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 ...

Maurice Frederick FitzHardinge Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge, (3 January 1788 – 17 October 1867) was a

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 ...

officer. As a junior officer he commanded gunboats on the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

, reinforcing the

Lines of Torres Vedras The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, c ...

, in Autumn 1810 during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

and, as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, he served on the coast of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

taking part in the capture of

Acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

in November 1840 during the Oriental Crisis. He also served as Whig Member of Parliament for

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

and became First Naval Lord in the

Aberdeen ministry After the collapse of Lord Derby's minority government, the Whigs and Peelites formed a coalition under the Peelite leader George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen. The government resigned in early 1855 after a large parliamentary majorit ...

in June 1854 and in that role focussed on manning the fleet and in carrying out reforms and improvements in the food, clothing, and pay of seamen.

Early career

Born the illegitimate son of

Frederick Berkeley, 5th Earl of Berkeley Colonel Frederick Augustus Berkeley, 5th Earl of Berkeley (24 May 1745 – 8 August 1810) was a British peer and militia officer who served as the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire from 1766 to 1810. Origins and education Berkeley was the elde ...

, and his wife Mary Berkeley (née Cole), Berkeley entered the

in June 1802. Promoted to lieutenant on 9 July 1808, he joined 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 N ...

HMS ''Hydra'' on the east coast of Spain and then commanded gunboats on the

, reinforcing the

, in Autumn 1810 during the

.Dod, pp. 115–116 Promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

on 19 December 1810, he was given command of the sixth-rate HMS ''Vestal''. After being promoted to

on 7 June 1814 and, having become a Deputy Lieutenant of

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

on 18 June 1824, he took command of the fifth-rate HMS ''Semiramis'', flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Cork in May 1828. Entering politics, Berkeley became Whig Member of Parliament for

in the 1831 general election. He resigned his seat in April 1833 following his appointment as Fourth Naval Lord in the Grey ministry that month and remained in office until December 1834. He successfully became Member of Parliament for Gloucester again at the 1835 general election but, although he secured his old job as Fourth Naval Lord back again in the

Second Melbourne ministry The second Lord Melbourne ministry was formed in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland by the William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne in 1835. History Lord Melbourne's second government came to power after Sir Robert Peel's minority gov ...

in July 1837, he was defeated at the 1837 general election. He remained in office as Fourth Sea Lord but became concerned over reductions in manning and resigned in March 1839. Returning to sea, Berkeley was given command of the second-rate HMS ''Thunderer'' in January 1840 and served on the coast of

taking part in the capture of

in November 1840 during the Oriental Crisis. For this 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 caregi ...

and received the Naval Gold Medal. At the 1841 general election Berkeley returned to Parliament as Member for Gloucester again and, while still serving in Parliament, he became the Third Naval Lord 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 gover ...

in July 1846. He was also appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to the Queen on 17 November 1846.

Senior command

Berkeley went on to be Second Naval Lord in the same ministry in December 1847 and, having been promoted to the rank of

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

on 30 October 1849, he briefly became First Naval Lord in the same ministry in February 1852 but left office when the Government fell from power the following month. He became Second Naval Lord in the

in January 1853 and First Naval Lord in the same ministry in June 1854. As First Naval Lord he focussed on manning the fleet and in carrying out reforms and improvements in the food, clothing, and pay of seamen. 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 King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

on 5 July 1855, become a member of the Privy Council on 13 August 1855 and been promoted to

vice-admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

on 21 October 1856, he lost his seat in Parliament at the 1857 general election and resigned as First Naval Lord suffering from ill health in November 1857. On 26 February 1861, after inheriting his brother's estates, Berkeley unsuccessfully claimed the Barony of Berkeley as being one by tenure of Berkeley Castle. He 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 King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...

on 28 June 1861 and was created Baron FitzHardinge, of the city and county of Bristol on 3 August 1861. He was promoted to full

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 ...

on 15 January 1862 and died at

Berkeley Castle Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, being designated by English ...

in Gloucestershire on 17 October 1867.

Family

In 1823 Berkeley married Lady Charlotte Lennox, daughter of

Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond General Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox, 4th Duke of Aubigny, (9 December 176428 August 1819) was a British peer, soldier, politician and Governor-General of British North America. Background Richmond was born to Gene ...

; after his first wife died he married Lady Charlotte Moreton, daughter of

Thomas Reynolds-Moreton, 1st Earl of Ducie Thomas Reynolds-Moreton, 1st Earl of Ducie (31 August 1776 – 22 June 1840) was the first Earl of Ducie. He was the son of Francis Reynolds-Moreton, 3rd Baron Ducie, and his wife, the former Mary Provis. and was educated at Eton College and Ex ...

in 1834.

References

Sources

*
Maurice Frederick Fitzhardinge Berkeley R.N.
pdavis.nl. Accessed 22 February 2024.

External links

* * * , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzhardinge, Maurice Berkeley, 1st Baron 1788 births 1867 deaths Deputy lieutenants of Sussex First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Royal Navy admirals UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs who were granted peerages Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Maurice Maurice may refer to: *Maurice (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name Places * or Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean *Maurice, Iowa, a city *Maurice, Louisiana, a village *Maurice River, a trib ...

People from Berkeley, Gloucestershire Place of birth missing Members of Parliament for Gloucester Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria Lords of the Admiralty