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 James Whitley Deans Dundas GCB (4 December 1785 – 3 October 1862) 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 Fr ...

officer. He took part in 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 Fre ...

, first as a junior officer when he took part in the

Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland The Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland (or Anglo-Russian expedition to Holland, or Helder Expedition) was a military campaign from 27 August to 19 November 1799 during the War of the Second Coalition, in which an expeditionary force of British an ...

in Autumn 1799 and later as a

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. ...

when he was in action at

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Dockyard shortly after the capture of that City in August 1807. He also served as Whig

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

and then for

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between ...

and became First Naval Lord in the First Russell ministry in July 1847 and in that role his service was dominated by the needs of Whig party. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean in 1852 and led all naval operations in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

including the bombardment of Sevastopol in October 1854 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

Early career

Born the son of Dr James Deans (of

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

) and Janet Deans (née Dundas), daughter of Thomas Dundas MP, James Deans, as he then was, joined the

in March 1799. He initially joined the third-rate HMS ''Kent'' and took part in the

in Autumn 1799 during the

War of the Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war on revolutionary France by most of the European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria and Russia, and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, N ...

. In 1802 he saw action in combat with the French ship ''Duguay Trouin'' and was also involved with the capture of ''La Vautour''. 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 ...

on 25 May 1805, he joined the fifth-rate HMS ''Cambrian'' and took part in capturing three privateers that year. After serving for a few weeks as flag-lieutenant to Admiral The Hon.

George Berkeley George Berkeley (; 12 March 168514 January 1753) – known as Bishop Berkeley ( Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland) – was an Anglo-Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immate ...

on the

North American Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the ...

and having been promoted to

on 8 October 1806, he was given command of the fifth-rate HMS ''Rosamond'' but was injured while putting out a fire at

Dockyard shortly after the capture of that City in August 1807. 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 13 October 1807, he briefly took command of the fifth-rate HMS ''Cambrian''. Following his marriage to Janet Dundas he assumed the surname of Dundas in April 1808. Dundas was given command of the third-rate HMS ''Stately'', flagship of Rear Admiral

Thomas Bertie Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Bertie KSO (born Hoar, 3 July 1758 – 13 June 1825) was an English officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. His career began in ...

, in the Baltic Fleet in March 1809. He took command of the third-rate HMS ''Venerable'' in January 1812 and then the frigate HMS ''Pyramus'' in September 1812 and in the latter ship captured two more privateers. He took command of the armed frigate HMS ''Tagus'' in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...

in August 1815 and then the first-rate HMS ''Prince Regent'', as flag captain to Admiral Sir William Parker who was commanding 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 th ...

, in 1830. Entering politics, Dundas became Whig

for

at the 1832 general election and, having also become Deputy Lieutenant of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

on 16 June 1834, he sat in Parliament until he stood down at the 1835 general election in favour of a fellow Whig. He was then given command of the first-rate HMS ''Britannia'', as flag captain to Admiral Sir Philip Durham who was

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 succes ...

, in 1836. He became Member of Parliament for

in February 1836 in place of Sir Philip Durham who had stood down as Member of Parliament for that constituency. He then resigned his seat in Parliament when he became

Clerk of the Ordnance {{Infobox official post , post = Office of the Clerk of the Ordnance , body = , nativename = , insignia = File:Badge of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps on a RML 10 inch 18 ton gun in Gibraltar.jpg , insigniasize ...

on 21 March 1838. 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 caregiv ...

on 25 October 1839. Having been elected Member of Parliament for Greenwich again at the 1841 general election, Dundas became Fourth Naval Lord in the Second Melbourne ministry in June 1841 but stood down in September 1841 when the Government fell from power.

Senior command

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 ...

on 23 November 1841, Dundas became Second Naval Lord in the First Russell ministry in July 1846 before stepping up to be First Naval Lord in the same ministry in July 1847. As First Sea Lord his service was dominated by the needs of Whig party and he stood down as First Naval Lord when the Government fell from power in February 1852. Dundas was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1852 and consequently resigned from the House of Commons, using the device of seeking appointment as Steward of the Manor of Hempholme, on 29 January 1852. Promoted to vice-admiral on 17 December 1852, he led all naval operations in the

in command of the

Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...

, including the bombardment of Sevastopol in October 1854, during the

. Dundas returned to England in January 1855 and was appointed to the Turkish

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in f ...

(First Class) on 15 May 1855, 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 5 July 1855 and awarded the Grand Cross of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

on 30 April 1857. 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 8 December 1857, he died at Weymouth in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

on 3 October 1862.

Family

On 2 April 1808, he married his first cousin, Janet, only daughter and heiress of Charles Dundas, later Lord Amesbury. His first wife died in April 1846 and, in August 1847, he married Lady Emily Moreton, fourth daughter of Thomas Reynolds-Moreton, 1st Earl of Ducie. By his first wife, he had a life interest in large estates in

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

and

– centred on Aston Hall in Flintshire and Barton Court at

Kintbury Kintbury is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, between the towns of Newbury and Hungerford. The village has a convenient railway to and , proximity to other transport and local cultural destinations, including Roman and Norman s ...

in Berkshire – which, at his death, passed to his grandson, Mr. Charles Amesbury Deans Dundas. (Dundas' elder son, Charles Whitley Deans Dundas, having predeceased him in 1856.)

References

External links

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Deans Dundas, James Whitley First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Dundas, James Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 1st class 1785 births 1862 deaths

Early career

Senior command

Family

See also

References

Further reading

External links