Sir George Grey, 1st Baronet, (10 October 1767 – 3 October 1828) was a 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 ...

officer, who served as Master and Commander of 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 ...

. He joined the

at the age of 14 and was on active service from 1781 to 1804, serving in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, the

French Revolutionary War The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries ...

and the

Napoleonic War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. He served as Flag Captain for John Jervis, Earl of St Vincent and later as Flag Captain for

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

on his

royal yacht A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...

. From 1804 to 1806, he was Commissioner at

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the Royal Navy would often establish shore ...

, and from 1806 until his death in 1828 he was Commissioner at

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...

. - Administrative/Biographical History of Grey, The Hon Sir George, 1st Bt., Captain, 1767–1828, whose papers are held by the National Maritime Museum. — The book is a memoir of Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet but the first chapter outlines the early lives of Sir George Grey, 1st Baronet; his parents and brothers; his wife, Mary Whitbread and her parents and their careers.

Early life

Grey was born at the Grey family estate of Fallodon Hall,

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

on 10 October 1767, the third son of

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey, (circa 23 October 1729 – 14 November 1807) was a British Army officer. He was a distinguished soldier in a generation of exceptionally capable military personnel, serving crucially in the Seven Years' War (1756– ...

and the Countess Elizabeth Grey. Among his siblings were

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. As prime minister, Grey w ...

, who became

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

and abolished slavery in the British Empire in 1833, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry George Grey,

Governor of Cape Colony This article lists the governors of British South African colonies, including the colonial prime ministers. It encompasses the period from 1797 to 1910, when present-day South Africa was divided into four British Empire, British colonies namely ...

, and Edward Grey,

Bishop of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. Until 1534, the Diocese of Hereford was in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and two of its bishop ...

Naval career

Grey joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14, serving in the West Indies and home waters from 1781. He was on under Captain Lord Robert Manners in Rodney's action of the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

against the French on 12 April 1782National Archives Caird Library ADM 354/222/175 Letter from Commissioner Grey 13 April 1806, stating to the Navy Board that he had also served in Rodney's action of 12 April 1782 on the Resolution His commission for service at the rank of 4th Lieutenant was issued in 1784.National Archives, Kew, London. ref: ADM 6/23/248 Following representations made by Charles Grey, to

John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham General John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (9 October 1756 – 24 September 1835) was a British soldier and politician. He spent a lengthy period in the cabinet but is best known for commanding the disastrous Walcheren Campaign of 1809. Chatham wa ...

detailing the career of his son George, also a lieutenant in the navy, and requesting consideration for promotion, he was on 7 August 1793 confirmed as Captain of HMS ''Vesuvius'' (1776). At the commencement of the war with France in 1793, Grey was serving on the 32-gun HMS ''Quebec'', from which he was promoted to the command of the ''Vesuvius''

bomb vessel A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannons (Naval long gun, long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but ...

The Gentlemen's Magazine Vol. 144
p 371-372 – Obituary of Hon Sir G. Grey Bart and on 3 October 1793, Sir John Jervis hoisted the flag of a Vice-Admiral of the Blue on HMS ''Boyne''.

His flag captain was the son of the general commanding the troops, Captain George Grey, from thenceforth associated with his patron's services, and with his affection to the latest hour of his life.Tucker. Jedediah Stephen
''Memoirs of Admiral the Right Hon the Earl of St. Vincent Vol. I''
Richard Bentley 1844, p. 105-6.

The combined forces, commanded jointly by John Jervis and Grey's father, General Charles Grey, proceeded to the Caribbean where they captured the French colonies of

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

and

St Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

. According to accounts of the time, Charles Grey ordered 2,400 troops to attack the French-held forts. His son, Captain George Grey and Captain Nugent were often employed, with 200 or 400 seamen, to move the heavy guns, ammunition and supplies to the troops, and at times to storm the enemy at the point of bayonet to gain territory.Tucker. Jedediah Stephen
''Memoirs of Admiral the Right Hon the Earl of St. Vincent Vol. I''
Richard Bentley 1844, p. 110-121. On their return to British waters on 1 May 1795, HMS ''Boyne'' caught fire during Marine exercises while anchored off

Spithead Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...

. The fire spread quickly, causing the on-board cannons to fire at nearby ships attempting to rescue the seamen on board. Eleven crewmen from the ''Boyne'' lost their lives, and two from the ''

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...

'', anchored nearby. The anchor cables were destroyed by the fire, so the ship drifted and eventually ran aground. It eventually had to be blown up, and the Boyne Buoy, still marks the position of the wreck near Southsea Castle at the entrance to

Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a / biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it ...

. The accident happened before John Jervis had been able to remove all his papers and belongings, so everything he had on board was lost.Tucker. Jedediah Stephen
''Memoirs of Admiral the Right Hon the Earl of St. Vincent Vol. I''
Richard Bentley 1844, p. 135. George Grey, as captain, was court-martialed but acquitted, as he had not been on board at the time. Battleship1

In November 1796, Captain Grey sailed with John Jervis and

Robert Calder Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, (2 July 174531 August 1818) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. For much of his career he w ...

on HMS ''Lively'', to join the

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. Admiral Jervis raised his flag on with the two captains,

as Captain of the Fleet and Captain George Grey to command his flagshipTucker. Jedediah Stephen
''Memoirs of Admiral the Right Hon the Earl of St. Vincent Vol. I''
Richard Bentley 1844, pp. 148/9. The Admiral hoisted his flag on

HMS Victory HMS ''Victory'' is a 104-gun first-rate wooden sailing ship of the line. With years of service as of , she is the world's List of oldest surviving ships, oldest naval vessel still in Ship commissioning, commission. She was ordered for the Roy ...

on joining the fleet. During the Battle of Cape St Vincent of 14 February 1797, despite the heavy fighting, there was only one fatality on HMS ''Victory'', when a Marine was shot alongside John Jervis on the poop deck.Tucker. Jedediah Stephen
''Memoirs of Admiral the Right Hon the Earl of St. Vincent Vol. I''
Richard Bentley 1844, p. 259. In August 1797, Captain Grey was given the command of and the following year, in September 1798, he succeeded

as Master and Commander of the

, the orders coming from

George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer, (1 September 1758 – 10 November 1834), styled Viscount Althorp from 1765 to 1783, was a British Whig politician. He served as Home Secretary from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was ...

First Lord of the Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

on 29 August 1798. By June 1799, Earl St Vincent had given Captain Grey the dormant position of Adjutant-General of Fleet and requested that he be permitted to have Grey accompany him home on the ''Ville de Paris''.Tucker. Jedediah Stephen
''Memoirs of Admiral the Right Hon the Earl of St. Vincent Vol. I''
Richard Bentley 1844, pp. 484/5. The service record of George Grey as Adjutant General of the Fleet whilst on Argo and Guerrier from June to November 1799 by Evan Nepean 26 Dec 1801 In April 1800, John Jervis was recalled to command the

Channel Fleet The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915. History Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history th ...

, to quell the mutinous spirit of the crews.

Lord St Vincent was desirous of calling to his assistance in the Channel, as many as he could of the Officers formed in the Mediterranean Fleet... That the Admiralty could not, at a moment's notice, comply with these wishes as fully as his Lordship imparted them, may also be as easily supposed. Captain Grey accompanied the Admiral as his Flag Captain on HMS ''Ville de Paris''.Tucker. Jedediah Stephen
''Memoirs of Admiral the Right Hon the Earl of St. Vincent Vol. II''
Richard Bentley 1844, p. 5-7.

At the beginning of the short peace in March 1801, he accepted the command of one of the royal yachts at Weymouth, and did not again see active service. The Grey family lived at Weymouth for the three years of his service to

and a doll's house that was presented to his daughters by the Royal princesses is on display at

Kew Palace Kew Palace is a British royal palace within the grounds of Kew Gardens on the banks of the River Thames. Originally a large complex, few elements of it survive. Dating to 1631 but built atop the undercroft of an earlier building, the main surv ...

Admiralty Commissioner

From 1804 to 1806, Captain Grey was Commissioner of

. During his time there, on 23 December 1805 his official yacht, the ''Chatham'', was used to transfer

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

's coffin with his flag flown at half mast, from to Greenwich Hospital. There his body lay in state until 8 January 1806 before being moved by state barge to Whitehall and the Admiralty for a state funeral. Admiralty-House

In 1806, George Grey was appointed Commissioner at Portsmouth Dockyard. Besides overseeing the changing face of the Navy and the Dockyard being instigated by the Lord of the Admiralty, Earl St Vincent, Sir George had an important administrative role to play. Some of his correspondence with the Navy Board from 1807 to 1827 is still kept by National Archives relating to the workers, maintenance and general operation of the dockyard, including major accidents. He also wrote to the Board on behalf of offenders who faced deportation or death for their crimes. In 1807, the mayor of Portsmouth John Carter, together with the aldermen, Town Clerk and Coroner, arrived at the Dockyard gates to assert the right of judicial process over the whole dockyard. George Grey refused them entry until he had assurances that they were not claiming jurisdiction over the soil of the dockyard. He became President of the Portsmouth Dock Yard Bible Association in 1817 and was an active supporter, with his wife, of Missions to Seafarers. His wife, Mary Whitbread, took an active role in looking after the dockyard workers' families, sick seamen and seafarer's orphans. She was the first woman to have been recorded as actively supporting seamen's missions by supplying scriptures and other religious reading materials to officers and instructing them to read to the men or distribute material to crews at sea. She did this for over 20 years.Kverndal, Roald
''Seamen's Missions: their origin and growth''
William Carey Library 1986, pp. 125-6, 296. In 1814 during a royal visit instigated by the Prince Regent (later

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

), Emperor

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...

, Catherine, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg, the Earl of Yarmouth, and Russian Ambassador Count Lieven stayed at the Commissioner's residence in Portsmouth Dockyard. On 29 July he was created a Knight Commander of the Bath. Sir George maintained his close friendship with Admiral John Jervis until his death in 1823.Tucker. Jedediah Stephen
''Memoirs of Admiral the Right Hon the Earl of St. Vincent Vol. II''
Richard Bentley 1844, p. 394. In addition to his work as Commissioner of the Dockyard he was also Marshal of the Vice-Admiralty Court at

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

; an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

of Portsmouth and Vice President of the Naval and Military Bible Society. The Royal Garrison Church - geograph

Death and funeral

Sir George Grey died at the Commissioner's residence, Portsmouth Dockyard, on 3 October 1828. The ''Hampshire Telegraph'' reported his funeral on 13 October 1828: :"The remains of the Hon. Sir Geo. Grey, Bart. were this morning deposited in the Chapel of this Garrison, the Burial Service being performed by Rev. W.S. Dusauloy... The pall was borne by Admiral the Hon. Sir Robert Stopford, Vice-Admiral Sir Harry Burrard-Neale, 2nd Baronet, Rear-Admiral Gifford, Major-General Sir Colin Campbell and Captains Loring and Chetham. the principal Officers in his Majesty's Dockyard in mourning coaches, and several hundred of the shipwrights and other artificers of the yard, on foot, followed. On the Grand Parade, a passage to prevent interruption, was formed by the military and the whole was conducted in the most solemn and impressive manner..." He was buried at the Royal Garrison Church, Portsmouth, where a memorial plaque is displayed in the chancel.

Baronetcy

Sir George Grey was created 1st Baronet Grey of Fallodon on 29 July 1814, following the visit of the Allied Sovereigns to Portsmouth, and was appointed a

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 ...

(KCB) by

Family

On 18 Jun 1795, George Grey married Mary Whitbread (1770–9 May 1858) of Bedwell Park in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, daughter of brewer Samuel Whitbread (1720–1796) and Lady Mary Cornwallis (1736–1770), and sister of

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best known as one of the leading Britis ...

. Mary's brother,

Samuel Whitbread (1764–1815) Samuel Whitbread (18 January 1764 – 6 July 1815) was a British politician. The heir of a wealthy brewer, he was a staunch Whig sitting in Parliament from 1790 to his death. Shortly after the Battle of Waterloo he committed suicide, having b ...

, an English politician, was married to Elizabeth Grey, eldest daughter of Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey and George Grey's sister. George Grey and Mary Whitbread had the following children: * Mary Grey (1796–1863) who first married Royal Navy Captain Thomas Monck Mason in 1823, with whom she had seven children, including Mary Grey, grandmother of Jessie Mary Grey, Lady Street. She remarried Henry Gray in 1840. * Rt. Hon. Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet, MP (1799–1882) born in Gibraltar and sometimes Home Secretary between the years of 1846 and 1866. He married Anna Sophia Ryder and had one son, Lt. Col. George Henry Grey (1835–1874). * Elizabeth Grey (1800–1818) who married Charles Noel, 1st Earl of Gainsborough and died after the birth of their son, Charles George Noel, 2nd Earl of Gainsborough. * Harriet Caroline Augusta Grey (1802–1889) who married Reverend John Simon Jenkinson and had six children. * Hannah Jean Grey (1803–1829) married Sir Henry Thompson, 3rd Baronet of Virkees (1796–1838), and died shortly after the birth of their daughter Hannah Jane Thompson. * Jane Baring, Baroness Northbrook (1804–1838) married Francis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook (grandson of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, founder of

Barings Bank Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London. It was one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member ...

) and had five children. * Charlotte Grey (1805–1814). * Charles Samuel Grey (1811–1860) married firstly Laura Mary Elton (died 1848), daughter of Sir Charles A. Elton 6th Bt, with whom he had five children and secondly Margaret Dysart Hunter, daughter of Gen. Sir Martin Hunter, in 1850 with whom he had a further five children. He held the post of Paymaster of the Civil Services in Ireland. * A son who died in infancy 1814. Descendants of Sir George include:

Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon (25 April 1862 – 7 September 1933), better known as Sir Edward Grey, was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician who was the main force behind British foreign policy i ...

Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook Francis Baring, 2nd Earl of Northbrook, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Earls of Gainsborough, Sir Peter Curtis, 6th Baronet, Admiral Francis George Kirby, Lt. Col. Norborne Kirby, Jessie Mary Grey Street, Colonel Sir Laurence Street and Commander Alexander Street.

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

The Peeerage.com: Captain Hon. Sir George Grey, 1st Baronet

Memoirs: Chapter 1 Parentage and Early Years

Private Papers of George 2nd Earl Spencer, First Lord of the Admiralty 1794–1801. Spencer to St Vincent 29 August 1798 – stating Capt George Grey to be Master & Commander of Mediterranean Fleet

Kew Dolls' House

Commissioners of H.M. Dockyards. Portsmouth 22 July 1806 Hon. George Grey (1) Capt, R.N. (Bart, 1814, K.C.B. 1820). Sheerness 24 Apr 1804 Hon George Grey (1)

Page 164: Major Operations 1803–1815, Return of Nelson's body to London

The National Maritime Museum

Reference GB 0064 GRE: Papers of Sir George Grey

HMS Victory

The National Archives: Nelson gallery

Memoirs, pp 148 and 149 – departure for Gibraltar from Portsmouth

Memoirs, pp 259 – death of marine on Victory, Battle of Cape St Vincent

Memoirs, pp 393 and 394 – death of Admiral Jervis 1823
* Gentleman's Magazine Vol 98, Part 2, Pages 371–2 - 1828 Obituary of Hon Sir G. Grey , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, George 1767 births 1828 deaths Royal Navy captains Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom People from Howick, Northumberland Military personnel from Northumberland Younger sons of earls Grey baronets