Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Norris (1670 or 167113 June 1749) 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 ...

officer and Whig politician. After serving as a junior officer during the Nine Years' War and the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...

, he was given command of a squadron sent to North America to protect British settlements on the banks of Hudson Bay in 1697. Although he developed a plan to recapture some territories in

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

taken by French forces the previous winter, he was prevented from implementing that plan when the local council overruled him. Norris served under Admiral Sir George Rooke at the Battle of Cádiz at an early stage of the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. He went on to command the vanguard at the Battle of Malaga in August 1704 and then served under Admiral the

Earl of Peterborough Earl of Peterborough was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for John Mordaunt, 5th Baron Mordaunt (see Baron Mordaunt for earlier history of the family). He was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry, the second Earl. He was ...

at the capture of

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in October 1705. As a flag officer, Norris was sent with a fleet to the Baltic Sea to support a coalition of naval forces from

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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

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taking in the Great Northern War. Tsar

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took personal command of the coalition fleet and appointed Norris as his deputy in 1716: together they protected British and other allied merchant vessels from attack by warships of the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...

. In November 1718, following the death of Charles XII of Sweden, Britain switched sides and Norris returned to the region to protect British merchant shipping from attack by Russian raiders. Norris also acted as a commissioner in the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Nystad which ended the War in September 1721. Norris went on to be commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet at the outset of the

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in 1739. In 1744 he was asked to defend Britain from an imminent French Invasion: he was preparing for battle against the French fleet, when storms intervened scattering the invasion transports, with heavy loss of life, thereby ending the immediate threat of invasion.

Early career

Born of uncertain Irish parentage, Norris joined the Royal Navy as a captain's servant in 1680. 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 ...

in August 1689, he joined the third-rate HMS ''Edgar'' commanded by Cloudesley Shovell during the Nine Years' War.Heathcote, p. 195 He transferred to the third-rate HMS ''Monck'' early in 1690 and served off the Coast of Ireland during the

. Promoted to commander on 8 July 1690, he was given command of the

fire ship 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 ...

HMS ''Pelican'' and took part in the Battle of Beachy Head in July 1690 in another action of the Nine Years' War. He transferred to the command of the fire ship HMS ''Spy'' in December 1691 and saw action again at the

Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue The Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue took place during the Nine Years' War, between 19 May O.S. (29 May N.S.) and 4 June O.S. (14 June N.S.) 1692. The first was fought near Barfleur on 19 May O.S. (29 May N.S.), with later actions occurring ...

in May 1692. Promoted to captain on 13 January 1693, Norris was given command of the

fifth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal ...

HMS ''Sheerness'' and fought at the

Battle of Lagos The naval Battle of Lagos took place between a British fleet commanded by Sir Edward Boscawen and a French fleet under Jean-François de La Clue-Sabran over two days in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. They fought south west of the Gulf of C ...

in June 1693. He transferred to the command of the third-rate HMS ''Royal Oak'', then to the command of the third-rate HMS ''Sussex'' and then to the command of the

second-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer gun ...

HMS ''Russell'' and was deployed to the

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early in 1694. He transferred to the command of the

fourth-rate In 1603 all English warships with a compliment of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers a six tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided i ...

HMS ''Carlisle'' and then to the command of the third-rate HMS ''Content'' in Spring 1695. Norris was given command of a squadron sent to North America to protect British settlements on the banks of Hudson Bay in 1697.Heathcote, p. 196 Although he developed a plan to recapture some territories in

taken by French forces the previous winter, he was prevented from implementing that plan when the local council overruled him and he received some criticism when he returned to England for his inaction. However he was defended by the Earl of Orford from potential dismissal,Aldridge, p. 47 his successful career continued and he was given command of the fourth-rate HMS ''Winchester'' later in 1697. Investigations were restarted into his conduct in Newfoundland in early 1699 he was suspended from the navy in April 1699. Norris was given command of the third-rate HMS ''Orford'' early in 1702 and served under Admiral Sir George Rooke at the Battle of Cádiz in August 1702 at an early stage of the

. He went on to command the vanguard at the Battle of Malaga in August 1704. He was given command of the

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 with the designation of Ships Royal capable of carrying ...

HMS ''Britannia'', flagship of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, in 1703 and then served under Admiral the

at the capture of

in October 1705. Following his return to England he was knighted on 5 November 1705.

Senior command

Promoted to rear admiral on 10 March 1707, Norris became second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet, with his flag in the third rate HMS ''Torbay''. After taking part in the British defeat at the Battle of Toulon in July 1707 and, while sailing aboard his flagship HMS ''Torbay'', Norris was present during the great naval disaster off the Isles of Scilly in October 1707 when Shovell and four of his ships were lost, claiming the lives of nearly 2,000 sailors. Promoted to vice admiral on 26 January 1708, Norris transferred his flag to the third-rate HMS ''Ranelagh''. At the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

, Norris was returned as

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 Rye. He was a supporter of the

Whig Junto The Whig Junto is the name given to a group of leading Whigs who were seen to direct the management of the Whig Party and often the government, during the reigns of William III and Anne. The Whig Junto proper consisted of John Somers, later ...

, but while on active service, made little contribution in Parliament. While still serving as second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet, he took personal charge a squadron deployed to the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

to prevent Swedish grain arriving in

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in 1709. Promoted to full admiral on 21 December 1709, he became Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet early in 1710. Norris was returned again as MP for Rye at the 1710 British general election. The new Tory Administration relieved him of the Mediterranean command in October 1711 which allowed him to devote more time to Parliamentary business. He followed the progress of the war and took an interest in naval matters. He voted with the Whigs for the motion ‘

No Peace Without Spain No Peace Without Spain was a popular British political slogan of the early eighteenth century. It referred to the ongoing War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) in which Britain was a leading participant. It implied that no peace treaty cou ...

’ on 7 December 1711 and against the French commerce bill on 18 June 1713. At the 1713 British general election, he was returned again as Whig MP for Rye, and voted against the expulsion of Richard Steele on 18 March 1714. Norris was returned again for Rye at the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...

. With the new Whig Administration, he returned to active service. He was sent with a fleet to the Baltic Sea to support a coalition of naval forces from

and

taking in the Great Northern War. Tsar

took personal command of the coalition fleet and appointed Norris as his deputy in 1716: together they protected British and other allied merchant vessels from attack by warships of the

. Norris joined the Board of Admiralty led by the Earl of Berkeley in March 1718. In November 1718, following the death of Charles XII of Sweden, Britain switched sides and Norris returned to the region to protect British merchant shipping from attack by Russian raiders.Heathcote, p. 197 Norris also acted as a commissioner in the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Nystad which ended the War in September 1721. At the

1722 British general election The 1722 British general election elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This was the fifth such election since the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Th ...

, he was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

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. and was advanced to

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on the Admiralty Board in June 1727 but stood down as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty when the

Walpole–Townshend Ministry The government of Great Britain was under the joint leadership of Prime Minister Robert Walpole (in the House of Commons) and Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (in the House of Lords), from 1721 until Townshend's departure from the gover ...

fell in May 1730. The main building at Benenden School - geograph

Norris lost his post as Lord on the Admiralty in 1730, and lost his command to Sir Charles Wager in 1731. In Parliament he joined the opposition and voted against the Government on the army in 1732 and on the Excise Bill in 1733. At the beginning of 1734, the government came to terms and he was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 20 February 1734 and, with his flag in HMS ''Britannia'', he became commander-in-chief of a fleet sent to the

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to protect

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from

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attack. He was returned as Member of Parliament for Rye again at the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Robert Walpole's incr ...

. and was appointed Vice-Admiral of Great Britain in April 1739 and went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet at the outset of the

in Autumn 1739. In 1744 Norris was asked to defend Britain from an imminent French Invasion and in 1745 made Captain of Deal Castle. He was preparing for battle against the French fleet, when storms intervened scattering the invasion transports, with heavy loss of life, thereby ending the immediate threat of invasion. Norris retired from the navy later in the year. Norris died at his country home,

Hemsted Park Hemsted Park, historically sometimes known as Hempsted Park,
Benenden, Kent Archaeological Socie ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, on 13 June 1749 and was buried at St George's Church in

Benenden Benenden is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is located on the Weald, to the west of Tenterden. In addition to the main village, Iden Green, East End, Dingleden and Standen Street settle ...

. His tomb was sculpted by

Peter Scheemakers Peter Scheemakers or Pieter Scheemaeckers II or the Younger (10 January 1691 – 12 September 1781) was a Flemish sculptor who worked for most of his life in London. His public and church sculptures in a classicist style had an important influenc ...

Family

In May 1699 Norris married Elizabeth Aylmer, daughter of Admiral Matthew Aylmer; they had five children (including Vice Admiral Henry Norris and Captain Richard Norris). His granddaughter was the art collector and amateur artist John Norris Hewett.

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links