Memorial to Lord John Hay, Admiral of the Fleet, Gifford

Admiral of the Fleet Lord John Hay, (23 August 1827 – 4 May 1916) 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 and politician. After seeing action in 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 ...

, he went ashore with the Naval Brigade and took part in the defence of Eupatoria in November 1854 and the Siege of Sevastopol in spring 1855 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 ...

. He also took part in the Battle of Taku Forts in August 1860 during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire#Britain's imperial ...

. As a politician, he became Member of Parliament for

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placename ...

and later for

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

. He was sent to the Mediterranean in July 1878 to take control of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

and to occupy it in accordance with decisions reached at the

Congress of Berlin The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...

. In a highly political appointment, he was made First Naval Lord in March 1886 when the Marquis of Ripon became

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 ...

but had to stand down just five months later when William Gladstone's Liberal Government fell from power in August 1886.

Early career

Born in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

, Switzerland,Heathcote, p. 110 the fourth son of

George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale Field Marshal George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale (1 February 1787 – 10 October 1876) was a British soldier and administrator. He served as a staff officer in the Peninsular War under Arthur Wellesley and was with Wellesley at the Second B ...

and Lady Susan Montagu (daughter of the

William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester Colonel William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester (21 October 177118 March 1843), styled Viscount Mandeville until 1788, was a British peer, soldier, colonial administrator and politician. He was Governor of Jamaica from 1808 to 1827, and Manches ...

), Hay joined the

in 1840. He was posted to the sixth-rate HMS ''Vestal'' on the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 18 ...

in 1842 and saw action during the

. Promoted to lieutenant on 19 December 1846, he joined the

steam frigate Steam frigates (including screw frigates) and the smaller steam corvettes, steam sloops, steam gunboats and steam schooners, were steam-powered warships that were not meant to stand in the line of battle. There were some exceptions like for exa ...

HMS ''Spiteful'' at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

that month before transferring to 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 ''Powerful'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1848.Heathcote, p. 111 He was promoted to commander on 28 August 1851 and given command of the sloop HMS ''Wasp'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in August 1852; he went ashore with the Naval Brigade and took part in the defence of Eupatoria in November 1854 and the Siege of Sevastopol in Spring 1855 during the

. He was wounded in the latter engagement and was appointed to 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 Napoleon ...

, 5th Class and 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 ...

, 4th class for his services in the Crimea. Promoted to captain – in recognition of his services at Eupatoria – on 27 November 1854 and, having been appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 5 July 1855, Hay 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 ''Forth'' in December 1855. Entering politics, he became

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of Parliament for

in the 1857 general election and served his constituents there until the 1859 general election. Returning to sea, he became Captain of the paddle frigate HMS ''Odin'' on the

East Indies and China Station The Commander-in-Chief, East Indies and China was a formation of the Royal Navy from 1831 to 1865. Its naval area of responsibility was the Indian Ocean and the coasts of China and its navigable rivers. The Commander-in-Chief was appointed in 183 ...

in September 1859 and took part in the Battle of Taku Forts in August 1860 during the

. From 1861 he served as

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 ...

on the East Indies and China Station. Hay became Member of Parliament for

in April 1866 and served as

Civil Lord of the Admiralty The Civil Lord of the Admiralty formally known as the Office of the Civil Lord of Admiralty also referred to as the Department of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty was a member of the Board of Admiralty who was responsible for managing the Royal N ...

until the Liberal Government fell in June 1866; he went on to be Junior Naval Lord in December 1868. He resigned his seat in Parliament in February 1871 and was given command of the ironclad

ram Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * ...

HMS ''Hotspur''.

Senior command

Promoted to rear admiral on 7 May 1872, Hay became 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 ...

in January 1875, hoisting his flag in ironclad battleship HMS ''Northumberland'' and then the ironclad battleship HMS ''Black Prince'', and then became Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron, hoisting his flag in the armoured frigate HMS ''Minotaur'', in November 1877. Promoted to vice-admiral on 31 December 1877, he was sent to the Mediterranean in July 1878 to take control of

and to occupy it in accordance with decisions reached at the

. Hay became Second Naval Lord in April 1880 and, having been 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 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 o ...

on 24 May 1881, he went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, hoisting his flag in the

central battery ship The central battery ship, also known as a centre battery ship in the United Kingdom and as a casemate ship in European continental navies, was a development of the (high- freeboard) broadside ironclad of the 1860s, given a substantial boost due ...

HMS ''Alexandra'' in February 1883.Heathcote, p. 112 He was promoted to full admiral on 8 July 1884 and, in his role as Commander-in-Chief, provided support for the Nile Expedition to relieve Major General Charles Gordon. In a highly political appointment, Hay was made First Naval Lord in March 1886 when the

Marquess of Ripon Marquess of Ripon, in the County of York was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1871 for the Liberal politician George Robinson, 2nd Earl of Ripon. History The Robinson family descended from William Robinson (d ...

became

but had to stand down just five months later when William Gladstone's Liberal Government fell from power in August 1886. He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 30 July 1886. He became

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offic ...

in May 1887, and having been promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 15 December 1888, he retired in August 1892. He died at his home, Fulmer Place, at

Fulmer Fulmer is a village and civil parish in south Buckinghamshire, England. The village has along most of its northern border a narrow green buffer from Gerrards Cross and is heavily wooded adjoining neighbouring villages of Iver Heath and Wexham. ...

in Buckinghamshire on 4 May 1916.

Family

23 10 1875 Vanity Fair text for Admiral John Hay

In 1876 Hay married Christina Lambert, youngest daughter of Nathaniel Grace Lambert, MP, of Buckinghamshire, who represented that constituency as a

from 1868 to 1874; their daughter Minnie Christine Brenda Hay went on to marry Lord Aberdour.

References

Sources

*
William Loney RN
Career History

External links

* * , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, John Lord Hay, Lord John Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Hay, Lord John UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 Hay, Lord John Hay, Lord John Hay, Lord John Hay, Lord John Hay, Lord John Hay, Lord John Hay, Lord John Hay, Lord John Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 4th class Lords of the Admiralty