Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many 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. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Charles Ramsay Arbuthnot (5 February 1850 – 30 September 1913) was an officer of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

Biography

Arbuthnot was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England, the son of George Clerk Arbuthnot (1803–1876) of Marisbank,

Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...

, (the third son of

Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet of Edinburgh FRSE (24 December 1766 – 18 September 1829) was a Scottish landowner and politician. He served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh and Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh. Early life William w ...

), by his second wife Caroline Ramsay, daughter of James Hay of Collepriest, and Lady Mary Ramsay, the fourth daughter of George Ramsay, 6th

Earl of Dalhousie Earl of Dalhousie (), in the County of Midlothian, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, held by the chief of Clan Ramsay. History The family descends from Sir George Ramsay, who represented Kincardineshire in the Scottish Parliament in 1 ...

. Arbuthnot entered the Royal Navy as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

in September 1863, aged 13, and was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in December 1869. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant from the Royal Yacht on 7 September 1871. In 1875–76 he served aboard the yacht in the Arctic, earning the Arctic Medal. Arbuthnot was promoted to the rank of commander on 31 December 1883, and to captain on 30 June 1891. In 1888 he was stationed in Zanzibar where he served in the Royal Navy's Anti-Slavery Squadron. He commanded the cruisers during her operations on the

Australia Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, whose rank varied over t ...

between 1892 and 1895, and from January to March 1895. From January 1896 until April 1898 he was in command of the

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of cruiser of the late 19th century, took their name from the armored deck, which protected vital machine-spaces from fragments released by explosive shells. Protected cruisers notably lacked a belt of armour alon ...

, which formed part of the Flying Squadron of 1896, and then the battleship between April 1898 and March 1900. From August 1900 until August 1903, he was in command of , the gunnery ship off

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. He was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

on 9 September 1901, serving until promoted to the rank of rear-admiral on 1 January 1904. In accordance with the provisions of the Order in Council of 8 December 1903, Arbuthnot was placed on the Retired List on 1 July 1907. He was promoted to vice-admiral on the Retired List on 22 March 1908, and to admiral on 18 September 1911. He died on 30 September 1913.

Personal life

On 8 January 1880 he married Emily Caroline, second daughter of Rear-Admiral

Charles Frederick Schomberg Vice Admiral Charles Frederick Schomberg (c. 1815 – 29 September 1874) was an officer of the British Royal Navy. He was the eldest son of Admiral Alexander Wilmot Schomberg by his second marriage. The ship , was named after him. She was buil ...

. They had three children; Evelyn Mary (1881–1939), Beatrice Caroline (1883–1953), and Geoffrey Schomberg, (1885–1957). Arbuthnot was a fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arbuthnot, Charles Ramsay 1850 births 1913 deaths Charles Ramsay Arbuthnot Recipients of the Polar Medal Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Royal Navy admirals