1810 Parker married Frances Anne Biddulph; they had two sons and six daughters.

References

Sources

External links

* * , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, William, 1st Baronet 1781 births 1866 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Royal Navy personnel of the First Opium War Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Lords of the Admiralty People from Lichfield Royal Navy admirals of the fleet People from Shenstone, Staffordshire